Rifleman Thaman Gurung

Rifleman Thaman Gurung of the 5th Royal Gurkha Regiment was in Italy on 11 November 1944 when his platoon had advanced into a position on the crest of a ridge which was swept by German machine-gun fire. They had some cover but could not move without showing themselves and probably being annihilated. The Company Commander ordered them to fall back. But there was no covering fire available and without covering fire they could not move without the certainty of very heavy losses. He ran forward to the skyline, poured burst after burst of tommy-gun fire into the German trenches and threw two grenades, giving the platoon the covering fire it needed for one section to get back. But it was not enough to get the whole platoon back and he ran forward to the skyline a second time, throwing grenades he had collected and giving two sections the chance to get back. No both occasions he was under heavy fire at short range and it is hard to see how he survived.

But he got back to the position, where one section remained. He then took the section's Bren gun, ran a third time to the crest of the ridge and again fired burst after burst at the enemy positions. He had then emptied two magazines and the last section was well on its way to safety when he was killed. This was a deliberate form of self-sacrifice. It is true it was done in the heat of the moment, when the blood was up and the heart high. But it was not simply unbridled pugnacity, rather it was done to make the retreat of his comrades possible, and three times he exposed himself to what each time seemed certain death. That kind of disciplined valour can only arise when a man has made a habit of courage. It has become second nature because he has ruled out the idea of cowardice. It has become a matter of honour for him to be a good soldier. Rifleman Thaman Gurung was awarded Britain's highest medal for valour, the Victoria Cross. Jai Hind!! Jai Jawan!!