Blair praises Gurkhas (r)

[dawnstar@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Well, they did take Tibet in 1904, otherwise Younghusband and his
british troops would never have taken the palace. its not really their
fault. the gurkhas, probably the worst most fearlesss and fearsome
mercenary force, got a bad break when the brits had to pull out of hong
kong, that after they cleaned up the faulklands before brit troops
landed; argentinians gladly surrendered only on the word that the
gurkhas were coming; they dont take prisoners, and they fought the
japanese in burma during the world war two occupation, bravely,
collecting ears with their kukhari angled knifes. 

i know a few. good byes and brave men, from the hills, far back in
Nepal. they deserve whatever they can get from the former british
empire, and more. like so many other mercenary foreign troops, the brits
would never have taken burma in the 19th century without them.

Does anyone out there have any information on the use of gurkha troops
in the british invasion of Burma 1880s?

thanks

ds*
> 
>        Gurkha soldiers on patrol inside Kosovo
> 
> 
> The prime minister has praised Britain's Gurkhas, saying the decision to double their pensions was to give them and their families "a better future".
> 
> His comments came after the announcement that the British Army was set to double pension allowances for the Gurkhas from April 2000.
> 
>       Few fighting forces are more respected for their courage, grit and sheer professionalism than the British Gurkhas
> 
>       Tony Blair
> The Ministry of Defence said a review of pension arrangements for Gurkhas recruited into the army from Nepal had recommended a minimum 100% increase.
> 
> Writing in The Mirror newspaper, Tony Blair said: "Few fighting forces are more respected for their courage, grit and sheer professionalism than the British Gurkhas.
> 
> "The men who served alongside them during the Second World War in Burma can testify to that. And more recently the Gurkhas have played a leading role in restoring peace and stability not only to Kosovo but also to East Timor."
> 
> An increase in the allowances for the much feared fighting force had been long forecast.
> 
> Armed Forces Minister John Spellar said: "We are doubling the pensions for all retired Gurkhas. For some of the older retired Gurkhas, the increases will be even higher.
> 
> Easing inequality
> 
> "Nepalese Gurkhas have been part of the British Army for nearly 200 years. They are proud to serve with us, and we are proud to have them.