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Their ferocity is as legendary as their loyalty to
the British monarch; their regimental histories, spanning almost two
centuries, are crammed with acts of incredible bravery and sacrifice.
And their battle honours include an unprecedented twenty-six VCs. The
Gurkhas' particular reputation as fearsome fighting men remains unmatched
anywhere in the world and was no better demonstrated than in the Falklands
conflict in 1982. There the mere threat of their kukri knives put fear
into the hearts of the Argentines and probably encouraged their swift
surrender at Port Stanley and saved far greater loss of life.
The Gurkhas have been on the British frontlines since
1815. More than 200,000 enlisted for the First World War, and a tenth
of their number were killed or injured. In the Second World War, 250,000
Gurkhas fought the Germans in famous battles such as Monte Casino and
Tobruk and ruthless Japanese soldiers in the Far East, again suffering
heavy casualties.
Better to Die than to Be a Coward. That is the motto
of the hill men recruited into the British Army. But that system - which
plucked thousands of youths from tiny, impoverished villages, trained
them and showed them the world - is in crisis. Today there are 300 applicants
for every vacancy and some who fail commit suicide rather than face
the disgrace they bring upon their families.
John Parker discovered the depth of this commitment
when he travelled to Nepal, met surviving VCs and talked to many former
Gurkha officers and soldiers whose accounts of service in the British
Army are filled with excitement . . . and pride. John Parker's book
is a fascinating testimony to a fighting force that stands dramatically
apart in British military history.
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Completely revised editon published by Headline in May 2005. Originally published in hardback September 1999 and quickly
reached best-seller status with four reprints; paperback 2000 by Headline.
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