Download or read book It Happens with Gurkhas written by J P Cross and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2016-08-01 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Gurkhas have served with the British for almost 200 years, first with the army of the East India Company, then with the Indian Army of the Raj, and then in 1947 becoming an integral part of the British Army. This anthology of articles from The Kukri, the Gurkha regimental journals, by J.P. Cross covers much of the past sixty years of their history, taking in the last days of the Second World War and the Indonesian Confrontation in the 1960s, and also gives an insight into the everyday life, culture and beliefs of these renowned soldiers.As a Gurkha officer, J.P. Cross had many unusual experiences in his long career: in 1945, for example, he was attached to a Japanese battalion in Indochina that was fighting for the British against the Viet Minh, and the only photograph taken of this Japanese unit finally laying down its weapons appears in this book. Later, he just managed to resolve a potentially deadly dispute between an offended Gurkha and a visiting South Vietnamese trainee at the Jungle Warfare School. He also describes several seemingly supernatural experiences whilst serving with troops from a culture where such things are firmly believed in.This is a unique anthology of articles drawn from an equally unique military career and a relationship with the Gurkhas that has lasted for over half a century.
Download or read book The Gurkhas written by William Brook Northey and published by Asian Educational Services. This book was released on 2001 with total page 402 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With Forward By C.G. Bruce. Lllustrations From Photographs By Author.
Download or read book Gurkha written by C. Lawrence and published by Uniform. This book was released on 2019 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A pictorial history of The Royal Gurkha Rifles. An introduction to this remarkable regiment, its operational deployments abroad and at home supported by a wealth of photographs chronicling its quarter century of service to the Crown. This unique insight into one of the world's elite fighting units includes descriptions of operational deployments in Afghanistan, the Balkans, Sierra Leone and East Timor, as well as special interest sections covering recruiting, sport, adventure training, snipers, tracking and, of course, the kukri fighting knife. The Roll of Honour, its Battle Honours (including those of its antecedent regiments), honours and awards received by members of the Regiment and a brief history of Britain's Gurkhas are amongst the detail amassed in this special edition.
Download or read book Valour written by E D Smith and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2016-10-21 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since the short and bloody war between Nepal and Britain in 1814-15, Gurkha volunteers, ever mindful of the their motto, 'It is better to die than be a coward', have fought and died for Britain, including in recent years in the Falklands, Afghanistan and Iraq. In the Second World War an astonishing quarter of a million Gurkhas fought aginst Germany and Japan. They have been awarded thirteen Victoria Crosses. Includes detailed appendices include all regimental changes and battle honours.
Download or read book Ayo Gorkhali written by Tim I Gurung and published by Penguin Random House India Private Limited. This book was released on 2023-03-13 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nepal, 1767. The tiny kingdom of Gorkha is on the ascendant under its ruler Prithvi Narayan Shah. Over the next few decades, his Gorkhali army establishes a mighty kingdom, the borders of which extend from Kangra in the west to the Teesta river in the east. The territory encompasses a large part of present-day Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and almost all of present-day Nepal and Sikkim. When they are eventually reined in by the mighty British army in 1815, it sparks off a new engagement between the imperial power and Nepal. Impressed by the fighting abilities on display, the British army begins recruiting them. The Gurkhas (the prevalent spelling today) go on to serve with distinction in many theatres of war over the next hundred-odd years, their exploits in World War I and II earning them a number of bravery medals. With Indian independence in 1947 comes further change: the Gurkhas are now split across three armies: the British, Indian and the Nepalese. Ayo Gorkhali by Tim I. Gurung, a former British Gurkha, is the first work of history by a member of the community and brings alive the story of a people who have served flags other than their own with honour, even as they have attempted to keep their native warrior traditions alive in letter and spirit. The history of the Gurkha serviceman is one that goes beyond soldiering and bravery-it is in equal measure a story of the resilient human spirit, and of a tiny community that carved for itself a niche in world history.
Download or read book Gurkhas written by David Bolt and published by London : Weidenfeld & Nicolson. This book was released on 1967 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Et sammendrag af Gurkha-soldaternes historie i den britiske hær.
Download or read book The Gurkhas written by Byron Farwell and published by . This book was released on 1984 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Geschiedenis van de uit Nepal afkomstige Gurkharegimenten die zich door hun krijgshaftigheid hebben onderscheiden in talloze oorlogen sinds 1816, in dienst van het Britse leger.
