Books published by Leonaur Ltd

The hill men with kukris at war in Afghanistan, 1841The Ghurkhas-the irrepressible warriors from Nepal-were, soon after their own war with the British, incorporated as a vital component part with the HEIC army in India. So it was that the 4th Ghoorkas were made part of Shah Shuja's force during the disastrous First Afghan War. The Nepalese soldiers were commanded by British officers and among them were the authors of both accounts in this special value Leonaur two books in one edition. The first piece is an account of a very typical Afghan War action with events that resonate to the present day. The author and his resolute contingent were surrounded and outnumbered by hostile Afghan forces and had to fight a running battle through fields, ditches, villages and walled gardens until they were forced to defend their own tenuously positioned base set in hostile countryside not far from Kabul. Within the city the situation also daily plummeted towards the catastrophe that would mean the retreat and total ruin of the army under Elphinstone. With mounting casualties at Char-ee-kar and the most gallant defence all but exhausted the survivors attempted a breakout. This vital account is demonstrative of the war in Afghanistan and the fighting qualities of Ghurkha troops that have made them so highly regarded by comrades and the nation .The second book enables the reader to understand the background and structure of Ghurkha society and perhaps what makes them the world renowned soldiers they are today. Available in soft cover and hard back with dust jacket.

A Scottish sergeant tells his story of the Indian MutinyThose interested in military history need no special prompting to appreciate memoirs of military life told by ordinary soldiers who have been at the sharp end of war. This book by a Scottish soldier of the 93rd, the Sutherland Highlanders concerns his experiences with his famous regiment during the bloody days of the Indian Mutiny in 1857. The 93rd had seen service in the Crimea when it was detailed to serve in China but found itself ashore in Calcutta on the sub-continent and on its way up country to Cawnpore-scene of the infamous massacre. Much of the authors narrative concerns the hard soldiering the British infantry knew as it battled to Lucknow and after fierce fighting assisted in effecting its relief. This excellent book takes the reader into the heart of Victorian-era warfare in company with the author and his Scottish comrades as the campaign reaches its climax with the defeat of rebel forces in Oude in 1859. Available in softcover and hardback with dust jacket.