Lachhiman Gurung ( ne, लाछिमान गुरुङ; 30 December 1917 – 12 December 2010) was a Nepalese–British

Gurkha The Gurkhas or Gorkhas (), with endonym Gorkhali ), are soldiers native to the Indian Subcontinent, chiefly residing within Nepal and some parts of Northeast India. The Gurkha units are composed of Nepalis and Indian Gorkhas and are recruit ...

recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

and

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

forces. He is best known as the "Gurkha who took on 200 soldiers with only one hand" because of his actions in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Birth and army service

Gurung was born on 30 December 1917, in the village of Dahakhani VDC (Now also called Ichchhakamana Rural Municipality),

Chitwan District Chitwan District (, , ) is one of 77 districts of Nepal, and takes up the southwestern corner of Bagmati Province. Bharatpur, largest city of Nepal after Kathmandu, is its administrative centre. It covers . In 2011 it had a population of 579 ...

of Nepal, the son of Partiman Gurung. He joined the

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...

in December 1940, permitted to enlist in wartime although he was only 4'11" (1.5m) tall and so below the peacetime minimum height. He was 27 years old, and a

rifleman A rifleman is an infantry soldier armed with a rifling, rifled long gun. Although the rifleman role had its origin with 16th century hand cannoneers and 17th century musketeers, the term originated in the 18th century with the introduction o ...

in the 4th Battalion,

8th Gurkha Rifles The 8th Gorkha Rifles is a Gorkha regiment of the Indian Army. It was raised in 1824 as part of the British East India Company and later transferred to the British Indian Army after the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The regiment served in World War I ...

, in the

Indian Army during World War II The Indian Army during World War II, a British force also referred to as the British Indian Army, began the war, in 1939, numbering just under 200,000 men.Sumner, p.25 By the end of the war, it had become the largest volunteer army in history, ...

when the following deed took place in May 1945 for which he was awarded the VC. His Battalion was part of the 89th Indian Infantry Brigade of 7th Indian Infantry Division, which was ordered to cross the

Irrawaddy River The Irrawaddy River ( Ayeyarwady River; , , from Indic ''revatī'', meaning "abounding in riches") is a river that flows from north to south through Myanmar (Burma). It is the country's largest river and most important commercial waterway. Origi ...

and attack Japanese forces to the north of the road from

Prome Pyay (, ; mnw, ပြန် , ; also known as Prome and Pyè) is principal town of Pyay Township in the Bago Region in Myanmar. Pyay is located on the bank of the Irrawaddy River, north-west of Yangon. It is an important trade center for the Aye ...

Taungup Taungup, Toungup or Toungok ( my, တောင်ကုတ်မြို့) is a principal town of the Taungup Township in the Rakhine State of westernmost part of Myanmar. As of May 2020, there is one case of COVID-19, one of two cases in not ...

. The Japanese withdrew towards

Taungdaw Taungdaw is a river village in Homalin Township, Hkamti District, in the Sagaing Region of northwestern Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in Britis ...

, where Gurung was part of the two companies of the 4th Battalion, 8th Gurkha Rifles, waiting when the Japanese attacked in force in the early morning. On 12/13 May 1945 at

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

ow Myanmar Rifleman Lachhiman Gurung was manning the most forward post of his platoon which bore the brunt of an attack by at least 200 of the Japanese enemy. He hurled back two hand grenades which had fallen on his trench, but the third exploded in his right hand after he attempted to throw it back, blowing off his fingers, shattering his arm and severely wounding him in the face, body and right leg. His two comrades were also badly wounded but the rifleman, now alone and disregarding his wounds, loaded and fired his rifle with his left hand for four hours (all while he screamed "Come and fight a Gurkha!"), calmly waiting for each attack which he met with fire at point blank range. His citation in the

London Gazette London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

ends with... He received his Victoria Cross from the Viceroy of India, Field Marshal

Lord Wavell Field Marshal Archibald Percival Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell, (5 May 1883 – 24 May 1950) was a senior officer of the British Army. He served in the Second Boer War, the Bazar Valley Campaign and the First World War, during which he was wounded ...

at the

Red Fort The Red Fort or Lal Qila () is a historic fort in Old Delhi, Delhi in India that served as the main residence of the Mughal Emperors. Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned construction of the Red Fort on 12 May 1638, when he decided to shift ...

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on 19 December 1945.Parker 2005, p. 208.

Further information and later life

Gurung was hospitalised for the wounds he received during the above action and subsequently lost his right eye and the use of his right hand, but he continued to serve with the 8th Gurkhas, choosing to remain with them when they were transferred to the newly independent

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

in 1947. He later achieved the rank of Hon. Havildar and he returned to his village in Nepal on completion of his service in 1947, where he farmed on a small holding. He married twice; having two sons and daughter from his first marriage, and two more sons from his second. One of his sons later became an officer in the 8th Gurkha Rifles. A new house was provided for him and his family in 1995 near the Gurkha Welfare Centre at Chitwan, using a donation of £2,000 from Armourers and Brasiers Company. Later in 1995, he received a cheque for £100,500 from the Gurkha Welfare Trust, presented by British Prime Minister

John Major Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997, and as Member of Parliament ...

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. £8,000 was also awarded to him by the

as a loan for his

medal, which he gave to them as an inspiration for young servicemen. In 2008, Gurung and Honorary Lieutenant

Tul Bahadur Pun Tul Bahadur Pun VC ( Nepali: तुल बहादुर पुन; 23 March 192320 April 2011) was a Nepalese Gurkha recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and ...

VC were two of the five claimants in a legal claim to allow Gurkha servicemen who had retired before July 1997 (when the Gurkha base moved from Hong Kong to the UK) to settle in the UK. The High Court ordered the government to review its policy, and Gurung was allowed to settle in Hounslow, where he was looked after by his granddaughter, Amrita. Gurung was admitted to the

Charing Cross Hospital Charing Cross Hospital is an acute general teaching hospital located in Hammersmith, London, United Kingdom. The present hospital was opened in 1973, although it was originally established in 1818, approximately five miles east, in central Lond ...

on 19 November after his health condition worsened, suffering from pneumonia. Gurung died on 12 December 2010. He was survived by his second wife, Manmaya, and his five children. His funeral was held on Wednesday 22 December 2010 at Hounslow Civic Centre, Lampton Road, Hounslow, Middlesex, TW3 4DN.

The medal

The medal is currently held in India, in the possession of Gurung's parent unit, the 4th Battalion, 8th Gurkha Rifles.

References

Bibliography

External links