TRIBUTES have been paid to Hounslow's VC hero Tul Bahadur Pun, who died last Wednesday (April 20) in his native Nepal.

Mr Pun, who was awarded the Victoria Cross for the incredible bravery he displayed in Burma during the Second World War, had lived in Hounslow since 2007 and had recently moved to Chiswick War Memorial Homes.

He died aged 88 in Banduk village, in west Nepal, where he was born on March 23, 1923, after returning for the opening of a school.

Dharma Tamang, a committee member of the Gurkha Army Ex-Servicemen's Association (GAESO) and close friend of Mr Pun, said he had died peacefully surrounded by his family.

"This is very sad news for the Gurkha community, which has lost a very great person. He fought not only for this country but also for the right of his fellow Gurkhas to live here," he told the Chronicle. "Before he left for Nepal he told me 'maybe it's the time to die'. I told him 'don't say that' but sadly that's what happened. I spoke to his son who said Mr Pun had passed away peacefully at 11pm, just five hours after sitting down to dinner with the family."

Mr Pun is the second of Hounslow's two VCs to die in the space of less than five months, following the death of Lachhiman Gurung last December.

He was a 21-year-old Rifleman in the 3rd Battalion, 6th Gurkha Rifles in Burma when, on June 23, 1944, a section of one of the platoons was wiped out with the exception of himself and two fellow soldiers.

The trio led a charge against the enemy and when the other two men fell Mr Pun continued alone in the face of fierce fire, seeing off eight enemy soldiers to capture the crucial position.

Among the many men saved by his incredible actions, which earned him the Victoria Cross, was Major James Lumley - father of Absolutely Fabulous actress Joanna Lumley.

The TV star would later team up with Mr Pun as part of the successful campaign for Gurkha ex-servicemen to be allowed to settle in the UK, during which the duo developed a close bond. As well as the VC, the highest military honour available, Mr Pun was awarded 10 other medals, including the Burma Star.

After the war, Mr Pun remained in the Army until May 1959, seeing action in Malaya and Hong Kong, before retiring in May 1959.

He returned home to work as a farmer and helped open two primary schools in the area before eventually coming to Hounslow, where he received much-needed medical treatment.

In November 2009, he was granted Freedom of the Borough by Hounslow Council.

A council spokesman said: "On behalf of the council and the residents of the London Borough of Hounslow, we would like to express our deepest sympathies to all of Mr Pun's family and friends. Mr Pun was a distinguished resident of the borough and served this country with honour, being awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces."

He is survived by his second wife, Punisara, and by his two sons and eight daughters. His funeral took place last Friday (April 22) but Hounslow's Gurkha community is in discussions with the council about organising a memorial event in the borough.