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  • British and Nepali-born army officers assess recruits during an army exercise trial known as the British Fitness Test (BFT) at the British Gurkha Regiment's camp at Pokhara, Nepal. The boys are among those trying for a highly-valued place in the regiment after a gruelling series of tests to eliminate the weaker and less able candidates. 60,000 boys aged between 17-22 (or 25 for those educated enough to become clerks or communications specialists) report to designated recruiting stations in the hills each November, most living from altitudes ranging from 4,000-12,000 feet. After initial selection, 7,000 are accepted for further tests from which 700 are sent down here to Pokhara in the shadow of the Himalayas. Only 160 of the best boys succeed in the journey to the UK. Nepal has been supplying youth for the British army since the Indian Mutiny of 1857.
    gurkha_recruitment07-16-01-1997_1.jpg
  • Wearing numbered bibs, four Nepali boys warm-up before an army exercise trial known as the British Fitness Test (BFT) at the British Gurkha Regiment's army camp at Pokhara, Nepal. These boys are among those trying for a highly-valued place in the regiment after a gruelling series of tests to eliminate the weaker and less able candidates. 60,000 boys aged between 17-22 (or 25 for those educated enough to become clerks or communications specialists) report to designated recruiting stations in the hills each November, most living from altitudes ranging from 4,000-12,000 feet. After initial selection, 7,000 are accepted for further tests from which 700 are sent down here to Pokhara in the shadow of the Himalayas. Only 160 of the best boys succeed in the journey to the UK. Nepal has been supplying youth for the British army since the Indian Mutiny of 1857.
    gurkha_recruitment01-16-01-1997_1.jpg
  • Two serving soldiers in civilian suits but wearing the insignia and badges of the Royal Military Police (RMP), talk quietly together while poignantly paying their respects to the hundreds of markers that symbolise war dead. Crosses and poppies mark anonymous fallen British soldiers and other servicemen and women, all killed during recent conflicts. Dedications from loved-ones or simply well-wishers are written on the wooden crosses on the weekend that Britain commemorates those killed on active service in trouble spots and war locations around the world, the markers a laid on the grass of Westminster Abbey's lawns on Parliament Square, opposite the Houses of Parliament. Armistice weekend is largely held on the closest Sunday to the 11th hour of the 11th Day of the 11th Month, when hostilities famously ended in on 11th November 1918.
    remembrance21-07-11-2009.jpg
  • A detail of a second world war Canadian veteran's chest, festooned with gleaming military campaign medals that symbolise an era of conflict, warfare and especially of survival. Seen as a close-up of polished silver, gold and zinc-alloy, we see only the upper body minus the face of this old soldier whose campaigns include the D-Day landings at Normandy in 1944 because at the bottom of his rack of fine insignia is a badge denoting the Normandy Veterans Association. Elsewhere, a medal is worn for service in Palestine. The unseen gentleman wears a Canadian pin at the top and the contribution of his fellow-countrymen as members of the British Commonwealth is recognised in battlefield cemeteries around the world. But on this day, the 11th November, old soldiers like him march past London's Cenotaph to remember friends who did not return from war.
    medals_veteran11-11-1989.jpg
  • The rare Victoria Cross is worn on the chest of the celebrated Nepali war veteran Bhanu Bhagta Gurung (also written Bhanubhakta), an ex-soldier of the British Gurkha regiment who in the second world war, earned his medals from repeated bravery against Japanese positions in Burma. He sits here on the terrace of his home, above the misty valley of Gorkha, Central Nepal. He is one of the last survivors of the remarkably brave men  who helped defeat the enemy in the jungles of south-east Asia. Gurung is the name of his Nepalese tribe (like the Sherpas who also come from the high Himalayan Kingdom). His company commander described him as "a smiling, hard-swearing and indomitable soldier who in a battalion of brave men was one of the bravest". Born September 1921 - died March 1 2008.
    medals_gurkha01-16-1997.jpg
  • Officers and new recruits of the British Royal Gurkha Regiment pose for their official photograph at their army camp at Pokhara, Nepal after recently being recruited into the regiment after a gruelling series of tests to eliminate the weaker and less able candidates, before the 160 lucky candidates travel to the UK for basic training. 60,000 boys aged between 17-22 (or 25 for those educated enough to become clerks or communications specialists) report to designated recruiting stations in the hills each November, most living from altitudes ranging from 4,000-12,000 feet. After initial selection, 7,000 are accepted for further tests from which 700 are sent down here to Pokhara in the shadow of the Himalayas. Only 160 of the best boys succeed in the journey to the UK. Nepal has been supplying youth for the British army since the Indian Mutiny of 1857.
    gurkha_recruitment02-16-01-1997_1.jpg
  • New recruits of the Royal Gurkha Regiment swear allegiance to Her Majesty the Queen’s portrait during their passing-out parade at their camp at Pokhara, Nepal. After being recruited into the regiment after a gruelling series of tests to eliminate the weaker and less able candidates, the lucky 160 fly to the UK for basic training. 60,000 boys aged between 17-22 (or 25 for those more educated to become clerks or communications specialists) report to designated recruiting stations in the hills each November, most living from altitudes ranging from 4,000-12,000 feet. After initial selection, 7,000 are accepted for further tests from which 700 are sent down here to Pokhara in the shadow of the Himalayas. Only 160 of the best boys succeed in the journey to the UK. Nepal has been supplying youth for the British army since the Indian Mutiny of 1857
    gurkha_recruitment05-16-01-1997_1.jpg
  • New recruits of the British Royal Gurkha Regiment learn to parade for their official photograph at their army camp in Pokhara, Nepal after recently being recruited into the regiment after a gruelling series of tests to eliminate the weaker and less able candidates, before the 160 lucky candidates travel to the UK for basic training. 60,000 boys aged between 17-22 (or 25 for those educated enough to become clerks or communications specialists) report to designated recruiting stations in the hills each November, most living from altitudes ranging from 4,000-12,000 feet. After initial selection, 7,000 are accepted for further tests from which 700 are sent down here to Pokhara in the shadow of the Himalayas. Only 160 of the best boys succeed in the journey to the UK. Nepal has been supplying youth for the British army since the Indian Mutiny of 1857.
    gurkha_recruitment04-16-01-1997_1.jpg
  • For their regular river washing ritual, the red identical t-shirts of young Nepali boys walk in single-file down a valley side near the British Gurkha Regiment's army camp at Pokhara after recently being recruited into the regiment after a gruelling series of tests to eliminate the weaker and less able candidates. 60,000 boys aged between 17-22 (or 25 for those educated enough to become clerks or communications specialists) report to designated recruiting stations in the hills each November, most living from altitudes ranging from 4,000-12,000 feet. After initial selection, 7,000 are accepted for further tests from which 700 are sent down here to Pokhara in the shadow of the Himalayas. Only 160 of the best boys succeed in the journey to the UK. The Gurkhas have been supplying youth for the British army since the Indian Mutiny of 1857.
    gurkha_training0316-01_1997_1.jpg
  • Red identical t-shirts of young Nepali boys walk in single-file through a dry valley near the British Gurkha Regiment's army camp at Pokhara after recently being recruited into the regiment after a gruelling series of tests to eliminate the weaker and less able candidates. 60,000 boys aged between 17-22 (or 25 for those educated enough to become clerks or communications specialists) report to designated recruiting stations in the hills each November, most living from altitudes ranging from 4,000-12,000 feet. After initial selection, 7,000 are accepted for further tests from which 700 are sent down here to Pokhara in the shadow of the Himalayas. Only 160 of the best boys succeed in the journey to the UK. The Gurkhas have been supplying youth for the British army since the Indian Mutiny of 1857.
