INFANTRY training came briefly to a halt yesterday as soldiers honoured a hero who has a wing at Britain's largest Army garrison named after him.

Captain Rambahadur Limbu, the only surviving former Gurkha soldier to hold the Victoria Cross , visited Catterick to see other young men from Nepal at the Infantry Training Centre at Helles Barracks.

He was shown around the language block to watch Gurkha recruits learning English before calling at the Limbu Wing at Vimy Barracks.

The captain chatted to staff who train young soldiers in signals, map-reading, first aid and the use of equipment worn during a nuclear, biological or chemical attack.

Sgt Tony Whittingham said: ''I've read his medal citation which hangs on the wall many times but never thought I would actually meet the man who won it. It was a great honour to shake his hand.''

However, the 63-year-old captian, who was awarded the VC in 1966, said he was equally honoured.

Speaking through an interpretor, he said: ''I have no words to describe how proud I feel to visit a building which bears my name. I have been extremely impressed by the training facilities the soldiers have these days.''

Rambahadur Limbu was awarded the medal during the Malayan Emergency while serving as a lance corporal.

His platoon stumbled on an enemy position near the Indonesian border.

He and two others were fired on by an enemy machine gun post but the young corporal managed to take the position.

The enemy fire was so deafening, he had to run back to explain his intentions just as the two men he left behind were wounded.

He rescued them one at a time then used a recovered machine gun to join an attack on the enemy.