Don’t Worry I Have the Fortune to be with Gurkhas - A history in 100 letters

March 1947, Northern India On a railway platform, groups of locals cluster around the few Europeans. But one man seems to be attracting a larger crowd than most. He is tall and very distinctive, his iconic Gurkha hat worn at the obligatory angle. He can sense the crowd’s fear in their hushed and hurried whispers. They are hoping, he realises, that his proximity might provide some security. His anger is simmering, he didn’t imagine he would leave India in this mess. But it seems the one thing that both the Indian Congress and the British government can agree upon is they would like him to leave quickly and without any ceremony. This man is John Twells. This is the story of the final years of British India, as told through 100 of his letters. His letters emphasise the principle of giving credit where credit is due, specifically to the multiethnic polyglot 14th Army in which he and “his beloved” Gurkhas served.