I used to live in Fleet not far from the previous Gurka barracks. I have yet to meet a better group of people. Polite, gentle, funny when engaged, never rude or angry. If we could set them up with a role model status for the youth of today we would have a lot better society 20 years from now.
We used to have a couple of them as bouncers at our pub in Fleet when I was young (the oatsheaf on the cross roads) It was so funny to watch a 6 foot drunk grunting thug get taken out in 20 seconds by a short quiet polite off duty gurka on friday and saturday nights.
I do remember the first war book I read and it chilled me to the bone in many ways. The Kola Run - the UK-USSR Arctic convoys.
http://www.uboat.net/books/reviews.html/title/547 
