With the Gurkhas

Sorry about the break – I usually do better than that. But even without the excitement of being on University Challenge it’s been busy. An unplanned family visit to Cambridge was followed by the journey yesterday and today for Neal’s funeral in Portadown.

These events are of course extraordinary. I’ll remember many things about it – thousands of people in the main street of Portadown; a spontaneous round of applause for the Gurkha Guard of Honour. Most of all I’ll remember the gentle sotto voce commands to the Gurkha pall bearers – no shouting or display. Just gentle men who had come straight from Afghanistan to lay Neal to rest.

This is what I said.