He stood on top of the world, a soldier, Gurkha, SBS operator: QGE pays tribute to Nims

The life of British-Nepali mountaineer and veteran Nirmal "Nims" Purja has been celebrated by the regiment he joined on passing out at Catterick, the Queen's Gurkha Engineers.

The 43-year-old, who was killed alongside nine other climbers in an avalanche in Pakistan, ended his career with the Special Boat Service.

But the memorial service at Invicta Park Barracks in Maidstone, the home of 36 Engineer Regiment of which QGE is a part, remembered where it all began.

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A fearless mountaineer

"We come together, not just to mourn our loss, but to celebrate a life that redefines what it means to be human," Captain Suman Ghale, who served alongside him, told the gathered families, friends and supporters.

"Nirmal Purja MBE, known worldwide as Nimsdai, was for me and Intake 2003 a humble nambari [meaning they both joined the Army at the same time] with a cheeky sense of humour.

"He was the fearless mountaineer.

"He stood on top of the world – a soldier, a Gurkha, a Special Boat Service operator who looked at the highest peaks on Earth and showed us that with discipline, heart and determination, nothing is impossible."

Despite Nims' record-breaking mountaineering feats and his time in Special Forces, Capt Ghale said Nims never forget his Nepalese roots.

"He remained immensely proud of being a Gurkha and lived like the timeless ethos of a Gurkha." he said.

"Kathar, hunu bhanda, mornu ramru – or better to die than to be a coward.

"These were not merely words – they were the essence of the man."

Mourning a legend

"Today, the mountaineering community, the military family, Nepal and countless admirers around the world mourn the loss of Nirmal Purja MBE," Capt Ghale continued.

"A visionary, a pioneer, one of the greatest mountaineers of our generation, Nimsdai was tragically taken by an avalanche while leading an expedition on Pakistan's Broad Peak.

"Though his journey here has ended, his spirit and legacy remains with us.

"As we say goodbye, we remember not just an extraordinary mountaineer, but an extraordinary human being – above all, a legend.

"As the saying goes on, some birds are not meant to be caged, the feathers are just too bright.

"Rest in peace Nimsdai, among the mountains you love so deeply."