Johnny Gurkha: Better To Die Than Live A Coward: My Life In The Gurkhas

For the first time in its 200-year history, a soldier of the Brigade of Gurkhas has been given permission to tell his story in his own words. Colour Sergeant Kailash Limbu was born in one of the most remote hill villages of Nepal. His family had no running water or electricity. The nearest town was several days' trek from his family home. Yet before he was 25 he was serving as a section commander in the Royal Gurkhas in one of the most dangerous regions on earth, fighting the Taliban. He and his comrades took part in a heroic operation during the war in Afghanistan, holding out for 30 days against attacks in Taliban country. The account relives those days and explores what it means to be a Gurkha, including training, the culture shock of arriving in Britain, and the camaraderie that carried them through wartime challenges.