J. Craig Lawrence
Craig joined the British Army in 1984 and was commissioned into the 2nd King Edward VII’s Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles). After completing a degree in Engineering Science at Durham University, he flew to Hong Kong to join his Battalion on the border with China. He has spent the thirty odd years since then either serving with Gurkhas or filling a variety of appointments in various military headquarters, both in the UK and abroad. His overseas deployments have included tours in Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, the USA, Brunei, Nepal, South Africa, Germany, Belize and Canada. He has commanded Gurkhas on operations in the Balkans and the Ivory Coast. In 2013, he completed a sabbatical year at King’s College London, gaining a Master’s Degree in Conflict, Security and Development. He put this to good use the following year, spending 11 months in Afghanistan working in support of the 2014 Presidential Elections.
As a result of his military service, Craig was made a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2000 and Commander of the same order in 2013 (CBE). He is a Fellow of both the Royal Geographical Society and the Chartered Management Institute. He is also a Trustee of the Gurkha Welfare Trust, a charity which helps ex-Gurkhas and their families live out their lives with dignity. In addition to The Legacy, Craig has recently published a history of the Gurkhas commemorating 200 years of Gurkha service to the British Crown (1815 – 2015). Craig now lives in the south of England. In addition to writing, he plays the saxophone (badly) and enjoys adventure sports. His next novel – Reasonable Doubt – will be published early next year. Find out more about Craig and his books on his website.
website: www.craiglawrence.co