Joanna Lumley with Gurkha veterans
Focus Canterbury spoke to a former Gurkha soldier who fought in numerous wars together with British soldiers and who is now living in Canterbury
They are the British Army’s most faithful overseas soldiers
Gurkhas have a prodigious 200-year history of fighting for British causes. In 1997, when Hong Kong was returned to China, the Brigade of Gurkhas was moved to Netheravon, Wiltshire. But downwards, in Kent, we can find a large community of Nepalese, most of them being former Gurkhas. Choosing Kent as their new home was not a hazardous decision. The Royal Gurkha Rifles is based in the costal town of Folkestone. Therefore, the active soldiers brought their families with them.
Hence Canterbury is not that far, a lot of Nepalese live here as well. As a result, I interviewed a Gurkha veteran who made Canterbury his new home since 2007. Tek Bahadur Limbu could share us novels of war memories, but unfortunately we have not got the space for all that. Due to this reason, the next lines offer a succinct story of his tumultuous life.
Tek joined the Gurkha Brigade in 1961 starting as a boy service. The first war in which he fought was the Borneo crisis, from 1962 to 1966. However, he took part in the conflict only in the last two years.
Reporter: What does it take to be eligible for enrolment in the Brigade of Gurkhas?
Tek: I answer with our endless motto: “Better to die than be a coward”. That is what it takes, mainly. The rest remains to be learnt.
R: What is the most important war in which you have been involved?
T: Definitely the 1982 Falklands war. I was impressed by everything I’ve seen there. The Argentinians were so young and inexperienced, but ready to give their lives with no second thoughts.
R: What is the most frightening experience you have come across in your career?
T: It comes from the same Falklands war. My fingertips were frost bitten due to freezing temperatures and I still have problems, even today, 28 years after. It’s a nightmare. Sometimes my fingers are useless.
R: What do you do since you had retired?
T: Since 1991, when I finished my military career, the Brigade, back in Nepal, offered me a 10-year-job. Then, in 2007 I decided to take my son and come to England, here in Canterbury.
R: What are you doing for living?
T: Now I have a job. I am working as a cleaner at Canterbury College. But for almost two years I could not find a job. In one way this is because we are not well qualified. We did not do any extra qualifications during our army life. But the things are getting better now.
Currently, as a Gurkha who retired before 1997, Tek receives only a third of the pension a British reserve gets. Unfortunately for him and for almost 25.000 fellow Gurkhas, the dream of being awarded the same rights as their British counterparts is unlikely to happen very soon. On January 11th, a high court refused an appeal made by the British Gurkha Welfare Society that claimed equal pensions.
Here is a radio report made by our reporters:
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