    gurkha_training0216-01_1997_1.jpg
  • New recruits of the British Royal Gurkha Regiment parade before taking official oaths on the Union Jack flag at their army camp in Pokhara, Nepal after recently being recruited into the regiment after a gruelling series of tests to eliminate the weaker and less able candidates, before the 160 lucky candidates travel to the UK for basic training. 60,000 boys aged between 17-22 (or 25 for those educated enough to become clerks or communications specialists) report to designated recruiting stations in the hills each November, most living from altitudes ranging from 4,000-12,000 feet. After initial selection, 7,000 are accepted for further tests from which 700 are sent down here to Pokhara in the shadow of the Himalayas. Nepal has been supplying youth for the British army since the Indian Mutiny of 1857.
    gurkha_inspection-16-01-1997_1.jpg
  • New first year pilots of the Red Arrows, Britain's RAF aerobatic team discuss new manoeuvres at RAF Scampton. Flt. Lts. Jezz griggs and Matt Jarvis discuss the finer points of an aerobatic manoeuvre recently taught in the crew room. They will soon be putting this formation into practice in the air of their RAF Scampton airspace. Using two scaled model Hawk jet aircraft Griggs shows how their formation is to be flown on their next training flight. Five autumn and winter months are spent teaching new recruits manual aerobatic display flying while the older members (who rotate positions) learn new disciplines within the routine. Their leaning curve is steep, even for these accomplished fast-jet aviators who had already accumulated 1,500 hours in fighters. By Summer they need every aspect of their 25-minute displays honed to perfection.
    Red_Arrows608_RBA.jpg
  • On the edge of an old Soviet parade ground, peeling murals show an instruction mural for guarding prison camps seen in this army boot camp in the former East German peninsular called Halbinsel Wustrow near Rostock. For the benefit of recruits or as reminders of Soviet discipline, the picture shows a soldier standing at the barbed wire of a generic Gulag holding his AK-47 weapon and dressed in fur hat and uniform from that era. Perhaps those training here were eventually to guard political prisoners though it is a reminder of a fallen ideology. Wustrow was once a WW2 German anti-aircraft artillery position then housed civilian refugees before the eventual Soviet occupation of the former DDR during the Cold War, up until 1990 and the fall of communism and the Berlin Wall. The camp was ransacked and all its assets stripped before its desertion that summer.
    russian_wustrow03-16-06_1990.jpg
  • On the edge of an old Soviet parade ground, peeling murals show the physical style of Russian marching techniques seen in this army boot camp in the former East German peninsular called Halbinsel Wustrow near Rostock. For the benefit of recruits or as reminders of Soviet discipline, the picture shows a soldier marching in that unmistakable goose-stepping style reminiscent of the Nazi era, with high forward kicks and a strenuous arm movement to the chest as seen in iconic May Day celebrations in Red Square. Wustrow was once a WW2 German anti-aircraft artillery position then housed civilian refugees before the eventual Soviet occupation of the former DDR during the Cold War, up until 1990 and the fall of communism and the Berlin Wall. The camp was ransacked and all its assets stripped before its desertion that summer and is a reminder of a fallen ideology
    russian_wustrow02-16-06_1990.jpg
  • On the edge of an old Soviet parade ground, peeling murals show the physical style of Russian marching techniques seen in this army boot camp in the former East German peninsular called Halbinsel Wustrow near Rostock. For the benefit of recruits or as a reminder of Soviet discipline, the picture shows soldiers marching in that unmistakable goose-stepping style reminiscent of the Nazi era, with high forward kicks and a strenuous arm movement to the chest as seen in iconic May Day celebrations in Red Square. Wustrow was once a WW2 German anti-aircraft artillery position then housed civilian refugees before the eventual Soviet occupation of the former DDR during the Cold War, up until 1990 and the fall of communism and the Berlin Wall. The camp was ransacked and all its assets stripped before its desertion that summer and is a reminder of a fallen ideology
    russian_wustrow01-16-06_1990.jpg
  • Squadron Leader Dunc Mason of the Red Arrows, Britain's RAF aerobatic team instructs new manoeuvres to others.  <br />
Flt. Lt. Dave Mason shows the finer points of an aerobatic manoeuvre in the crew briefing room. They will soon be putting this formation into practice in the air of their RAF Scampton airspace. Using magnetic models of Hawk jet aircraft Mason shows how their formation is to be flown on their next training flight. Five autumn and winter months are spent teaching new recruits manual aerobatic display flying while the older members (who rotate positions) learn new disciplines within the routine. Their leaning curve is steep, even for these accomplished fast-jet aviators who had already accumulated 1,500 hours in fighters. By Summer they need every aspect of their 25-minute displays honed to perfection.
    Red_Arrows476_RBA.jpg
  • Squadron Leader Spike Jepson, leader of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, demonstrates the Corkscrew manoeuvre to his group of pilots and visitors in the briefing room at their RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire headquarters. Using two scaled model Hawk jet aircraft he shows how their formation is to be flown on their next training flight. Five autumn and winter months are spent teaching new recruits manual aerobatic display flying while the older members (who rotate positions) learn new disciplines within the routine. Their leaning curve is steep, even for these accomplished fast-jet aviators who had already accumulated 1,500 hours in fighters. By Summer they need every aspect of their 25-minute displays honed to perfection.
    Red_Arrows452_RBA.jpg
  • A holy Sadhu man attracts a crowd on the Maidan in central Calcutta, India. Near some ballustrades built by the British during the last years of the Raj, the man is leaning forward on his knees and his head is buried in gravel. Practicing Tapas or Niyamas, is one form of Austerity that holy men like this perform to cleanse themselves of bad thoughts. It is a conservation of energy; an increase of power in the system by sense control; a process of positive-thought, self-imposed  hardships and inner-strength - all to gain a higher being for oneself. They might stand in cold water in winter, stand on or bury their heads in earth. Niyamas also breeds non-violence, truthfullness, non-stealing, moderation, non-possessiveness, purity, contentment, discipline, study and surrender.
    RB_059-18-11-1996.jpg
  • An English gentleman of excellent breeding eats junk food - seemingly a Mathesons 'Smokey Joe's' hotdog. Sporting a pencil moustache he eats the fast-food at an event in southern England. He appears to have kept the discipline from his army days - a smart jacket and tie with regimental tie pin plus well-groomed hair greased with Brylcream to keep it in place.
    elderly_gent-12-07-1993_1.jpg
  • A group of young juvenile (criminal)  offenders participate in an "open prison" rehabilitation programme designed to build self esteem, courage, purposeful lives, seen here on horse back  and wagon's crossing a Nevada landscape. They are known as "Buffalo soldiers" and use the same clothing as Gral Custer and his cavalry used in the American civil war. Most of  the offenders are black, USA. This programme runs by the name of Vision Quest's Wagon Train.
    cp_usa_0238_1.jpg
  • Young primary school children (8 year olds), finish lessons mid afternoon and walk out of Dong Da Jian village Elementary school, Saahxi province and head back home to do their homework and have dinner, China
    chischochi_028_1.jpg
  • Presidential Bodyguard soldiers in early morning dust and mist filled horsemanship practice, consisting of jumping, daredevil riding and other such activities at the PBG's training grounds. This a regular activity as it requires the riders to perfect their horse riding skills and maneuvers for their official duties at ceremonial events.  The PBG is the Indian Army's preeminent regiment founded in 1773 during the British occupation, this handpicked unit began with a mere 50 men and today stands at 160 soldiers plus 50 support staff. It has a dual role, both as a ceremonial guard for the President of India, with all its finery at important state functions, as well as an elite operational unit for the Indian Army which has seen action in many battle fronts, in particular the on going disputed region of Kashmir.