Download or read book The Gurkhas written by Charles River Charles River Editors and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-08-08 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: *Includes pictures *Includes contemporary accounts *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading "If a man says he is not afraid of dying, he is either lying or is a Gurkha." - Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw The Gurkha Regiment is without question one of the most storied regiments of the British Army. Somewhat like the French Foreign Legion, however, it has traditionally been a regiment of adventurers and soldiers of fortune, with the simple difference that the Gurkhas represent only a minor ethnicity of the wider Nepalese population, distinguished by a long and august martial tradition. Traditionally, the officer corps of the various Gurkha regiments have been drawn from the regular ranks of the British Army, with fluency in Nepali a basic requirement. The rank and file, however, and more recently many officers, are drawn from the population of the Nepalese hill country. To the Gurkha, Nepal means not the 56,000 square mile territory known as Nepal today, but the Kathmandu Valley, or the Valley of Nepal, drained by the tributaries of the Bagmati River and surrounded by the Himalayan foothills that most Gurkhas call home. Today Nepal is an independent republic sandwiched between India and China, and occupying the southern lee of the Himalayas. The nation is 520 miles long and about 100 miles wide, and it is the rugged and rarefied nature of the landscape that has shaped the physiques and mindsets of the people within. Ethnic Nepalese are typically short and sturdy with voluminous lungs and strong, muscular frames. Human portage has for millennia been the only means of transport in mountains and foothills surrounding the valley, and even today there are probably little more than 200 miles of blacktop roads in the country. The main thoroughfares are the foot trails that interconnect the mountain communities scattered across the region. The word Gurkha can mean many things to many people, and this is largely because not every Nepali is a Gurkha, and certainly the Gurkhas are not confined strictly to Nepal. The most accurate definition of a Gurkha would probably be a member of a loosely confederated group of clans owing fealty to the Gurkha military tradition, and belonging to the old state of Gorkha, which now forms just a small region of modern Nepal. Their religion is predominately Hindu, and their dialects vary considerably around the regional lingua franca of Nepali. There are nine main tribes of Gurkhas, and these are Thakurs, Chhetri, Magars, Gurungs, Tamangs, Limbus, Rais, Sanvars and Newars. The single commonality of all of these, with the possible exception of the Newars, is an ancient claim to the bearing of arms, and the signature weapon, the "Khukuri," which is ubiquitous among all Gurkhas and is the basic weapon of any member of the Brigade of Gurkhas. The Gurkhas: The History and Legacy of the Nepalese Soldiers Used by the British Empire in India examines these famous soldiers and their contributions over the centuries. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about the Gurkhas like never before.
Download or read book A Connecticut Yankee in the 8th Gurkha Rifles written by Scott Gilmore and published by Potomac Books. This book was released on 1995 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: America was still neutral when, in the fall of 1941, a tall, solid thirty-year-old advertising executive from Connecticut volunteered to serve as an American Field Service ambulance driver in the British Army. It was the start of an adventure that took Scott Gilmore to Egypt, Lebanon, Libya, India, and, finally, to the jungles of Burma. After an exciting and dangerous year in North Africa, where he witnessed the fall of Tobruk and the battle of El Alamein, Gilmore was accepted for training as an officer in the elite Indian Army. This was the old Indian Army of the British Raj, a fighting force of unflappable English officers, hardy Indians, and the legendary Gurkhas of Nepal. It was an army at the apogee of its skills and about to inflict on the Japanese their greatest defeat on land. With dry, offbeat humor, Gilmore describes his challenging months at the Officers Training School and with his new unit, the 8th Gurkha Rifles. As he endures the assault courses and marches, confronts the arcane rituals of the officers' mess, and learns the language and customs of his diminutive fellow soldiers, Gilmore's adaptability and good nature is notable, and his American viewpoint on the mix of cultures refreshing. Moreover, like generations of Britons, he learns to love and respect the kukri knife-wielding Gurkha warriors. When Gilmore's 4th Battalion is finally deemed ready to be put to the test as part of General Bill Slim's Fourteenth Army, it plunges into battle in the jungle-covered mountains of the Indo-Burmese border. He and his comrades fight their way across the dry plains of central Burma, execute a dangerous crossing of the mile-wide Irrawaddy River, and press on to Rangoon, enduring ahostile climate and tenacious Japanese opposition. As Gilmore moves up in responsibility to company commander and engages in night reconnaissance patrols and set-piece attacks, his experiences give a forceful picture of the fighting in one of the most difficult and remote theaters of World War II.
