A MAJOR General from Salisbury has written a book commemorating two centuries of service by the Gurkhas to the Crown.

Craig Lawrence CBE is currently Colonel of the Royal Gurkha Rifles and has spent more than 30 years serving with Gurkhas, having been commissioned into the King Edward VII’s Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles) in 1984. He said: “In 2015, the Gurkhas will have served the British Crown for 200 years.

“Although there are numerous events being planned throughout the year to celebrate and commemorate this remarkable achievement, I wanted to produce the book so that when all these activities are over there will still be an enduring reminder of why Gurkhas are so special to the UK.

“I also wanted to try and raise money for the Salisbury-based Gurkha Welfare Trust. All the royalties from the book are going to the GWT, helping them to support communities in Nepal.”

Actress Joanna Lumley, who spearheaded the Gurkha Justice Campaign, attended the recent London launch of the book.