Gurkhas: 200 Years of Service to the Crown

Probably the best known, and to their adversaries the most feared, body of fighting men in the British Army, Gurkhas were first recruited to serve the British Crown 200 years ago in 1815 and for all those years their signature weapon has remained the Kukri. In that time, these young men, from the Nepalese hills, have fought in all the major wars where the British Army has been deployed. Winning an extraordinary number of medals for bravery, the Regiment has also won an extraordinary romantic place in the hearts of British people. In 2015, there will be major celebrations to commemorate the 200th Anniversary of Gurkha service to the British Crown.

This book, written by Major General J C Lawrence CBE, with a foreword by HRH The Prince of Wales and an introduction by Joanna Lumley OBE, is the complete visual history of Britain s Gurkhas and the mystique that surrounds them. As Field Marshall Sam Manekshaw, former Chief of Staff of the Indian Army once said, If a man says he is not afraid of dying, he is either lying or is a Gurkha.