JOHNNY GURKHA - "Friends in the Hills" by Smith, E.D

London 1985, Leo Cooper, UK first edition, hard bound in dust jacket, 6 x 9, VG/VG CONDITION ( light dj scuffing on black cover & is price clipped), xvi, 176 pages, illustrated.----------------------------------------------------------------------- Although, as Birdie Smith points out, the Gurkhas have no objection if their opponents think of them as bloodthirsty little brown men who would lop off your head at the flash of a kukri, the reality is somewhat different. And as it is apparent that, in the years since a regular Gurkha battalion has been stationed in England, they have won the 'hearts and minds' of the British just as they have won those of the Malayans or the tribesmen of North Borneo, it is high time that their friends had access to a reliable account of what a Gurkha is and what makes him tick.------------------------------------------------------------------------This is what Birdie Smith has set out to provide and, having served with the Gurkhas for thirty-six years, he could hardly be better qualified for the job. As he readily admits, he has received considerable help from many people who have served with Gurkha battalions and this has enabled him to produce a book in which the hard facts are judiciously leavened with anecdotes, some of which, he admits, may have gained a little in the telling!------------------------------------------------------------------------------The result is a highly readable, informative and entertaining book in which the author explains the series of events which led to the Brigade of Gurkhas becoming part of the British Army and tells how Gurkha soldiers are recruited, where they come from, what their homeland is like and what they believe in.Anyone who has ever wondered about these smiling men from the hills of Nepal will find this book packed with interesting information and those who know them well will surely agree that Birdie Smith has paid a worthy tribute to some of the best friends the British have ever had or could ever hope to have.