    20071224_india_0107_1.jpg
  • Non commissioned officers (NCO's) of the Presidential Bodyguard regiment having a drink in their mess after a full day's activities in HQ's, New Delhi. The  Presidential Bodyguard or PBG is the Indian Army's preeminent regiment founded in 1773 during the British occupation, this handpicked unit began with a mere 50 men and today stands at 160 soldiers plus 50 support staff. It has a dual role, both as a ceremonial guard for the President of India, with all its finery at important state functions, as well as an elite operational unit for the Indian Army which has seen action in many battle fronts, in particular the on going disputed region of Kashmir.
    20071223_india_0440_1.jpg
  • The Presidential Bodyguard soldiers in their HQ barracks carrying out their daily activities, in this instance polishing their horse saddles leather and brass gear. The Presidential Bodyguard also known as the PBG is the Indian Army's preeminent regiment founded in 1773 during the British occupation, this handpicked unit began with a mere 50 men and today stands at 160 soldiers plus 50 support staff. It has a dual role, both as a ceremonial guard for the President of India, with all its finery at important state functions, as well as an elite operational unit for the Indian Army which has seen action in many battle fronts, in particular the on going disputed region of Kashmir.
    20071223_india_0316_1.jpg
  • Soldiers of the Presidential Bodyguard regiment (also known as the PBG) prepare the final touches before they head out of their barracks to the Rashtrapati Bhavan,(the Presidential Palace),  the Presidential Bodyguard march in formation for the 40 minute Saturday Changing of the Guard ceremony where they will take up their posts in guarding the palace. They march from the grounds of the Palace up the Rajpath to the Central Secretariat, or Ministry of Defence and back to the palace grounds where they will hand the ceremonial keys to their replacement soldiers. The PBG is the Indian Army's preeminent regiment founded in 1773 during the British occupation, this handpicked unit began with a mere 50 men and today stands at 160 soldiers plus 50 support staff. It has a dual role, both as a ceremonial guard for the President of India, with all its finery at important state functions, as well as an elite operational unit for the Indian Army which has seen action in many battle fronts, in particular the on going disputed region of Kashmir.
    20071222_india_0121-3_1.jpg
  • A group of young juvenile (criminal)  offenders participate in an "open prison" rehabilitation programme designed to build self esteem, courage, purposeful lives, seen here  a young offender in a Nevada landscape. They are known as "Buffalo soldiers" and use the same clothing as Gral Custer and his cavalry used in the American civil war. Most of  the offenders are black, USA. This programme runs by the name of Vision Quest's Wagon Train.
    cp_usa_0239_1.jpg
  • A group of young juvenile (criminal)  offenders participate in an "open prison" rehabilitation programme designed to build self esteem, courage, purposeful lives, seen here seen saluting early in the morning before beginning the day's activities. They are known as "Buffalo soldiers" and use the same clothing as Gral Custer and his cavalry used in the American civil war. Most of  the offenders are black, USA. This programme runs by the name of Vision Quest's Wagon Train.
    cp_usa_0237_1.jpg
  • A group of young juvenile (criminal)  offenders participate in an "open prison" rehabilitation programme designed to build self esteem, courage, purposeful lives, seen here on horse back crossing a Nevada landscape. They are known as "Buffalo soldiers" and use the same clothing as Gral Custer and his cavalry used in the American civil war. Most of  the offenders are black, USA. This programme runs by th e name of Vision Quest's Wagon Train.
    cp_usa_0236_1.jpg
  • Presidential Bodyguard soldiers in early morning dust and mist filled horsemanship practice, consisting of jumping, daredevil riding and other such activities at the PBG's training grounds. This a regular activity as it requires the riders to perfect their horse riding skills and maneuvers for their official duties at ceremonial events.  The PBG is the Indian Army's preeminent regiment founded in 1773 during the British occupation, this handpicked unit began with a mere 50 men and today stands at 160 soldiers plus 50 support staff. It has a dual role, both as a ceremonial guard for the President of India, with all its finery at important state functions, as well as an elite operational unit for the Indian Army which has seen action in many battle fronts, in particular the on going disputed region of Kashmir.
    20071224_india_0086_1.jpg
  • Presidential Bodyguard soldiers in early morning dust and mist filled horsemanship practice, consisting of jumping, daredevil riding and other such activities at the PBG's training grounds. This a regular activity as it requires the riders to perfect their horse riding skills and maneuvers for their official duties at ceremonial events.  The PBG is the Indian Army's preeminent regiment founded in 1773 during the British occupation, this handpicked unit began with a mere 50 men and today stands at 160 soldiers plus 50 support staff. It has a dual role, both as a ceremonial guard for the President of India, with all its finery at important state functions, as well as an elite operational unit for the Indian Army which has seen action in many battle fronts, in particular the on going disputed region of Kashmir.
    20071224_india_0078_1.jpg
  • Presidential Bodyguard soldier in early morning dust and mist filled horsemanship practice, consisting of jumping, daredevil riding and other such activities at the PBG's training grounds. This a regular activity as it requires the riders to perfect their horse riding skills and maneuvers for their official duties at ceremonial events.  The PBG is the Indian Army's preeminent regiment founded in 1773 during the British occupation, this handpicked unit began with a mere 50 men and today stands at 160 soldiers plus 50 support staff. It has a dual role, both as a ceremonial guard for the President of India, with all its finery at important state functions, as well as an elite operational unit for the Indian Army which has seen action in many battle fronts, in particular the on going disputed region of Kashmir.
    20071224_india_0029_1.jpg
  • A soldier of the Presidential Bodyguard regiment (the PBG) cleaning, buffing and preparing his ceremonial uniform in his barracks, New Delhi. The  Presidential Bodyguard or PBG is the Indian Army's preeminent regiment founded in 1773 during the British occupation, this handpicked unit began with a mere 50 men and today stands at 160 soldiers plus 50 support staff. It has a dual role, both as a ceremonial guard for the President of India, with all its finery at important state functions, as well as an elite operational unit for the Indian Army which has seen action in many battle fronts, in particular the on going disputed region of Kashmir
    20071223_india_0427_1.jpg
  • A soldier of the Presidential Bodyguard regiment (the PBG) cleaning, buffing and preparing his ceremonial uniform in his barracks, New Delhi. The  Presidential Bodyguard or PBG is the Indian Army's preeminent regiment founded in 1773 during the British occupation, this handpicked unit began with a mere 50 men and today stands at 160 soldiers plus 50 support staff. It has a dual role, both as a ceremonial guard for the President of India, with all its finery at important state functions, as well as an elite operational unit for the Indian Army which has seen action in many battle fronts, in particular the on going disputed region of Kashmir.
