Gurkha captain Kushalsing Gurung, 72, served in the Queen’s Gurkha Engineers (QGE) for 30 years. He was stationed in Malaysia (then Malaya) and Hong Kong, where he built roads and bridges throughout his long career. He is one of thousands of retired Gurkha veterans currently fighting a new battle – to extract from the UK government the same pension that is given to British soldiers. From the Guardian Weekly:
When I joined the Gurkhas in 1952 at the age of 13, I lied to get in. The minimum entry age at that time was 15. I wanted to go to school and there was little prospect of an education in my village. My father was a Gurkha, as was my grandfather, and my brother served in the Indian Army. Being a soldier was considered a well-respected profession.
According to history, the Gurkhas have served in the British Army for almost 200 years. After Indian independence in 1947, under the tripartite agreement some Gurkhas joined the Indian Army and some joined the British Army. My regiment transferred to the British Army and became part of the Brigade of Gurkhas.
I was sent to Malaysia [then Malaya] in 1952 to receive my education. At the time not many Gurkhas had served there. Most soldiers were directly allocated a regiment, but because I was a young recruit I was able to decide for myself. I decided to be in the engineers. I wanted a good skill to bring back to my country.
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