New Zealand Army War Haka meets Ghurkas

[Dear_Prudence]

2. Gurkhas and Grandad

This was fascinating and moving. My family seems to have a connection to the Gurkhas. My Scottish grandad visited the family here in the US in the mid-60's, when I was about twelve. Race riots were in the news here, so I asked Grandad what he thought about other races. He said that once you've slept in the trenches together, you learn that kind of thing [race] doesn't matter. Grandad has been gone about 40 years, but a few years ago, I tried to figure out who was with Grandad in those trenches. Grandad was a member of the Gordon Highlanders Infantry Regiment in WW1. I learned that the Gordon Highlanders fought trench warfare along side Gurkhas in WW1 at the Battle of the Somme. The battle cost British forces 420,000 lives, presumably Gurkha casualties counted amoung them. I remember my dad, also gone now, inexplicably speaking of his admiration for Gurkha fighters and his unrealized wish to add a Gurkha knife to his knife collection; perhaps this reflected his father's, my Grandad's, experiences? Based on this tenuous history, I believe my Grandad fought alongside the Gurkhas and shared the trenches, probably at the Battle of the Somme. For me, this belief has forged my lasting connection to the Gurkha. I wish my dad were here to see the impressive display that you posted. Thank you.