he Second World War while fighting with Japan. At the age of seventeen years, Ganju Lama joined the British Army. His real name was Gyamtso Shangderpa, but a clerk in the recruiting office wrote it down as Ganju, and the name stuck. After leaving the regimental centre in 1943, he joined the 1st Battalion, 7th Gurkha Rifles, in Burma, near Imphal. Ganju Lama was 19 years old then, and became a Rifleman in the 1st Battalion, 7th Gurkha Rifles of British India Army.

On 12 June 1944 at Ningthoukhong, Burma (now Myanmar), ‘B’ Company was attempting to stem the enemy’s advance when it came under heavy machine-gun and tank fire. Rifleman Ganju Lama, with complete disregard for his own safety, took his Projector Infantry Anti-Tank (PIAT) gun and, crawling forward, started raining fire on the enemy tanks from a distance of just 30 yards, knocking out two of the tanks. Despite a broken wrist and two other serious wounds to his right and left hands he then moved forward and engaged the tank crew who weretrying to escape. Not until he had accounted for all of them did he stop to have his wounds dressed.

A month before this, during operations on the Tiddim Road, Ganju Lama’s regiment surprised a party of Japanese and killed several of them. He was awarded the Military Medal for his part in the operation. Strangely on 3rd October 1944, almost a month later Ganju Lama was awarded the Victoria Cross. The award which requires three independent witnesses and the risk of death to be 90 to 100 per cent was eventually presented to him in Delhi by the Viceroy, Field Marshal Lord Wavell, in the presence of Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten, General Slim, and members of his own family.

He was promoted to Subedar Major (Chief Indian Officer in a company of Sepoys) and in 1965 was appointed ADC to the President of India. Ganju Lama was made an honorary captain in 1968. In retirement, Ganju Lama returned to Sikkim. His Victoria Cross is displayed at a museum in England along with other Gurkhas’ VCs.

A distinguished-looking, highly intelligent and very caring man, Captain Ganju Lama was a regular visitor to Britain. For the last nine years he was Vice-Chairman (Overseas) of the Victoria Cross and George Cross Association.

He died at the age of 75. In his later years, he was a successful farmer. With his death, only 25 living holders of the VC remain.

D B Rai