HUNDREDS of Army recruits marked the end of military training with a pass out parade inspected by the Minister of the Armed Forces.

Mark Lancaster watched as 270 Gurkha soldiers took part in the parade at the Infantry Training Centre (ITC) in Catterick.

After 39 gruelling weeks at the base, the recruits of the Gurkha Company – part of 2nd Infantry Training Battalion – marked the occasion in front of friends and family.

Mr Lancaster, who served in the Army from 1988 and 1990, was on hand to inspect the troops and take the salute from the dais as they marched past.

He said: “All their training culminates on this wonderful day and just to be here is an honour.

“It is brilliant to see so many happy faces and rightly so, they have achieved something very special.”

In autumn last year, the recruits were among thousands who applied to join the British Army.

Five thousand applicants took part in a rigorous selection process in Nepal, where just 270 were chosen to start at the ITC in February.

Mr Lancaster said: “For them to be selected in the first place shows they are outstanding at what they do.

“For them to finish the course shows their dedication and desire to want to be in the Armed Forces.

“It is a testing course and not just that, they have moved over from Nepal and have had to take to the English language and our culture.”

The Gurkhas, who marked 200 years of service in the British Army in 2015, are known for their kukris – a heavy knife with a curved blade.

ITC Catterick trains almost 2,000 recruits each year, and has been open since May 1995.

It took over the responsibility for Infantry training from the Army Infantry Training Battalions then based at Catterick, Strensall and Ouston.

Mr Lancaster added: “Few training centres can match the one at Catterick – it really is among the best in the world.

“Saying this, I hope the standard can be maintained as we look to the new recruits who will be starting next year.”