For all you Mothers out there...Ab Fab and The Ghurkas.

[Backwards Observer]

"Joanna Lumley celebrates progress in Ghurka's 'right to reside' battle."


The 62-year-old became involved in the soldiers cause after revealing that the life of her father, Major James Rutherford Lumley, was saved by a Ghurkha soldier when during WWII he served in Burma with the 6th Gurkha Rifles.


Article at (good grief...) Hello magazine,

http://www.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/2009/04/30/lumley-ghurka-win/

[davidbfpo]

The 'Hello' item is quite tame compared to much of the UK press coverage, which had lauded Joanna Lumley's role, notably in ambushing with TV cameras in tow the junior minister for immigration matters. The below link will take you to some background plus.

Here is today's topical update, which indicates HMG is reluctant to face more of Joanna Lumley's anger: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8042287.stm

davidbfpo

[Backwards Observer]

A Slim story:


For 20 years between the wars he was a Gurkha officer, as so many of the 14th Army’s fighting generals were. Indeed, for a time, they were known on the front as the "Mongol Conspiracy." Slim loves the Gurkhas, whose language he speaks. His favourite stories are of Gurkhas. He tells of the paratroopers who were to jump at 300 feet. As they had never jumped before, their havildar asked if they might go a little nearer the ground for their first jump. He was told that this was impossible because the parachutes would not have time to open. "Oh," said the Gurkha, "so we get parachutes, eh?"

From Burma Star Association,

http://www.burmastar.org.uk/slim.htm

[davidbfpo]

I'd recommend, if you are looking for good books on the Ghurkhas, the books by John Masters; check this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Masters . I have a few of his books and they are great. The film Bhowani Junction has it's moments too.

There are a number of good histories too, notably by Colonel John Cross and this illustrates why: http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200605/nepal-gurkhas

Meantime we wait for Joanna Lumley's next performance.

davidbfpo

[jmm99]

great minds run in the same channels - at least as to John Masters (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Masters). ;) My start with him was in the late 50s - Bugles and a Tiger (1956) and the movie of the same year Bhowani Junction (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhowani_Junction), which had Ava Gardner (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ava_Gardner) ! (and also one of my mother's heartthrobs, Stewart Granger (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stewart_Granger)).

Neither the Gardner nor Robert Graves (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Graves) wikis mention their long-term, non-carnal friendship (http://www.mallorcaonline.com/story/gravesu.htm) (not of much interest to gossip columnists); but she was one of many types of the White Goddess (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_White_Goddess) in Graves' life - from sketches of war (as also his friend Siegfried Sassoon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siegfried_Sassoon)), to historical novels, poetics and mythology (perhaps grist for MikeF; it has been for me).

I suppose I'd have to list Masters's trilogy of Now God Be Thanked, Heart of War and In The Green Of The Spring (pub. 1979-1981; re: WWI, mostly on the home front) near the top - although I suspect it is not that read here in the States.

I most recently "ran into" Masters a few weeks ago in going back into Bidwell, Shelford (1979). The Chindit war (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chindit) : the campaigns in Burma, 1944. London: Hodder & Stoughton. One tends to forget that Masters was a brigadier.

[Backwards Observer]

Guv'nors, thanks for all those fascinating and informative links. Tangentially related and probably familiar to some, two Hollywood epics from 1975 spiralling around the hobgoblins of Empire:

John Huston's version of Kipling's, "The Man Who Would Be King",


"Now listen to me you benighted muckers. We're going to teach you soldiering. The world's noblest profession. When we're done with you, you'll be able to slaughter your enemies like civilized men." (Sean Connery as Daniel Dravot addressing a hill-tribe militia)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_Who_Would_Be_King

John Milius', "The Wind And The Lion",

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wind_and_the_Lion

Somewhat related thematically is Milius,' "Farewell To The King", based on the novel by Pierre Schoendoerffer,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farewell_to_the_King

Schoendoerffer's bittersweet but bloody billet-doux to French Indochina, "Le 317e Section", and "Le Crabe-tambour", are definitely worth a look as well. Hopefully they'll be released on an affordable, or rentable, dvd at some point.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Schoendoerffer

http://www.amazon.com/317th-Platoon-VHS-Jacques-Perrin/dp/6302185998

http://www.amazon.com/Crabe-Tambour-VHS-Jean-Rochefort/dp/6301319680