    20071223_india_0387_1.jpg
  • Lance Corporal Daffadar  Lal prepares his horse for morning activities at the Presidential Bodyguards HQ's, New Delhi. The  Presidential Bodyguard or PBG is the Indian Army's preeminent regiment founded in 1773 during the British occupation, this handpicked unit began with a mere 50 men and today stands at 160 soldiers plus 50 support staff. It has a dual role, both as a ceremonial guard for the President of India, with all its finery at important state functions, as well as an elite operational unit for the Indian Army which has seen action in many battle fronts, in particular the on going disputed region of Kashmir.
    20071222_india_0544_1.jpg
  • A plaque of the Indian Army's Presidential Bodyguard regiment's coat-of-arms, New Delhi. The  Presidential Bodyguard or PBG is the Indian Army's preeminent regiment founded in 1773 during the British occupation, this handpicked unit began with a mere 50 men and today stands at 160 soldiers plus 50 support staff. It has a dual role, both as a ceremonial guard for the President of India, with all its finery at important state functions, as well as an elite operational unit for the Indian Army which has seen action in many battle fronts, in particular the on going disputed region of Kashmir, India.
    20071222_india_0538_1.jpg
  • Presidential Bodyguard soldier in early morning dust and mist filled horsemanship practice, consisting of jumping, daredevil riding and other such activities at the PBG's barrack training grounds. This a regular activity as it requires the riders to perfect their horse riding skills and maneuvers for their official duties at ceremonial events.  The PBG is the Indian Army's preeminent regiment founded in 1773 during the British occupation, this handpicked unit began with a mere 50 men and today stands at 160 soldiers plus 50 support staff. It has a dual role, both as a ceremonial guard for the President of India, with all its finery at important state functions, as well as an elite operational unit for the Indian Army which has seen action in many battle fronts, in particular the on going disputed region of Kashmir.
    20071222_india_0525_1.jpg
  • Soldiers  of the Presidential Bodyguard begin the  Changing of the Guard ceremony as they march past the Central Secretariat towards the Rashtrapati Bhavan Palace. They march in formation for the 40 minute Saturday  ceremony where they will take up their posts in guarding the palace. They march from the grounds of the Palace up the Rajpath to the Central Secretariat, or Ministry of Defence and back to the palace grounds where they will hand the ceremonial keys to their replacement soldiers. The PBG is the Indian Army's preeminent regiment founded in 1773 during the British occupation, this handpicked unit began with a mere 50 men and today stands at 160 soldiers plus 50 support staff. It has a dual role, both as a ceremonial guard for the President of India, with all its finery at important state functions, as well as an elite operational unit for the Indian Army which has seen action in many battle fronts, in particular the on going disputed region of Kashmir.
    20071222_india_0242_1.jpg
  • Soldiers  of the Presidential Bodyguard begin the  Changing of the Guard ceremony as they march past the Central Secretariat towards the Rashtrapati Bhavan Palace. They march in formation for the 40 minute Saturday  ceremony where they will take up their posts in guarding the palace. They march from the grounds of the Palace up the Rajpath to the Central Secretariat, or Ministry of Defence and back to the palace grounds where they will hand the ceremonial keys to their replacement soldiers. The PBG is the Indian Army's preeminent regiment founded in 1773 during the British occupation, this handpicked unit began with a mere 50 men and today stands at 160 soldiers plus 50 support staff. It has a dual role, both as a ceremonial guard for the President of India, with all its finery at important state functions, as well as an elite operational unit for the Indian Army which has seen action in many battle fronts, in particular the on going disputed region of Kashmir.
    20071222_india_0148-3_1.jpg
  • Soldiers of the Presidential Bodyguard regiment (also known as the PBG) prepare the final touches before they head out of their barracks to the Rashtrapati Bhavan (Presidential Palace).  The Presidential Bodyguard march in formation for the 40 minute Saturday Changing of the Guard ceremony where they will take up their posts in guarding the palace. They march from the grounds of the Palace up the Rajpath to the Central Secretariat, or Ministry of Defence and back to the palace grounds where they will hand the ceremonial keys to their replacement soldiers. The PBG is the Indian Army's preeminent regiment founded in 1773 during the British occupation, this handpicked unit began with a mere 50 men and today stands at 160 soldiers plus 50 support staff. It has a dual role, both as a ceremonial guard for the President of India, with all its finery at important state functions, as well as an elite operational unit for the Indian Army which has seen action in many battle fronts, in particular the on going disputed region of Kashmir.
    20071222_india_0111_1.jpg
  • Presidential Bodyguard regiment (the PBG) soldiers get dressed into their ceremonial uniform as they prepare for the Changing of the Guard ceremony in front of the Presidential Palace, New Delhi, India. The PBG is the Indian Army's preeminent regiment founded in 1773 during the British occupation, this handpicked unit began with a mere 50 men and today stands at 160 soldiers plus 50 support staff. It has a dual role, both as a ceremonial guard for the President of India, with all its finery at important state functions, as well as an elite operational unit for the Indian Army which has seen action in many battle fronts, in particular the on going disputed region of Kashmir.
    20071222_india_0066_1.jpg
  • Lance Corporal Daffadar  Lal prepares his horse for morning activities at the Presidential Bodyguards HQ's, New Delhi. The  Presidential Bodyguard or PBG is the Indian Army's preeminent regiment founded in 1773 during the British occupation, this handpicked unit began with a mere 50 men and today stands at 160 soldiers plus 50 support staff. It has a dual role, both as a ceremonial guard for the President of India, with all its finery at important state functions, as well as an elite operational unit for the Indian Army which has seen action in many battle fronts, in particular the on going disputed region of Kashmir.
    20071222_india_0006_1.jpg
  • A detail of a Kyudo practitioner's traditional costume..Kyudo is a modern Japanese martial art derived from ancient Samurai archery, heavily influenced by Zen Buddhist philosophy.
    SFE_020803_0017.jpg
  • According to protocol, members of the Coldstream Guards mark in chalk the route along Whitehall for a future royal funeral, on 5th October, 2017, in London, England.
    route_marking-05-05-10-2017.jpg
  • Breathing through her mouth, a lady wearing a bikini costume lifts her head supported with her hands to start another sit-up repetition during a morning exercise session at Brockwell Lido, Brixton South London. With other bathers also lying in sun on the warm poolside pavement, some white and another Rastafarian with dreadlocks, it's a largely mixed crowd ethnically. Brockwell Lido in Herne Hill SE24 was originally built in 1937 at a time of coastal and city pool-building but went into decline when bathers preferred to holiday in warmer Spain. Its revival happened when local entrepreneurs re-opened the business and it now enjoys a reputation for some of the best urban swims in the UK.
    lido01-08-25-1995.jpg
  • Gym equipment at the Sports Institute, University of Ulster, Northern Ireland. Weight balls rest on a rack by a wall and miscellaneous equipment to help the trainer's exercises. Sports Institute Northern Ireland (SINI) was set up in 2002 as the catalyst for establishing the high performance sporting system in Northern Ireland. SINI is designed to provide high level support to Northern Ireland’s top athletes and coaches across a range of Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games sports along with a select number of sports that are important to the public in Northern Ireland including rugby, soccer, cricket, GAA, golf and motor sports. SINI is a partnership between Sport Northern Ireland and the University of Ulster and is based on the Jordanstown campus of the University of Ulster.
    kelly_gallagher138-22-05-2014_1.jpg
  • Officers of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, a Scots regiment of the British Army rehearse the official portrait with Queen Elizabeth the next day, on 27th June 1996, at Redford Barracks, Edinburgh, Scotland.