Download or read book The Gurkhas written by Chris Bellamy and published by John Murray. This book was released on 2011-04-14 with total page 505 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Gurkhas have fought on behalf of Britain and India for nearly two hundred years. As brave as they are resilient, resourceful and cunning, they have earned a reputation as devastating fighters, and their unswerving loyalty to the Crown has always inspired affection in the British people. There are also now up to 40,000 Gurkhas in the million-strong army of modern India. But who are the Gurkhas? How much of the myth that surrounds them is true? Award-winning historian Chris Bellamy uncovers the Gurkhas' origins in the Hills of Nepal, the extraordinary circumstances in which the British decided to recruit them and their rapid emergence as elite troops of the East India Company, the British Raj and the British Empire. Their special aptitude meant they were used as the first British 'Special Forces'. Bellamy looks at the wars the Gurkhas have fought this century, from the two world wars through the Falklands to Iraq and Afghanistan and examines their remarkable status now, when each year 11,000 hopefuls apply for just over 170 places in the British Army Gurkhas. Extraordinarily compelling, this book brings the history of the Gurkhas, and the battles they have fought, right up to date, and explores their future.
Download or read book The Gurkha s Daughter written by Prajwal Parajuly and published by Hachette UK. This book was released on 2012-12-20 with total page 230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A pioneering collection describing and dramatizing the Nepalese diaspora - the displacement and exile of the Nepali-speaking world *SHORTLISTED FOR THE DYLAN THOMAS PRIZE* A disfigured servant girl plans to flee Nepal; a Kalimpong shopkeeper faces an impossible dilemma; a Hindu religious festival in Darjeeling brings with it a sacrifice; a Nepali-Bhutanese refugee pins her hopes on the West; a Gurkha's daughter tries to comprehend her father's complaints; two young Nepali-speaking immigrants meet in Manhattan. These are just some of the stories of the people whose culture and language is Nepalese but who are dispersed to India, Bhutan and beyond. From every perspective and on every page, Prajwal Parajuly blends rich colour and vernacular to paint an eye-opening picture of a unique world and its people.
Download or read book The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday written by Saad Z. Hossain and published by Tor.com. This book was released on 2019-08-13 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Saad Z. Hossain continues to blow through the flimsy walls of genre like a whirlwind with The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday, sweeping science-fiction, fantasy, myth, and satire into the wildly imaginative vortex of his ever-expanding fictional universe of alternate djinn-history and futures. Hossain's wit and wry compassion create a vision of humanity's hurtling path through time and space as both farcical and epic, leaving a blazing trail of casualties and wonders."—Indra Das When the djinn king Melek Ahmar wakes up after millennia of imprisoned slumber, he finds a world vastly different from what he remembers. Arrogant and bombastic, he comes down the mountain expecting an easy conquest: the wealthy, spectacular city state of Kathmandu, ruled by the all-knowing, all-seeing tyrant AI Karma. To his surprise, he finds that Kathmandu is a cut-price paradise, where citizens want for nothing and even the dregs of society are distinctly unwilling to revolt. Everyone seems happy, except for the old Gurkha soldier Bhan Gurung. Knife saint, recidivist, and mass murderer, he is an exile from Kathmandu, pursuing a forty-year-old vendetta that leads to the very heart of Karma. Pushed and prodded by Gurung, Melek Ahmer finds himself in ever deeper conflicts, until they finally face off against Karma and her forces. In the upheaval that follows, old crimes will come to light and the city itself will be forced to change. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Download or read book Beyond Possible Young Readers Edition written by Nims Purja and published by Disney Electronic Content. This book was released on 2022-01-04 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Join Nepalese climber Nimsdai Purja as he recounts his journey to scale all 8,000 meter “Death Zone” mountains in seven months. In this action-packed memoir, young readers will not only learn how Nimsdai physically accomplished this incredible feat, but also how his attitude, leadership skills, and willingness to learn from mistakes took him to the top. From his childhood growing up in Nepal, to a career as an elite soldier in the British army, Nimsdai shows how his early life shaped him and enabled him to go beyond what people though was possible.
