Former Gurkha lays poppy tribute at Himalayan mountain peak
The ex-soldier said he wanted to do something ‘very special’ to mark the centenary of the Armistice.
A former Gurkha soldier joined Armistice commemorations by planting a poppy tribute at the peak of a Himalayan mountain.
Nims Purja, 35, reached the peak of Ama Dablam in the eastern region of Nepal shortly before 11am on Sunday.
Mr Purja said he wanted to do something “very special” to mark the centenary of the Armistice.
“I feel very humble to be paying tribute to all those who gave their lives for our freedom today but I wanted to do something very special for this very special day marking the centenary of the end of the First World War,” he said.
Mr Purja was born in the Dhaulagiri region of Nepal and joined the Brigade of Gurkhas in 2003 before joining the Royal Marines.
Next year he is planning his biggest challenge yet when he tries to raise over £1 million for mindfulness charities.
He is aiming to climb all 14 of the 8,000 metre-plus Himalayan peaks in a single seven month season.