    highlanders-27-06-1996_1.jpg
  • A 14 year-old schoolboy performs rock and roll song in a teenage band in a south London pub during a music showcase. Playing his Fender Telecaster, the young lad's fingers play along the neck of the guitar, its strings amplifying the sound of this rock and roll number and to the right is a young boy who is lead singer. Organised by a south London guitar teacher who brings in sound equipment, the kids play their rehearsed songs for a private audience of parents and friends.
    guitar_showcase19-08-07-2012_1.jpg
  • Elite ceremonial soldiers called Evzones or Proedriki Froura (Presidential Guard), parade on Acropolis Hill, Athens. This special contingent of the light infantry unit are on duty at the Acropolis during the national holiday of 'No Day,’ celebrating the day when Mussolini was denied a marching route through Greece in 1941. The Acropolis was once the centre of classical Greek culture which the world has inherited for its laws and philosophical thinking. Mounted above the Athenian city within fortified 60m high walls, its history is a World Heritage Site, important because of its “universal symbols of the classical spirit and civilization and form the greatest architectural and artistic complex." The establishment of democracy, took a leading position amongst the other city-states of the ancient world.
    greek_olympiad012-23-10_2003_1.jpg
  • Buddhists meditate in silence for 30 minutes in their Shrine Room at the Rivendell Buddhist Retreat Centre, England. A middle-aged man and a younger woman sit in a meditative cross-legged position in order to relax their bodies and free their minds for this period of inner-contemplation. In front of the couple is a model of their retreat centre, a house now run by the Triratna Buddhist Community. Once a Victorian country rectory for the local vicar in this East Sussex village, it now houses facilities for the spiritual and the peaceful, having escaped for a brief time, the pressures of modern life. Beyond are two Buddhas on a tapestry and as a statue. The community web address is www.rivendellretreatcentre.com.
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  • A student at a Kyudo dojo in Kyoto, Japan.Kyudo is a modern Japanese martial art derived from ancient Samurai archery, heavily influenced by Zen Buddhist philosophy.
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  • A student at a Kyudo dojo in Kyoto, Japan.Kyudo is a modern Japanese martial art derived from ancient Samurai archery, heavily influenced by Zen Buddhist philosophy.
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  • A female Kyodo practitioner at the Kyoto dojo.Kyudo is a modern Japanese martial art derived from ancient Samurai archery, heavily influenced by Zen Buddhist philosophy.
    SFE_020803_0120.jpg
  • An elderly Kyodo practitioner draws his bow, Kyoto dojo.Kyudo is a modern Japanese martial art derived from ancient Samurai archery, heavily influenced by Zen Buddhist philosophy.
    SFE_020803_0121.jpg
  • A target full of arrows.Kyudo is a modern Japanese martial art derived from ancient Samurai archery, heavily influenced by Zen Buddhist philosophy.
    SFE_020803_0117.jpg
  • Arrows in a box at the Nakagawa dojo, Kyoto.Kyudo is a modern Japanese martial art derived from ancient Samurai archery, heavily influenced by Zen Buddhist philosophy.
    SFE_020803_0105.jpg
  • A kyudo practitioner draws his bow towards the target at the Kyoto Budo Centre dojo.Kyudo is a modern Japanese martial art derived from ancient Samurai archery, heavily influenced by Zen Buddhist philosophy.
    SFE_020803_0051.jpg
  • Decorated bows lined up at the Nakagawa dojo..Kyudo is a modern Japanese martial art derived from ancient Samurai archery, heavily influenced by Zen Buddhist philosophy.
    SFE_020803_0016.jpg
  • Murata Takeshi and Fujita Takehiro in traditional Kyudo costume stand at the Nashinoki Jinja Shrine. .Kyudo is a modern Japanese martial art derived from ancient Samurai archery, heavily influenced by Zen Buddhist philosophy.
    SFE_020803_0010.jpg
  • Practitioners line up at the Kyoto Budo Centre dojo.Kyudo is a modern Japanese martial art derived from ancient Samurai archery, heavily influenced by Zen Buddhist philosophy.
    SFE_020803_0007.jpg
  • Young Kyudo practitioners practice outside before a competition, Kyoto Budo Centre dojo, Kyoto, Japan.Kyudo is a modern Japanese martial art derived from ancient Samurai archery, heavily influenced by Zen Buddhist philosophy.
    SFE_020803_0004.jpg
  • Chibata Kanjuro, whose family has been making bows since the 15th century, bends the bamboo frame of a new bow in his workshop in Kyoto, Japan..
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  • Sensei Wada draws his bow towards the target at the Kyoto Budo Centre dojo, Kyoto, Japan.Kyudo is a modern Japanese martial art derived from ancient Samurai archery, heavily influenced by Zen Buddhist philosophy.
    SFE_020803_0001.jpg
  • Two female Kyodo practitioners at the dojo (practice hall) in Kyoto.Kyudo is a modern Japanese martial art derived from ancient Samurai archery, heavily influenced by Zen Buddhist philosophy.
    26_SFE_020803_0005.jpg
  • A group of cruise ship passengers prepare for a morning scuba diving in the blue waters off Cancun, Gulf of Mexico. Having left their ship for a few hours excursion into the warm tropical sea, the men and women ready themselves before submerging below the floating platform. With masks and snorkels already in place, they take turns to sit on a step and take the plunge. Many look unfit and unused to diving – especially the fatter, older man in the foreground. But for many this holiday is a trip of a lifetime so they won’t want to miss such an opportunity. The skies are blue and they are miles from land and the worries of work and home. They are here for adventure and have the money to make it happen.
    snorkelling_tourists01-07-05-1996_1_...jpg
  • Monks practicing Tibetan-Buddhism meditate with dorje bells in the Kagyu Samye Ling Buddhist retreat centre in Eskdalemuir, Scotland. They are a western visitors, many of whom have had a troubled youth and are sometimes escaping a criminal past, who arrive in the Scottish wilderness for isolated retreat periods, for short-term spiritual relaxation or to follow Tibetan teaching methods for discovering inner-peace, through prayer and meditation. This Tibetan Buddhist complex associated with the Kagyu School celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2007. Dorje is a common male name in Tibet and Bhutan. Dorje can also refer to a small sceptre held in the right hand by Tibetan lamas during religious ceremonies.
    samye_ling_buddhism03-16-07-1997.jpg
  • A visiting Lama teacher of Kagyu Tibetan-Buddhism greets a westerner baby and its father in the Kagyu Samye Ling Buddhist retreat centre in Eskdalemuir, Scotland. Touching the child on its head, the Lama smiles and appears the archetypal kind leader of the Buddhist religion. The dad and baby are western visitors in this peaceful location for spiritual cleansing and often to find answers to their complicated, modern lives. And many here have had a troubled youth and are sometimes escaping a criminal past, who arrive in the Scottish wilderness for isolated retreat periods, for short-term spiritual relaxation or to follow Tibetan teaching methods for discovering inner-peace, through prayer and meditation. This Tibetan Buddhist complex associated with the Kagyu School celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2007.
