British air drops kept Rifleman Kehersing Thapa alive during World War Two. Today, The Gurkha Welfare Trust continues to provide him with vital care.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lu3C-hgVdUs
Kehersing lives with his daughter and her family of six in the village of Chhabdi Barahi in Tanahun, in central Nepal. The veteran of the 8th Gurkha Rifles proudly remembers his fighting days throughout the early 1940s, a period that saw him serve in the Middle East and North Africa.
Prisoner of war in Italy
In Libya, Kehersing’s unit was captured by enemy forces and taken to a prisoner of war camp in Italy. He recalls how they were deprived of food and water, and what a blessing it was when British-organised air drops gave them vital supplies.
Now an old man of 99 years, Kehersing is relying on British support once again to survive in his own country. Having not served long enough to qualify for an Army pension, he receives the Welfare Pension funded by our generous supporters. He shares it with his family, who care for him devotedly, providing them with enough money to feed themselves.