AS the latest intake of young Gurkhas completes initial training at Catterick Garrison, the selection of next year's recruits is about to begin.

The 230 young soldiers who arrived at the camp in January are due to finish their 11-week common military syllabus this month, before continuing to the next stage of training.

In the meantime, veteran Gurkhas who have returned to their native Nepal are about to be briefed before selecting likely candidates from their own regions.

When these would-be soldiers, some as young as 17, are whittled down to 1,000, Capt Krishna Gurung, of 2IC Gurkha Company, leaves Helles Barracks, at Catterick Garrison, to lead the final selection.

Capt Gurung, a soldier for 26 years, took over the company in November 2001 and is due to relinquish the role in January next year.

Initial selection sessions are advertised across Nepal each October and attract anything up to 25,000 young men eager to join the ranks of the esteemed British Gurkhas.

The veterans cast an educated eye over the would-be soldiers and weed out any who are obviously unsuitable at first glance.

"They have to be in general good health, at least 5ft 2in, over a certain weight and aged 17 upwards," says Capt Gurung. "Soldiering is a popular career for a country like Nepal. It is a young man's dream and open to everybody, although there are certain tribes whose main occupation is soldiering."

He admits that uncertainty clouds future selections, as trouble with the Maoists exacerbates the situation in Nepal.

After initial checks and tests, those selected go on to "hill selection", a gruelling physical challenge coupled with education tests, including knowledge of English language. English is Nepal's second language and taught in every school.

Helen Harper and Judy Woodings are language lecturers employed by the Ministry of Defence to carry out these tests. They later teach English language skills to the recruits at Catterick Garrison, bringing some of them to GCSE standard in a matter of weeks.

"Nepal is a beautiful country, although it is going through a very difficult patch at the moment," says Mrs Harper, from Catterick village. "You can sit in boiling hot weather, surrounded by parrots and monkeys and bougainvillea, and see the snow-covered Himalayas in the background."

Of the 1,000 who make it through the hill selection stage, 230 will be chosen for the British Gurkhas and 130 for the Singapore police.

The Gurkha recruits are issued with a gate pass to the final processing area, a recruiting centre in Western Nepal.

As this selection process is going on, Catterick Garrison is overseeing the final training of the previous intake and preparing to receive the new recruits.

In November, a 33-strong team, plus the education staff, fly out to Nepal to meet the young men who will arrive at the North Yorkshire base towards the end of January.

"When they get here, they are in a totally different world and they know they will not see their families for three years," says Capt Gurung.

Most recruits are single, but a handful are married, sometimes with children. Modern communications, such as e-mail, help keep the families in touch and the young soldiers are encouraged by their officers to maintain regular contact with their families.

Snow is something of a novelty for many of the newcomers, to the surprise of many at Catterick, who associate Nepal with the snowy Himalayas.

But Capt Gurung explains that the country has three regions, with the mountains inhabited by very few people. Most recruits come from the hill area, which is Capt Gurung's home, or the plain, near the Indian border, where tropical temperatures and exotic wildlife, including parrots and elephants, are commonplace.

Training begins in mid-February, with the first two weeks spent on administrative issues such as documentation, sorting out medical details and bank accounts, and giving the young men an idea of the area which will be their home for the next nine months.

They must also complete the common military syllabus before being allowed out into the community, initially in groups of four but, as they gain more knowledge, experience and confidence, in twos.

"These boys are from a totally different culture and they require some education before they go out into public. They need an idea of how this place runs, what are the rules, regulations and customs," says Capt Gurung.

"For example, when travelling by bus, they need to know what to do and how to buy a ticket. They need to know what Tesco sells and how to go about buying items there. We are from such a background that we always hurry and jumping a queue is not unusual in Nepal. They need to know that it is frowned on here."

Of course, some of the recruits are widely travelled - particularly those whose fathers have served in the military - and have knowledge of the western world. Five of the current intake are from Singapore, where the Gurkhas have a contingent.

Group visits to Richmond, Northallerton, Darlington and the Catterick area are arranged soon after the recruits arrive at Helles Barracks. Trips to Edinburgh and London are also in the pipeline, along with a visit to the First and Second World War battlefields of France, a trip which all British Army recruits undergo.

Once the young Gurkhas gain experience and confidence, they look forward to shopping for souvenirs to send home - anything from postcards to books. They also quickly develop a taste for Lucozade and Snickers bars and usually head for McDonald's when eating out.

"We see the change in them in just a few months, from rather puny little lads to confident, strong soldiers," says Ms Woodings. "Their confidence grows as they gain their skills."

Most of the recruits are also keen sportsmen, with football, volleyball, basketball and cricket among their favourites. They are also taught martial arts skills and provide displays at Army open days and local shows and events.

The Gurkha company is also keen to preserve the cultural heritage of Nepal, threatened to some extent in that country by industrialisation.

There are 36 ethnic Nepalese tribes, each with its own traditions and language, although all speak Nepali. Speakers on aspects of that culture are invited to address the soldiers at Catterick Garrison and Gurkha holidays and religious festivals are observed.

Most of the trainees will be Hindu - a temple was built at the barracks in time for the first intake - but the current group includes about 70 Buddhists and five Christians.

Each recruit is issued with a kukri - the traditional Gurkha short sword - purely for ceremonial purposes. A second kukri is provided for use in the field - cutting pork, clearing undergrowth and chopping wood.

At the end of their nine months at Catterick Garrison, the soldiers will be assigned to one of the Gurkha units, which include infantry, logistics, signals and the band. They have the opportunity to choose, providing they are considered right for the particular role.

Capt Gurung's military career has included two years' service with the Prince of Wales' household at Kensington Palace. He has also served in Hong Kong, Jakarta, Jordan, the Falklands, Kosovo, Belize, Brunei, Germany, Canada, New Zealand and Hawaii.

Every recruit in the first two Gurkha intakes at Catterick Garrison's infantry training centre passed out successfully. Discharges are almost unheard of in the regiment. The current group is set to follow suit in October, making way for the recruits whose selection process will begin next month in the shadow of the Himalayas.

* The Gurkha Welfare Trust, which helps veterans and their families and communities in Nepal, holds collections in Darlington on May 29 and at Catterick racecourse on July 18.