    samye_ling_buddhism04-16-07-1997.jpg
  • A nun practicing Tibetan-Buddhism meditates in silence at a shrine. Seen in almost silhouette, the young woman engages in Puja, or prayer, at the Kagyu Samye Ling Buddhist retreat centre in Eskdalemuir, Scotland. She is a western visitor, many of whom have had a troubled youth and are sometimes escaping a criminal past, who arrive in the Scottish wilderness for isolated retreat periods, for short-term spiritual relaxation or to follow Tibetan teaching methods for discovering inner-peace, through prayer and meditation. This Tibetan Buddhist complex associated with the Kagyu School celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2007.
    samye_ling_buddhism02-16-07-1997.jpg
  • A portrait of the Tibetan-Buddhist Lama Yeshe Losal Rinpoche standing in gardens of Samye Ling Buddhist Centre, Scotland. Looking relaxed and at peace with himself, the spiritual leader wears the robes and necklace of a Buddhist monk with a background of green grasses and reeds. Lama Yeshe Losal Rinpoche is a lama in the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism and abbot of the Samye Ling Monastery, Scotland, the first and largest of its kind in the West.
    samye_ling_buddhism01-16-07-1997.jpg
  • Säben Abbey in Klausen, South Tyrol, Italy. Säben Abbey is a Benedictine nunnery established in 1687, when it was first settled by the nuns of Nonnberg Abbey in Salzburg. Säben was for centuries a centre of pilgrimage and controlled an extensive religious precinct. Situated above the town of Klausen, the hill it is built on what was already settled during the New Stone Age. On the site of the present nunnery there was an earlier Roman settlement.
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  • A dog waits for its owner to launch a ball, on 14th April 2018, in Ruskin Park, London borough of Lambeth, England.
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  • A row or Royal Artillery horsemen during the annual Trooping of the Colour parade in the Mall. With swords drawn, the row of fine horse mounted soldiers parade along the Mall towards the parade ground at Horseguards. The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA), is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments. The introduction of artillery into the English Army came as early as the Battle of Crécy in 1346
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  • According to protocol, members of the Coldstream Guards mark in chalk the route along Whitehall for a future royal funeral, on 5th October, 2017, in London, England.
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  • Some of the nine Hawk jet aircraft of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, perform the 5/4 Split high during an In-Season Practice (ISP) training flight near their base at RAF Scampton. Seen through the explosive Plexiglass cockpit of a tenth plane, we see forward into deep blue sky as two sets of aerobatic pilots steer their machines from a crossover manoeuvre, their organic white smoke pouring from their jet pipes to emphasize their paths through the air. In front of a local crowd at the airfield the team work their way through a 25-minute series of display manoeuvres that are loved by thousands at summer air shows. After some time off, spare days like this are used to hone their manual aerobatic and piloting skills before re-joining the air show circuit. Since 1965 they've flown over 4,000 shows in 52 countries.
    Red_Arrows730_RBA.jpg
  • Seen from the cockpit of another Hawk of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team during an In-Season Practice (ISP) training flight near their base at RAF Scampton. Seen through the explosive Plexiglass cockpit of a tenth plane, we see forward into deep blue sky as two sets of aerobatic pilots steer their aircraft before a crossover manoeuvre, their organic white smoke pouring from their jet pipes to emphasize their paths through the air. In front of a local crowd at the airfield the team work their way through a 25-minute series of display manoeuvres that are loved by thousands at summer air shows. After some time off, spare days like this are used to hone their manual aerobatic and piloting skills before re-joining the air show circuit. Since 1965 they've flown over 4,000 shows in 52 countries.
    Red_Arrows684_RBA.jpg
  • Joining with the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team on the far left, are the smoke trails of forty leading European display aircraft: Spanish Patrulla Aguila; Italian Frecce Tricolori; French Breitling Jet Team and the Swiss Patrouille Suisse. All flew together in the clear, blue alpine skies on a spectacular fly-past at the Payerne Air 04 show, Switzerland. The two-day festival at the Swiss airfield is home of the Swiss Air Force who host the cream of international aerobatic display flying every September to 275,000 spectators over a weekend. European display teams and air forces gathered to celebrate the 90th anniversary of Swiss military aviation. Flying on the far left here, the Red Arrows have performed over 4,000 shows in 52 countries since 1965.
    Red_Arrows673_RBA.jpg
  • Seen from another aircraft, the Diamond Nine formation of the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team is seen over freshly-ploughed English fields and hedgerows (the result of the old agricultural ‘enclosure’ system of land division) the nine aircraft fly in a tight formation approximately 8 feet (2.5m) apart from each other. This is an In-Season Practice (ISP) training flight near their base at RAF Scampton. In front of a local crowd at the airfield they practice a 25-minute series of display manoeuvres that are loved by thousands at summer air shows. Their objective is to appear perfectly spaced from a ground perspective are seen below. After some time off, spare days like this are used to hone their manual aerobatic and piloting skills before re-joining the air show circuit. Since 1965 they've flown over 4,000 shows in 52 countries.
    Red_Arrows642_RBA_1.jpg
  • During the annual Southend Air show on the Thames river estuary, two jets of the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team, perform their Corkscrew manoeuvre, a fly-past 100 feet (30m) off the ground. Children playing on the low-tide mud pause from digging holes with a bucket and spade as the aircraft make their way over boating and mudflats. The Red Arrows Hawks perform throughout their calendar of appearances at air shows and fly-pasts across the UK and a few European venues. Since 1965 the squadron have flown over 4,000 shows in 52 countries and are an important part of Britain's summer events where aerobatics aircraft perform their manoeuvres in front of massed crowds.
    Red_Arrows182_RBA.jpg
  • A lone figure stands silhouetted against a hangar belonging to the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team at RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire. Two huge hangar doors are ajar revealing an orange glow spilling on to the concrete outside. A Hawk jet aircraft is parked awaiting overnight maintenance. Engineers talk inside as the door travels along its track. The men are the team's support ground crew and eleven trades are imported from some sixty that the RAF qualifies. The hangar dates to World War 2, housing Lancaster bombers of 617 Dambusters squadron who attacked the damns of the German Ruhr valley on 16th May 1943 using the Bouncing Bomb. This version of BAE Systems Hawks are low-tech, without computers nor fly-by-wire technology, Some of the  team's aircraft are 25 years old and their airframes require frequent overhauls due.
    Red_Arrows074_RBA_1.jpg
  • Chief Technician Kerry Griffiths is a with the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team, the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team. In camouflaged military green jacket, large forearms and rolled-up sleeves, he oversees the loading of spares and personal effects into a C-130 Hercules aircraft before the two-day journey from RAF Scampton to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. Surrounded by heavy-duty flight-spares, survival equipment boxes and a tyre for a Hawk jet aircraft, the Hercules looms large in the overcast sky. The team complete their winter training schedule in Cyprus. The Red Arrows pilots fly their own jet aircraft to air shows but when requiring the support of ground crew  they borrow a transporter to fly behind the main airborne squadron. 10 tons of spares and personal effects are shipped for a six-week stay.
    Red_Arrows052_RBA_1.jpg
  • Corporal Chris Ward, one of the photographers belonging to the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, reads a novel while wrapped up in sleeping bag and hammock aboard a C-130 Hercules transport aircraft during a two-day journey from RAF Scampton to RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus. Corporal Ward has established for himself a comfortable nest in the rear section at the loading ramp. The interior is basic with sharp corners but the walls are padded.  Ward wears a heavy camouflaged coat to counteract the cold and ear-plugs from the droning engines. The Red Arrows pilots fly their Hawk jet aircraft to air shows but on long journeys requiring the support of ground crew borrow RAF transporters that fly behind the main airborne squadron shipping 10 tons of spares and personal effects for their six-week winter training stay.
