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Gurkha

Colour Sergeant Kailash Limbu offers an insider’s account of life in the Brigade of Gurkhas and a tour in Afghanistan.

Gurkha book cover
Author
Colour Sergeant Kailash Limbu
Reviewed by
Chris Colussi
Publisher
Abacus
Price
£7.99
ISBN
9780349140100
Published
2017

Gurkha by Colour Sergeant Kailash Limbu (Reviewed by Chris Colussi)

Raised to respect the Gurkhas as “the bravest of the brave”, the reviewer admits he knew little about them until reading Kailash Limbu’s memoir. Limbu sketches his childhood in a remote part of Nepal and the gruelling selection that earned him a coveted place in the Brigade of Gurkhas.

The heart of the book recounts a tour in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, particularly the deployment to the contested town of Now Zad. Limbu conveys the constant vigilance demanded by the Taliban threat, the realities of operating from austere patrol bases and the resilience required to face danger day after day. For civilian readers, his descriptions lay bare the hardships and camaraderie of modern soldiering.

Gurkha is available in paperback and as an e-book. ISBN 978-0-349-14010-0. £7.99.