Last remaining Gurkha Victoria Cross recipient dies in Nepal aged 83

The last remaining Gurkha recipient of Britain’s Victoria Cross has died in Nepal at the age of 83.

Rambahadur Limbu was awarded Britain’s highest military decoration by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in 1966 for gallantry during an attack on Indonesian troops on the island of Borneo during which he rescued two fellow soldiers.

Limbu, then a lance corporal, carried out the mission in November 1965, part of the three-year “konfrotasi” conflict known as the Battle of Bau triggered by Indonesia’s opposition to the formation of Malaysia.

In a statement, the Gurkha Brigade Association said: “He has been a figurehead and exemplar of Gurkha bravery for generations of Gurkha recruits and soldiers. His loss will be felt profoundly by all those he has inspired.”

Limbu was a member of the Brigade of Gurkhas, made up of Nepalese soldiers who have been recruited to the British army since a peace treaty between the two countries was signed in 1815.

The soldier, who rose through the ranks to captain, served in the Sultan of Brunei’s Army after leaving the British army in 1985.

Queen Elizabeth with Rambahadur Limbu (left) during a reception for living recipients of the Victoria and George Cross medals in 2018. Photograph: John Stillwell/AFP/Getty

On the incident that saw him awarded the Victoria Cross for military valour, he told the Mirror in 2014: “I didn’t think I was going to be shot. All I cared about was rescuing my friends.”

In 2014, Limbu travelled to Westminster to speak during the Gurkha Welfare Inquiry into concerns over pension rights, adult dependants, compensation, equal treatment for Gurkha widows and free medical treatment for veterans in Nepal similar to that provided for pensioners in the UK.

Limbu lived in the eastern Nepali city of Damak after retiring in 1992.

The British ambassador to Nepal, Nicola Pollitt, travelled to Damak in September 2022 in order for Limbu to sign the condolence book for Queen Elizabeth II after her death.

“He signed the book, recalling with pride and sadness his long service for Her Majesty,” Pollitt tweeted at the time.

At the Queen’s funeral in September, 17 of the then 23 living recipients of the Victoria Cross and the George Cross for civilian gallantry were in attendance, including one from New Zealand and four from Australia.

Limbu is survived by his wife, Eunimaya, and three children.