    Red_Arrows050_RBA_1.jpg
  • Flight Lieutenant Dave Slow of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, is seated in a BAE Systems Hawk jet aircraft simulator at the fast-jet flying training centre, RAF Valley, Anglesey, Wales. Like all fast-jet pilots, Flight Lieutenant Slow is required to complete this emergency drill every six months. The pilot is seated in his ejector seat as if in a real jet using back-projected computer graphics representing a generic landscape below. Each aviator proves they can cope with a series of failures that operators select: Engine, hydraulic failure or bird strike.  Apart from the aircraft fuselage, the high-tech facility loads malfunctions on a pilot that he could experience in reality. The version of Hawk that the Red Arrows fly is actually a primitive piece of equipment, without computers or fly-by-wire technology.
    Red_Arrows043_RBA.jpg
  • Flight Lieutenant Dave Slow of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, is seated in a BAE Systems Hawk jet aircraft simulator at the fast-jet flying training centre, RAF Valley, Anglesey, Wales. Like all fast-jet pilots, Flight Lieutenant Slow is required to complete this emergency drill every six months. The pilot is seated in his ejector seat as if in a real jet using back-projected computer graphics representing a generic landscape below. Each aviator proves they can cope with a series of failures that operators select: Engine, hydraulic failure or bird strike.  Apart from the aircraft fuselage, the high-tech facility loads malfunctions on a pilot that he could experience in reality. The version of Hawk that the Red Arrows fly is actually a primitive piece of equipment, without computers or fly-by-wire technology.
    Red_Arrows043_RBA_1.jpg
  • Junior Technician Brian Robb, an engineer with the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, shines his torch inside the flaps of a Hawk jet aircraft checking for obstructions, RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire. Wearing ear defenders clasped to his head, J/Tech Robb peers into the wing assembly during a pre-flight inspection before the pilot emerges from for another winter training flight. Robb is a member of the team's support ground crew who outnumber the pilots 8:1 and without them, the Red Arrows couldn't fly.  Eleven trades are imported from some sixty that the RAF employs and teaches. Crouching by an RAF roundel emblem, he wears an army style green camouflage coat as protection over the biting Lincolnshire wind, and a fluorescent tabard required for any personnel working on the 'line', where the aircraft taxi to and park.
    Red_Arrows028_RBA_1.jpg
  • Engineer airframe specialist Junior Technician Barry Pritchard of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, forms part of the team's highly-skilled group of support ground crew who outnumber the pilots 8:1. Here J/Tech Pritchard straddles the fuselage of  the Hawk jet aircraft performing a Ram Air Turbine (RAT) jack change in the squadron hangar. Eleven trades are imported from some sixty that the RAF employs and teaches. The team's aircraft are in some cases 25 years old and their airframes require constant attention, with frequent overhauls needed. In these shelters were housed the Lancaster bombers 617 Dambusters squadron who attacked the damns of the German Ruhr valley on 16th May 1943 using the Bouncing Bomb. The Red Arrows nearby offices as their administrative nerve-centre for the 90-plus displays they perform a year.
    Red_Arrows030_RBA_1.jpg
  • Stored in their respective wooden boxes are the flying helmets and miscellaneous equipment belonging to two pilots of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, at their headquarters RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire. All ten pilots have their own storage space for gear. We see the place names of Reds One and Two: Squadron Leader Spike Jepson and Flight Lieutenant Matt Jarvis, whose visors are protected by soft cloths preventing scratches protective face screen. Squadron Leader Jepson is team leader and Flight Lieutenant Jarvis flies slightly behind and to the right in the Red Arrows Diamond Nine formation. On an average winter training day at Scampton, the crews will collect their kit up to six times a day in readiness for the forthcoming summer air show season. Flight Lieutenant Jarvis died of cancer one year later in March 2005.
    Red_Arrows021_RBA_1.jpg
  • Corporal Andrew Haynes and Senior Aircraftman Michael Owen load boxes packed with the possessions and kit belonging to the elite 'Red Arrows' pilots, Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, before travelling for winter training at Akrotiri in Cyprus. In the team's hangar at RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire, the two Suppliers lift the reinforced cardboard 'tri-pack' struggling to lift the weight from the ground. Corporal Haynes lifts with the correct technique: knees bent, straight back. The man on the right, has a bent back risking spinal injury. Some 80-plus members of the team will spend six weeks away from home. 23 tons of spares and personal effects travel ahead by ship with another 10 tons travelling on-board a C-130 transport aircraft. The Suppliers ensure possessions and spares are stored taking many weeks of meticulous planning.
    Red_Arrows014_RBA_1.jpg
  • Squadron Leader Duncan Mason of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, strides out across a gloomy, rainswept 'apron' at RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire. Squadron Leader Mason will fly up to 6 times daily during winter training ,when weather permits, learning new manoeuvres. Wearing winter green flying suits, their day is spent flying and de-briefing. Mason wears a green flying suit with anti-g pants and helmet on with its pilot number. He is being greeted by a member of the team's support ground crew who outnumber the pilots 8:1.  The engineer wears a fluorescent yellow tabard and stands politely by the waiting aircraft on the 'line'. He has already prepared it for flight and helps with any technical issues that may arise.
    Red_Arrows015_RBA_1.jpg
  • A red Hawk jet aircraft belonging to the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, is parked outside a nearby hangar on the concrete 'apron' (where aircraft park) at the squadron's headquarters at RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire. A member of the team's support ground crew (the Blues because of their distinctive blue overalls worn at summer air shows) prepare to refuel as the last daylight fades and artificial light from the hangar illuminates the scene. Their winter training schedule is both rigorous on the aircraft and demanding on the pilots who will typically fly up to six times a day in preparation of the forthcoming summer when they display at 90-plus air shows. After the day's flying, the engineers' night shift arrive to service and maintain the aging fleet of 11 aircraft.
    Red_Arrows013_RBA_1.jpg
  • At the start of another day's work, pilots belonging to the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, walk in single-file out into the pink morning light for the first winter training flight of the day at RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire. Emerging from their squadron building the aviators make their way along a pathway towards the waiting Hawk jet aircraft known the world over. Wearing winter green flying suits and carrying their helmets, their day is spent flying and de-briefing up to six times a day when weather permits. Long shadows spill over on to the airfield's cropped grass. Scampton  is one of the original World War 2 RAF stations for the Lancaster bombers the 617 Dambusters squadron who attacked the damns of the German Ruhr valley on 16th May 1943 using the Bouncing Bomb. Today, it is used almost exclusively by the team.
    Red_Arrows011_RBA_1.jpg
  • A red Hawk jet aircraft belonging to the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, is parked in the hangar at RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire, the home base for the squadron. Night is falling with only blue daylight remaining in the western sky and the warm light from the hangar spills out of the giant open doors on to the concrete. The aircraft awaits attention from the engineer's night-shift who service and maintain all 11 of the famous red aerobatic jets before flying the next morning. The hangar, an original World War 2 shelter for the Lancaster bombers of 617 Dambusters squadron who attacked the damns of the German Ruhr valley on 16th May 1943 using the Bouncing Bomb. The Red Arrows use this and nearby offices administrative nerve-centre for the 90-plus displays they perform a year.
