Portrait of retired Gurkha
©Gurkha Museum

At the end of 1999 the British Governement finally gave in to mounting pressure from ex-Gurkha organisations and doubled the pensions of all retired Gurkhas. A committee was set up to monitor the cost of living in Nepal and to adjust the rate of pensions every year. Although a great victory for retired Gurkhas, the increase still left them with pensions worth a fraction of other retired British soldiers.

Over a decade later in 2010 ex-Gurkhas would still be campaigning unsuccessfully for equal pensions. It is important to note that Gurkhas who served and retired after 1997 receive much better pay and pension packages than those who retired before Hong Kong was returned to the Chinese in 1997

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