About the Gurkha's

The Gurkhas are part of the British Army, and have been for almost 200 years.

They are soldiers from Nepal, known best for their bravery and strength.

This is reflected in their motto, which is "better to die than live a coward".

Their name comes from the hill town of Gorkha, from which the Nepalese kingdom had expanded.

 

Their traditional weapon is an 18-inch long curved knife known as the kukri, which is still carried into battle to this day.

The legend behind the kukri is that whenever it is pulled from its sheath, it must "taste blood" before being returned.

The Gurkhas have served loyally for the British Army all over the world, and 13 of them have received the Victoria Cross.

Gurkha ranks have always been ruled by four main ethnic groups.

These are the Gurungs and Magars from central Nepal, and the Rais and Limbus from the east. They live in hill villages.

To become a Gurkha, they have to endure one of the toughest selection processes in the world.

It involves hill running for an extensive period of time, carrying a basket filled with rocks on their back. Other stages of selection include mathematics and languages tests. Professor Sir Ralph Turner, MC, who served with the 3rd Queen Alexandra's Own Gurkha Rifles in the First World War, famously described them as: "Bravest of the brave, most generous of the generous, never had country more faithful friends than you."