On the night of March 12th, Rifleman Gurung was manning the forward post of his platoon almost 100 yards ahead of the main company. A couple hours into his shift, 200 Japanese attacked the company position.
If the soldiers could have occupied Gurun's trench, they would have secured control over the whole field before them.The threw 3 grenades into the trench. Gurung successfully threw the first two out back towards the enemy but the third exploded in his hand, blowing off his fingers, shattering his right arm, and severely wounding him in the face, body, and right leg.
His two comrades were badly wounded and could no longer help him as they lay helpless on the ground. For four hours, Gurung remained alone at his post. He loaded and fired his rifle with his one good hand and kept a steady rate of fire.
The next morning 87 enemies were found dead in the company's immediate locality, and 31 of them lay in front of Gurung's section. Naturally, he was awarded a Victoria's cross for his bravery and strength.