Great Western Railway names train in honour of Gurkha soldier awarded the Victoria Cross

Pun’s son Arjun and daughter Megh Kumari were joined at London Paddington by guests including actress Joanna Lumley OBE, whose father Major James Rutherford Lumley was Pun’s Commanding Officer during the Second World War.

Pun was aged just 21 and serving as a Rifleman in the 3^rd Battalion of the 6^th Gurkha Rifles when his heroic deed at Mogaung, Burma, led to him receiving the highest honour for gallantry awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Having seen several members of his platoon killed during an attack on a railway bridge on June 23, 1944, Pun continued the charge alone, killing three enemy soldiers and forcing five more to flee.

He then gave accurate supporting fire, enabling the rest of his platoon to reach the bridge. Later rising to the rank of Honorary Lieutenant, Pun was awarded 10 other medals including the Burma Star.

GWR set out to mark last year’s 75^th anniversary of the end of World War Two by naming seven of its Intercity Express Trains after remarkable people involved in the conflict.

Highly-decorated spy Odette Hallowes, D-Day veteran Harry Billinge MBE and ‘Cockleshell Hero’ Cpl George Sheard were added to its list of #greatwesterners before the Covid-19 pandemic prevented any further ceremonies from taking place.

Last month the train operator resumed its tribute to Second World War heroes by honouring Wing Commander Ken Rees, a pilot who played a vital part in the ‘Great Escape’ from a German prisoner-of-war camp.

Now it has honoured Tulbahadur Pun VC, who passed away in 2011 but whose name will go down in folklore as one of only 13 Gurkhas to have received the Victoria Cross.

Absolutely Fabulous star Lumley became the public face of the campaign to provide all Gurkha veterans who served in the British Army before 1997 the right to settle in Britain.

Those serving after 1997 had already been granted permission but the UK Government had not extended the offer to all Gurkhas – a decision which was reversed thanks to a petition signed by 250,000 people and a march on Downing Street.

Joanna Lumley, who is Vice Patron of The Gurkha Welfare Trust, said:

“I shall never forget the moment I met Lachhiman Gurung and Tulbahadur Pun, who fought so bravely as Chindits with my father in Burma.

“I believe we all owe brave veterans like this an immense debt of gratitude – for going above and beyond the call of duty to protect our freedom. That is why The Gurkha Welfare Trust will always be a charity immensely close to my heart, allowing me, allowing us all, the chance to give something back, and to help these brave men and their widows live in the dignity they so richly deserve.”

Gurkha Welfare Trust CEO Al Howard said:

“The Gurkha Welfare Trust is honoured that Great Western Railway is naming one of its Intercity Express Trains after Tulbahadur Pun VC.

“Having served in the same regiment, I had the great honour of meeting him once. I am grateful that Great Western Railway is remembering Tul’s bravery with such a fitting tribute. We should never forget the sacrifices, loyalty and immense bravery the Gurkhas have given to protect our freedom for over 200 years.”

GWR Human Resources Director Ruth Busby said:

“We are honoured to be naming one of our Intercity Express Trains after Tulbahadur Pun VC, who displayed such commendable bravery in the Battle of Mogaung in 1944.

“We at Great Western Railway have a long history of naming trains after Great Westerners, the past and present heroes from across our network.

“It is right that we honour some of those heroes of the war effort, remembering the sacrifice, bravery and tenacity that later generations owe so much to.”

GWR has been working hard to welcome people back on to its services following the easement of lockdown restrictions.

This includes:

• A 24% increase in cleaning hours every week since March 2020
• Sanitising (fogging) of 1,120 vehicles every 4 weeks
• Carrying out 2,150 on board surface tests (ATP) every four weeks, to ensure the effectiveness of our cleaning
• 272 train cleaning processes reviewed, and many adapted
• Hand sanitising facilities at key stations across its network.

The train operator has also provided extra staff at key stations to offer help and guidance; and processes are in place to help customers maintain a safe distance where possible.

GWR is encouraging customers to continue to travel safely. People are reminded to:

• Wear a face covering
• Travel at quieter times where possible
• Wash your hands more regularly
• Buy tickets online, on a smart card or by using the GWR app

Notes to editors

GWR is commemorating seven remarkable individuals involved in the Second World War.

Last year it marked 75 years since VE Day by honouring Odette Hallowes, a French citizen who lived in London and on the Devon/Somerset border. Odette became a Special Operations Executive (SOE) and is the most highly-decorated spy of the war.

D-Day veteran Harry Billinge was honoured at an emotional ceremony at Penzance station in October. The 95-year-old from St Austell said having a train named after him would remind people of the fine men who fought on 6 June 1944, some of whom never returned home.

A week later the family of Cpl George Sheard were present as the ‘Cockleshell Hero’ was honoured at Plymouth station. Cpl Sheard was among a group of young Royal Marines who volunteered for hazardous service planting mines on enemy ships off southwestern France. He drowned in the daring mission, aged 27.

Last month Bomber Command pilot Ken Rees was honoured at Swansea station. Wing Commander Rees played a vital part in the ‘Great Escape’ from German prisoner-of-war camp Stalag Luft III, helping to dig the tunnel from which a daring escape was made in March 1944.

Two more Second World War heroes will have Intercity Express Trains named after them in the coming months:

• Wartime leader Sir Winston Churchill, widely considered one of the 20th century’s most influential figures
• Alan Turing from London, who led Hut 8 at the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park, responsible for the breaking of German ciphers

Great Western Railway (GWR) provides high speed, commuter, regional and branch line train services. We help over 100 million passengers reach their destinations every year - across South Wales, the West Country, the Cotswolds, and large parts of Southern England. 

We’re currently seeing the biggest investment in the network since Brunel so we can offer more trains, more seats, and shorter, more frequent journeys and continue the network’s heritage of helping connect more businesses to new and prosperous markets. Through a series of initiatives we aim to be a good neighbour to the communities we serve and are committed to making a positive social impact in those regions. Learn how we're Building a Greater West at GWR.com. GWR is a FirstGroup company.