Army’s magic bullet

SIR – If the Army is having trouble finding sufficient recruits to fill its ranks, the answer is simple: recruit more Gurkhas. There is no need to resort to the strange advertisements referred to by Charles Moore (Comment, January 13), let alone the even stranger proposal to abandon the motto “Be the Best”.

Every year the Brigade of Gurkhas faces exactly the opposite problem – having to whittle down thousands of superb applicants to match the small number of vacancies available.

Gurkhas have served the British Crown for more than 200 years and fought closely alongside their British comrades. They have in abundance the qualities that make a fine soldier: dutiful in peacetime, ferocious in battle.

Recruitment problem? What recruitment problem?

Major Nigel Price (retd)

Marple Bridge, Cheshire

SIR – I was Army recruiting officer for the London district area in the Eighties. We had a number of offices in the city; each had an officer and several non-commissioned officers in charge, all highly experienced. We took great trouble with the selection of recruits and were able to guide them towards worthwhile careers.

The 2018 recruiting advertisements that I have seen give the wrong message. My teams would have been appalled at being instructed to tell recruits that “they could cry, pray and show emotion”. Army recruiting should be left to military staff.

Lt-col W R Avens (retd)

Kingston upon Thames, Surrey