POKHARA, May 12: Portraits of 11 Gurkha soldiers who died in the Afghanistan conflict were officially handed over to their families at a solemn ceremony held at the Gurkha Memorial Museum in Pokhara on Saturday. The portraits, previously displayed at the Gurkha Museum in Winchester, UK, were transported to Nepal by a team from the UK-based veteran support group Veterans Can…
Painted by British Army veteran and artist Kevin Wills, the portraits are part of a larger series honoring the 457 British personnel who lost their lives during the Afghanistan war. The Brigade of Gurkhas, part of the British Army, lost 15 members in the conflict. Portraits of the four British officers among the 15 have already been presented to their families in the UK.
The team visiting Nepal included Kevin Wills and army veterans from the Veterans Can… community, joined by Gurkha veteran and double above-knee amputee Everest summiteer, Hari Budha Magar MBE. The group travelled to Pokhara from Kathmandu to personally hand over the portraits to the families of the fallen.
What makes you a lefty?
British Ambassador to Nepal Rob Fenn and Commander of British Gurkhas Nepal, Colonel Dan Rex MVO, attended the handover ceremony, alongside army personnel and well-wishers.
Colonel Rex read out the names of the fallen and described the Gurkha community as a “very special family,” expressing deep gratitude to artist Kevin Wills for his "labour of love" and to Veterans Can… for facilitating the tribute.
Speaking at the event, Wills said completing the portrait handovers marked the conclusion of a project that began four years ago and was driven by a desire to ensure the fallen would not be forgotten. “It’s a huge honour to present these portraits to their families,” he said.
Director of The Gurkha Museum Trust in the UK, Dr Daren Bowyer, expressed pride in preserving the portraits while arrangements were made to return them to Nepal. Gurkha veteran Hari Budha Magar, who was wounded in Afghanistan, said participating in the ceremony brought him closer to his fallen colleagues.
The Gurkha personnel remembered during the ceremony are CSgt Krishna Bahadur Dura, Cpl Arjun Purja Pun, Cpl Kumar Pun, LCpl Siddhanta Kunwar, LCpl Gajbahadur Gurung, Rfn Sachin Limbu, Rfn Vijay Rai, Rfn Suraj Gurung, Rfn Yubraj Rai, Rfn Remand Kulung, Sapper Ishwor Gurung.
Likewise, portraits of British officers Major Lex Roberts, Major Josh Bowman, Lt Edward Drummond-Baxter and Lt Neal Turkington were also displayed.
Brigade of Gurkhas has a long-standing history of service in the British Army, dating back to 1815, and has been recognized for its valor with numerous military honors, including 26 Victoria Crosses.
