Mike Robjohn spotted an article in Country Life about feral goats. It prompted him to write this letter to the Editor, which was published recently:
Your short article on feral goats in your October 15th edition brought back the memory of another incident involving a similar problem. In 1971 1st Battalion 2nd Gurkha Rifles went from Singapore to Western Australia for six weeks training, in a range area north of Perth. A request was received from the local government as to whether the battalion could assist with culling a huge number of feral goats which had accumulated on an offshore island which were gradually destroying the wildlife and woodland. Accordingly, a company was dispatched to carry out this mission under the command of an unusual officer nicknamed “The Admiral”. The task was of course gleefully welcomed as goat meat is very much appreciated in a Gurkha cook house!
The job was done but the Admiral saved one animal from the pot, a very pretty small white kid which he managed to bring home from Australia to Singapore courtesy of the Royal Air Force. After three or four months in Singapore, the goat made yet another journey from Singapore to Hong Kong, courtesy of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Once established in Hong Kong, the Admiral appointed a goat orderly whose job it was to sit outside of his office on the lawn and manage the animal. But by now the kid was no longer a pretty little thing, it had developed into a rather large, overfed, smelly and brown beast. Much time was spent by unkind members of the battalion carefully watching the goat and its handler and when there was a chance, releasing the beast from its lawn position and then watch it race down to battalion headquarters where it proceeded to devour carefully cultivated flower arrangements and beds. A telephone call was then made to its owner saying that the animal was loose and what it was doing, and then watching the Admiral fly out of his office at high speed followed by the idle orderly to retrieve it.
After several escapes and much floral damage and much amusement, somebody had a word in the ear of the Gurkha Major. Unsurprisingly, it mysteriously disappeared and was never seen again except possibly by those enjoying a special meal in the cook house.
Sirmooris might also be interested to know that there were two other attempts to have a Regimental mascot. In the mid-1930s and again in 1944 the Regiment acquired a ram which was given to the Buglers to look after. Unfortunately neither survived very long, it is thought because of the poor or inappropriate diet their handlers fed them.
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