Pokhara: Portraits of 11 Gurkha soldiers who lost their lives in Afghanistan were flown over to Nepal from the UK and handed over to their families at an event in Pokhara on 11 May 2025. Portraits of the 11 Gurkhas and four British Officers who died during the conflict in Afghanistan were unveiled at the Gurkha Memorial Museum in Pokhara before being handed-over. The portraits till date were on display at the Gurkha Museum in Winchester, UK from where they were transported to Nepal by the Veterans Can… team.
Kevin Wills, an artist and Army veteran, painted portraits of each of the 457 British Army officers and soldiers who were killed in Afghanistan and the Brigade of Gurkhas lost 15 members during the Afghanistan conflict. The originals of the four British Officers have already been presented to their families in the UK. The Veterans Can… team had been fundraising to undertake a trip to Nepal to present the remaining portraits to the families of the Nepali Gurkha fallen heroes. A team comprising Kevin and army veterans from the Veterans Can… community travelled to Kathmandu from the UK where they were joined by Gurkha veteran Hari Budha Magar MBE, who became the first double above-knee amputee to reach the Mount Everest summit in 2023. The team travelled on to Pokhara to meet with the families at a respectful event held at the Gukha Memorial Museum.
Amidst a solemn atmosphere of the event, Kevin and the team presented the portraits to the families of the fallen Gurkhas. Rob Fenn, Britain’s Ambassador to Nepal; Colonel Dan Rex MVO, Commander British Gurkhas Nepal, army veterans, serving personnel and well-wishers were present at the event to show their solidarity.
Garrath Williams, Co-Founder of Veterans Can… said, “When I first met Kev, I wanted to find a way to show gratitude for this immense commitment, and as this was around the same time we launched Veterans Can… we put an idea to our community about getting behind Kev, and making this trip happen for him. I’m so chuffed we can do this, and it makes it all the more impactful having Hari involved, who has a close personal connection to some of the Gurkhas who were sadly killed in action.”
Kevin Wills, artist of the ‘Fallen of Afghanistan’ said, “The project was an idea I had 4 years ago, and it felt like the right thing to do to make sure those who made the ultimate sacrifice are not forgotten. Being able to present the last few portraits to the museum in the presence of the families of fallen Gurkhas is a huge honour; and being able to draw a line under this project with such an expedition is amazing.”
Colonel Dan Rex MVO, Commander British Gurkhas Nepal, who read out the names of the Fallen heroes, said, “The Brigade of Gurkhas is a close and very special family and whilst the loss of our brothers has brought us enormous sadness, their memory and the times we spent together has also been source of great pride, strength and happiness. They will always be with us, and we shall never forget them.”
Hari Budha Magar MBE, who attended the event in Winchester, said, “I am very happy to get involved with handing over portraits of fallen Gurkhas who were killed in Afghanistan to their families in Nepal. I was wounded in Afghanistan, so this is very close to me and someway brings me closer to my fallen colleagues. This means a lot to me”. The Director of The Gurkha Museum Trust, Dr Daren Bowyer said, “The Gurkha Museum Trust has the responsibility to preserve and to promote the Brigade of Gurkhas’ history, heritage and ethos. It has been an honour for us to safeguard and display these wonderful portraits while their move to Nepal was being arranged and we are grateful to Veterans Can … for the opportunity.”
Here is a list of the Fallen Officers and Soldiers of the Brigade of Gurkhas
1. Major Lex Roberts
2. Major Josh Bowman
3. Lt Edward Drummon-Baxter
4. Lt Neal Turkington
5. CSgt Krishnabahadur Dura
6. Cpl Arjun Purja Pun
7. Cpl Kumar Pun
8. LCpl Siddhanta Kunwar
9. LCpl Gajbahadur Gurung
10. Rfn Sachin Limbu
11. Rfn Vijay Rai
12. Rfn Suraj Gurung
13. Rfn Yubraj Rai
14. Rfn Remand Kulung
15. Sapper Ishwor Gurung
The Brigade of Gurkhas represents all the units in the British Army which are composed of Nepali Gurkha soldiers. The Brigade supports the British Army worldwide across a range of skills. The history of the service of the Brigade of Gurkhas to the British Crown goes back as far as 1815.
Since then the Brigade has conducted itself with distinction during numerous conflicts worldwide. More than 200,000 Gurkhas fought in the two world wars showing legendary bravery. Twenty-six Victoria Crosses, one of the highest and most prestigious awards of the British honours system, have been awarded to Gurkha Regiments and of which thirteen have been awarded to individual Gurkhas, as well as many other bravery awards.
Comment