still the government resisted until joanna lumley the petition. anna got involved she was instrumental. her celebrity status help campaign. herfather served with my regiment. he was in officer in the sixth worker rifles. there was no gurkha present during the closed door meeting. we fought so the closed door meeting. we fought so hard for nine years and to be less out was a big letdown in itself. our campaign was for equality, equal pension and settlement. and to see and hear what was discussed. and why did they come to the conclusion of settlement only? we are glad and thankful that the government did change the policy. we achieved what we thought would be impossible, that is settle m e nt would be impossible, that is settlement rights for all gurkhas across the world. the gurkha fight now carries on for equal pension and thatis now carries on for equal pension and that is the last stand. this is the final chapter in the gurkha history. it meant we were now considered equal to the rest of the british armed forces. our final witness remembers a bri

outside parliament, the gurkhas and joanna lumley listened as the home secretary finally ran up the whiteender on the gurkhas' terms. all former gurkhas who retired before 1997 and who have served more than four years will now be eligible to apply for settlement in the uk. when the announcement was made in 2009, everyone felt very happy. it was very good news. exuberant with the news. but i would call it a half baked victory. i served in the brigade of gurkhas for 31 years. nepal does allow recruitment in nepal itself to enlist gurkhas into the british army. nowhere will you we see this arrangement in the whole world. the gurkha motto is kaatar hunnu bhanda marnu ramro. it means better to die than be a coward. the gurkhas have fought and died for the british army since 1814. more than a hundred thousand fought in the great war suffering 20,000 casualties. sadly, although we are an integral part of the british armed forces we have never been treated equal. we have our own terms and conditions of service. the way we are quartered, family life, barracks, it was a total difference. the pay we