- Paperback: 320 pages
- Publisher: Greenhill Books; New edition edition (15 May 2007)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1853677272
- ISBN-13: 978-1853677274
- Product Dimensions: 21 x 13.8 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,078,601 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Review
A particularly interesting contribution to the history of the Gurkhas ... the result of in depth interviews conducted by the two editors, providing these remarkable soldiers with the opportunity to put their own experiences and stories in print. --Military Modelling
Breaks new ground by relating experiences of Gurkha soldiers over the past sixty years in their own words . . . It is beautifully produced and edited to give an easy flow to what are a series of random reminiscences . . . However as John makes clear these are the Gurkhas' own stories and they make fascinating reading. Some interviews clearly served a therapeutic service, with the veteran so glad to have told his story at last and got it off his chest (why did no one ever ask before). There is a common theme of hardship, stoically borne, and at times lightly dismissed. There are times when the soldiers did not know where they were, nor indeed why they were fighting the particular enemy of the day. All this seems to be accepted as what being a soldier is all about. There is a recurring interest about awards. Winning a bahaduri or gaining promotion is central to the business of being a soldier and is talked about without reticence or reserve. Quite a few times there is a sense of injustice that their own actions did not get their deserved recognition; often made more bitter by the fact that someone less deserving got 'their' bahaduri. A fascinating book. Like all reminiscences it is very personal in the sense that others who were present will have quite different memories of the same events. A great addition to the history and in a way an unintentional testimonial and tribute to their own soldierly qualities. --Field Marshal Sir John Chapple
The unique nature of this book is that it allows the Gurkhas to tell their own story . . . It is valuable to gain the Gurkha perspective, be it of British officers, Indian troops and politicians or the unfairness of the honours system that handed out the medals and ranks. --Legion: The Royal British Legion Magazine
Breaks new ground by relating experiences of Gurkha soldiers over the past sixty years in their own words . . . It is beautifully produced and edited to give an easy flow to what are a series of random reminiscences . . . However as John makes clear these are the Gurkhas' own stories and they make fascinating reading. Some interviews clearly served a therapeutic service, with the veteran so glad to have told his story at last and got it off his chest (why did no one ever ask before). There is a common theme of hardship, stoically borne, and at times lightly dismissed. There are times when the soldiers did not know where they were, nor indeed why they were fighting the particular enemy of the day. All this seems to be accepted as what being a soldier is all about. There is a recurring interest about awards. Winning a bahaduri or gaining promotion is central to the business of being a soldier and is talked about without reticence or reserve. Quite a few times there is a sense of injustice that their own actions did not get their deserved recognition; often made more bitter by the fact that someone less deserving got 'their' bahaduri. A fascinating book. Like all reminiscences it is very personal in the sense that others who were present will have quite different memories of the same events. A great addition to the history and in a way an unintentional testimonial and tribute to their own soldierly qualities. --Field Marshal Sir John Chapple
The unique nature of this book is that it allows the Gurkhas to tell their own story . . . It is valuable to gain the Gurkha perspective, be it of British officers, Indian troops and politicians or the unfairness of the honours system that handed out the medals and ranks. --Legion: The Royal British Legion Magazine
Product Description
Gurkhas at War, the result of in-depth interviews conducted by editors J. P. Cross and Buddhiman Gurung, offers these remarkable soldiers a voice in print for the first time. These first-person narratives centre on the sixty-year period from the outbreak of World War II to the confrontation in East Timor, including the lengthy battles against the Japanese in the Burmese jungle, campaigns against the Communists in Malaya and Hong Kong, as wells as more recent deployments in the Falklands Campaign and Gulf War. We also gain insight into the changes wrought by Indian independence, which forcibly divided the Gurkha allegiance between the ex-colony and her old master. The tactless mismanagement of the various 'handovers', and the punitive measures directed at many Gurkhas who disputed their resettlement, remain a painful memory for those subjected to the change. The editors who travelled 5,000 miles to rescue material from surviving soldiers provide a thorough introduction to Gurkha culture, a historical overview of each campaign fought, and record some of the peculiarities of their encounters with these most resilient of soldiers.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
What a brillaint book.For years the most that people know about the hillmen from nepal is mostly what has been told by the officers or often than not shrouded in mystery and legend..almost folklore..
