Britain's Gurkhas: How an elite unit came of age

The Gurkha’s - one of the most famous regiments in the British army. These tough men from Nepal have fought across the globe for Britain.

But how did they end up fighting for the British and when did they emerge as an elite unit? That’s the story we are telling today. 

My Gurkha annecdeote comes from my grandad, WW2 had just finished and he was visiting a botanical garden in london full of tropical plants....all of a sudden he got a tap on the shoulder, he looks round to see a smiling Gurkha "You didn't see me, did you?" 

The way he told it was like Gurkhas had supernatural powers of stealth. In the late sixties, I was in the bar at Marylebone Station when a Gurkha came in and ordered a beer. No one in the bar would allow him to pay for it himself, such was the respect.they are held in.

I work with Gurkhas, Enough said.