Former Gurkha soldiers who fought bravely for Britain in conflicts across the globe are preparing for a final battle.

But this time the battlefield will be the courtroom and the enemy is the British government they loyally served.

The ex-soldiers are fighting a decision last year by the UK government not to extend equal pension rights to all former Gurkhas.

While all service after July 1, 1997 is considered equal to that of their British counterparts, only one third of service prior to that date is included in pension calculations, leaving many former soldiers with long and unblemished service records comparatively out of pocket.

In addition, those who retired before 1997 — the date of the handover of Hong Kong to China and the government’s cut-off date when they say the Gurkhas became a “UK-based” force — are not included at all in the improved pension system.

A Gurkha rifleman who retired before 1997 with 15 years’ service gets just £90 a month — around a sixth of that of a British soldier of comparable experience.

Last week, Gurkhas from across the area came to Aldershot to discuss their forthcoming legal fight with the Ministry of Defence.

Around 100 former soldiers from across the area came to the open meeting at Princes Hall to hear representatives from the Farnborough-based ex-servicemen’s group, the British Gurkha Welfare Society, promise they were willing to carry on the fight.

Chhatra Rai, the group’s general secretary, said he was pleased with the outcome of the meeting.

“It was a great success,” he said. “There were around 30 to 40 non-members at the meeting who heard first-hand what is happening from our solicitor.

“He was telling him about the dangers and the possibilities of this and that. He was not just telling them what they wanted to hear but the facts of the case.”