Gurkha Memorial, London

The bronze figure standing before you on Horse Guards Avenue is the first memorial in the United Kingdom dedicated to the Gurkhas. Queen Elizabeth the Second unveiled this statue in December 1997, a date chosen to coincide with the transfer of the Brigade of Gurkhas headquarters and training center from Hong Kong to London. The sculptor, Philip Jackson, used a living model, Captain Khemkumar Limbu, to capture the lifelike posture of a soldier in World War I uniform, standing at ease with his signature kukri knife at his side. The plinth bears a famous tribute from Professor Sir Ralph Turner, a former officer in the Third Gurkha Rifles, who described these soldiers as the bravest of the brave and the most generous of the generous.