Well,if you are curious you NEED to get this book.
A fascinating account on what makes a Gurkha from the history,recruitment,psyche to all stories,told and untold spanning all the theaters of war from WWI-II,borneo to Iraq..and all told by the common soldier.
It is in a form of various snippets as it comes live from the soldiers and that's what brings it alive.a great way to understand the nepali's mind and how he does thing and did what they have done proudly over 200 glorious years..
A really really good book.
(i am a nepalese myself and source all books on nepal/gurkhas,must say this is one of the very best)
Well,if you are curious you NEED to get this book.
A fascinating account on what makes a Gurkha from the history,recruitment,psyche to all stories,told and untold spanning all the theaters of war from WWI-II,borneo to Iraq..and all told by the common soldier.
It is in a form of various snippets as it comes live from the soldiers and that's what brings it alive.a great way to understand the nepali's mind and how he does thing and did what they have done proudly over 200 glorious years..
A really really good book.
(i am a nepalese myself and source all books on nepal/gurkhas,must say this is one of the very best)
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
1 review
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
The Gurkhas, in Their Own Words
22 May 2008
Format:Paperback
Lt Col John Philip Cross is a genuine 'living legend'. Cross, who currently resides in Nepal along with his co- author, was the last commander of the British Jungle Warfare School. He has commanded Gurkha paratroops and 'regular' British troops, has served in the Far East in World War II, fought in the Malaya Insurgency, has perfect fluency in several languages and, most particularly, knows the Gurkhas better than any man currently walking the planet. His military insights have found expression in many of his books, most of which are unfortunately no longer in print, though at least two of them are in the process of being resurrected ("First In, Last Out" by Hailer Publishing in the USA will appear in the near-term future).
This book, a good introduction to his work, summarizes accounts from the Gurkhas themselves and yields invaluable insights on this group of legendary fighters for the 'Empire on which the Sun Never Sets'. The preface, by Field Marshall Sir John Chapple, draws attention to a recurring theme of the interviews: many of the accomplishments of these first-rank fighters went without official British military acknowledgement, an unfortunate fact which seemed fairly representative of the treatment of non-European soldiers in service of a European government. On the other hand, acknowledgment was not totally lacking from some commanders. For example, the great Lord Kitchner (of Khartoum) extended accolades, "What kind of shots are they? None better...Have they good eyesight? They can see through a brick wall. How do they stand hardship? They'll stand anything except abuse..."
Cross wrote explanatory notes which preface each major subdivision of the book, as well as brief sections on "The Gurkha Soldier", the interviews and the battle order. There is also a brief photographic section and a mournful conclusion: "Gurkhas are a product of the past. If they did not exist, no one would now invent them."
In summary, a copy of Cross' book belongs on the shelf of every serious student of warfare.
Note: there is another book by a different author which has the same title as this one.
This book, a good introduction to his work, summarizes accounts from the Gurkhas themselves and yields invaluable insights on this group of legendary fighters for the 'Empire on which the Sun Never Sets'. The preface, by Field Marshall Sir John Chapple, draws attention to a recurring theme of the interviews: many of the accomplishments of these first-rank fighters went without official British military acknowledgement, an unfortunate fact which seemed fairly representative of the treatment of non-European soldiers in service of a European government. On the other hand, acknowledgment was not totally lacking from some commanders. For example, the great Lord Kitchner (of Khartoum) extended accolades, "What kind of shots are they? None better...Have they good eyesight? They can see through a brick wall. How do they stand hardship? They'll stand anything except abuse..."
Cross wrote explanatory notes which preface each major subdivision of the book, as well as brief sections on "The Gurkha Soldier", the interviews and the battle order. There is also a brief photographic section and a mournful conclusion: "Gurkhas are a product of the past. If they did not exist, no one would now invent them."
In summary, a copy of Cross' book belongs on the shelf of every serious student of warfare.
Note: there is another book by a different author which has the same title as this one.
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