    Red_Arrows007_RBA_1.jpg
  • Flight Lieutenant Simon Stevens, a pilot in the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, makes a pre-flight check of his Hawk jet aircraft before a practice flight at RAF Scampton. Stevens and his fellow-aviators fly up to 6 times in winter training, learning new manoeuvres. The dangers of high-speed close formation flight makes health and safety precautions vital; the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Royal Air Force take working environments of their personnel seriously so pre-flight examination of aircraft happens before every sortie (flight). Performing the brief safety walk-around, Stevens bends at the waste to avoid the aeroplane's low aileron despite wearing a helmet, full flying suit, boots, life-vest and anti-g-pants. Flying still continues despite rain clouds in the gloomy Lincolnshire sky.
    Red_Arrows005_RBA_1.jpg
  • Soon after setting sail from Miami, en-route to Cancun in Mexico, passengers of Carnival Cruise's Fun Ship Ecstasy liner are told to report on the top sun deck for the obligatory safety drill. Told to fetch their life vests from their respective cabins and suites, they have gathered at various muster points around the vessel to hear the crews' instructions about abandoning ship or the precuations needed to enter the water. We look down from a higher deck to see several dozen tourists on red vests, milling around awaiting the signal to return to their previous activities and entertainment. Operators like US-owned Carnival take these drills very seriously. Carnival was a pioneer in the concept of cheaper and shorter cruises. Its ships are known for their Las Vegas decor and entertainment. The cruise line calls its ships The Fun Ships and the MS Ecstasy is a Fantasy class cruise ship featuring two pools, whirlpools, a variety of dining options, nightclubs, a casino, and duty-free shopping. After Hurricane Katrina, she spent six months in New Orleans serving as quarters for refugees and relief workers. She suffered heavy damage in 1998 after the laundry room in the ship's stern caught fire damaging much of her stern and aft section.
    RB-0180.jpg
  • We see the head and shoulders of a man in military uniform who stands motionless beside the American flag.  he is at a graduation ceremony for United States Air Force pilots who have just passed a week-long survival courseheld at the Fairchild Air Force Base, Spokane, Washington. Its highy-trained personel conducts a survival, escape and evasion course which combat pilots and air crew need to pass before rejoining their units for real-time warfare. Conducted, in hangars and the surrounding forests, it forms part of an extensive physical and psychological assessment of young aviators on active service. In the future any one of them may be shot down behind enemy lines and need to use the lessons passed-on here to help facilitate their rescue by US forces. One pilot who passed this course in 1991, himself a Spokane-born boy, was F-16 pilot Scott O'Grady. He put his skills learned here to the test while evading Serb forces before being airlifted to safety and a hero's Presidential welcome.
    RB-0164.jpg
  • Looking down from a high vantage point, we se boy pupils seated as they gather in front of the Headmaster during morning assembly at the City of London School for boys in central London. Individual faces in neat rows stretch into the distance as we look past the Headmaster who is addressing, facing his students. Some seem serious, a few are looking bored while one boy can be seen coughing into his hand and another looking away with a smirk.  We can see a diverse range of ethnic backgrounds, skin colours and hairstyles. The City of London School (CLS) is a boys' public school on the banks of the River Thames. It traces its origins to a bequest of land by John Carpenter, town clerk of London in 1442. The City of London has a resident population of under 10,000 but a daily working population of 311,000. The City of London is a geographically-small City within Greater London, England. The City as it is known, is the historic core of London from which, along with Westminster, the modern conurbation grew. The City's boundaries have remained constant since the Middle Ages but  it is now only a tiny part of Greater London. The City of London is a major financial centre, often referred to as just the City or as the Square Mile, as it is approximately one square mile (2.6 km) in area. London Bridge's history stretches back to the first crossing over Roman Londinium, close to this site and subsequent wooden and stone bridges have helped modern London become a financial success.
    RB-0128.jpg
  • It is dawn in Calcutta, West Bengal, India and on the West bank of the Hooghly River the sun is rising from across the Howrah Bridge. A man has waded out into waist-deep water and stands in the polluted river saying his prayers and offering thanks to his Hindu Gods. He has found inner-peace, a tranquillity surrounded by the chaotic pace of Indian life in this city. The engineering of the bridge stretches across the water as the humanity cross to their businesses and markets. The bridge is one of three on the Hooghly River and is a famous symbol of Kolkata and West Bengal. Bearing the daily weight of approximately 150,000 vehicles and 4,000,000 pedestrians. It is one of the longest bridges of its type in the world. The Hooghly River is an approximately 260 km long distributary of the Ganges River.
    RB_058-18-11-1996.jpg
  • The Italian operatic tenor Luciano Pavarotti performs in London during the free Party in the Park concert to celebrate his 30 years in opera. A crowd of 100,000 stood in the London rain to watch Pavarotti perform 20 arias by Verdi, Puccini, Bizet and Wagner. VIPs the Princess of Wales, Prime Minister John Major and Michael Caine got soaked in heavy rain along with everyone else sitting on the grass cowering beneath tarpaulins. We see the rotund Operatic maestro in full flow, belting out an aria while dressed in formal tails and wastecoat and holding his customary scarf that he uses to dab the sweat from his brow. Pavarotti helped bring an otherwise high-brow artform to the ordinary Man after the BBC used his rendition of Nessun Dorma to theme their World Cup TV coverage. This lead the way to Opera reaching the Common Man in Britain.
    RB_041-30-07-1991.jpg
  • A dog walker struggles to control an excitable Cockapoo puppy, on 28th February 2017, in Ruskin Park, London borough of Lambeth, England. A Cockapoo is a mixed-breed dog that is the cross between either Cocker Spaniel and a poodle - a mixed breed that has become very popular recently in the UK.
    park_cockapoo-02-27-02-2017.jpg
  • A dog walker struggles to control an excitable Cockapoo puppy, on 28th February 2017, in Ruskin Park, London borough of Lambeth, England. A Cockapoo is a mixed-breed dog that is the cross between either Cocker Spaniel and a poodle - a mixed breed that has become very popular recently in the UK.
    park_cockapoo-06-27-02-2017.jpg
  • British army Parachute Regiment recruits are suffering from fatigue on a rigorous forced march conducted as a squad, over undulating terrain with each candidate carrying a Bergen (backpack) weighing 35 pounds (plus water) and a weapon. The lads are slowly buckling under the weight of backpack Bergens and weapons carried on a hot day and without drinking enough fluids. The 10-mile march must be completed in 1 hour and 50 minutes and it forms part of the 14-week long Pegasus (P) Company selection programme that recruits wanting to join the British Army's elite Parachute Regiment, held regularly at Catterick army barracks in Yorkshire, need to pass (with other tests) before earning the right to wear the esteemed maroon beret.
    paras_p_company-30-07-1996.jpg
  • A boy soldier is about to collapse on the ground suffering fatigue and dehydration on the rigorous long march conducted as a squad, over undulating terrain with each candidate carrying a Bergen (backpack) weighing 35 pounds (plus water) and a weapon. The lad is buckling under the weight of his backpack and weapon carried on a hot day and without drinking enough fluids. The 10-mile march must be completed in 1 hour and 50 minutes and it forms part of the 14-week long Pegasus (P) Company selection programme that recruits wanting to join the British Army's elite Parachute Regiment, held regularly at Catterick army barracks in Yorkshire, need to pass (with other tests) before earning the right to wear the esteemed maroon beret.
    p_company01-30-07-1996.jpg
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