Download or read book The Gurkhas written by John Parker and published by Headline. This book was released on 2013-02-28 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Their ferocity is as legendary as their loyalty to the British Monarch and their regimental histories are crammed with acts of incredible bravery and sacrifice. Their reputation as fearsome fighting men remains undisputed and the mere threat of their kukri knives has put the fear of God into opposing forces throughout the world. John Parker's book is a fascinating testimony to the Gurkhas - a fighting force that stands dramatically apart in British military history.
Download or read book A Gurkha s Story written by Johnny Gurkha and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the first ever autobiography of a Gurkha soldier. The author was also the first Gurkha to win acceptance into the elite ranks of the SAS. Within these pages is a thrilling and inspiring story, which will be relished and enjoyed by military and non-military enthusiasts alike. Detailed and fascinating descriptions of early life and culture in Nepal, of the incredibly tough selection for both the Gurkhas and the SAS and dramatic, nail-biting deployments in Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan experiencing danger, and death at close hand, and where the author served directly alongside Prince Harry, combine with 24 stunning original photographs to create this very handsome and collectible landmark hardback volume. In the depictions of Nepalese family life and customs, of the author's cherished dream of honouring his father's name and military prowess in World War Two, the rivalries and bonds of friendship and camaraderie among fellow soldiers, as well as some of the experiences of Gurkhas coming to Britain for the first time, the story is a personal and often moving one, told with honesty, sensitivity and good humour.As well as being a remarkable true-life adventure and a unique military memoir this is a multi-layered book, revealing among other things some of the conflicts and hidden tensions at work within the British Army and the Brigade of Gurkhas, including the veiled influence of the caste system. 'A Gurkha's Story' makes for truly inspiring reading, showing how with belief and determination, loyalty, hard work and courage the most difficult of challenges can be overcome, the most impossible seeming dreams realised. The author pays tribute to the opportunities given him by the British Army, offers gratitude to the people of Britain for their support for all of the Gurkhas in past and recent times, and expresses the hope that the special relationship forged over some 200 years between Britain and the people of Nepal will continue to flourish in peace as it has done in war. Most importantly of all, this book is dedicated to the author's friends and comrades, Nepalese and British, who gave their lives while serving in Afghanistan.
Download or read book The Invisible Force written by Zi Liang Chong and published by Pagesetters Services. This book was released on 2018-05-07 with total page 88 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Gurkhas need no introduction, with their storied reputation built up over two centuries of battlefield exploits around the world. A unit of these Nepalese warriors have been serving Singapore for more than 65 years, yet precious little is known about them. Indeed, the Gurkha Contingent clashed with communists and militant unions in its early days and continues to protect the island state's most important places and people even today. Discover the untold story of the Singapore Gurkha through the eyes of different generations who carried the famed kukri blade: The rigorous, punishing training that forges elite soldiers; the family lives of these paramilitary policemen; and the lengths their sons go to follow in their fathers's footsteps. Above all, The Invisible Force reveals the loyalty and gratitude the Gurkha has for Singapore, and the struggles he and his family face upon retirement, including an unresolved request for better employment terms.
Download or read book Operation Stealth written by JP Cross and published by Monsoon Books. This book was released on 2020-10-01 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In post-WWII Laos, Vietnamese communists secretly commence to infiltrate the kingdom. They are countered by four dedicated Lao ‘moles’ who try to thwart these aims. Gurkha Colonel Jason Rance is unwittingly dragged into a confrontation between one of the Lao moles and a Thai spy and the mole gives him a ring as a reward for saving his life. During his appointment in Laos as military attaché, Rance becomes a target of the KGB and of the Vietnamese communists, and is sought by the remaining three Lao moles because of the ring in his possession. Rance’s two Lao language instructors are nieces of the Lao king and London hopes that, by stealth, Rance might, through them, persuade the king delay his coronation no further in an effort to prevent the spread of communism southwards. Can the new military attaché manage to do the seemingly impossible? Based on historical fact and the author’s personal experience, Operation Stealth is the fourth in a series of books involving Gurkha military units that may be read in any order and includes Operation Black Rose, Operation Janus, Operation Blind Spot and Operation Four Rings. The author, JP Cross, a much revered retired Gurkha colonel, draws on real characters and events he witnessed across various theatres of war.
