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THE BEGINNING - GURKHAS, NEPAL AND THE
EAST INDIA COMPANY
Robert Clive's decisive victory at the Battle of Plassey
in 1757 firmly established British supremacy in India
thereby opening the door for expansion of the Honourable
East India Company. Some 10 years after Plassey the
British started to come into contact with a unique and
vigorous power on the northern borders of its newly
won territories in Bengal and Bihar. This power was
the city-state of Gorkha led by its dynamic King Prithwi
Narayan Shah. Gorkha was a feudal hill village in what
is now western Nepal, the village from which the Gurkha
takes its name. Prithwi Narayan Shah and his successors
grew so powerful that they overran the whole of the
hill country from the Kashmir border in the west to
Bhutan in the east. Eventually, as a result of boundary
disputes and repeated raids by Gurkha columns into British
territory, the Governor General declared war on Nepal
in 1814. After two long and bloody campaigns a Peace
Treaty was signed at Sugauli in 1816.
'Keeping the Peace' in India under the British flag
began for Gurkha soldiers with the Pindaree War in 1817,
and the first battle honour gained by Gurkha troops
was at Bhurtpore in 1826. The two senior regiments distinguished
themselves in the hard fought battles of the 1st Sikh
War in 1846, and six regiments of the Nepalese Army
were offered to the East India Company for service in
the 2nd Sikh War of 1848. In the Indian Mutiny of 1857-1858
the 2nd Goorkhas showed striking proof of their loyalty
at Delhi where, together with the 60th Rifles (now part
of the Royal Green Jackets), they held Hindu Rao's house,
the key to the British position which was under continuous
fire from the mutineers for over three months. During
this period the 2nd Goorkhas suffered 327 casualties
(including 8 of their 9 British Officers) out of a total
strength of 490. Also during the mutiny, 12 Nepalese
Army Regiments, a force of 8,000 men under the personal
leadership of the Prime Minister of Nepal, took part
in the final relief of Lucknow.
THE FIRST WORLD WAR
At the outbreak of the First World War the whole of
the Nepalese Army was placed at the disposal of the
British Crown. Over 16,000 Nepalese Troops were subsequently
deployed on operations on the North West Frontier and
as Garrison Battalions in India to replace troops of
the British Indian Army who had gone to fight overseas.
THE SECOND WORLD WAR
In the Second World War there were
no fewer than 40 Gurkha Battalions in British Service,
as well as parachute, garrison and training units. In
all this total sum 112,000 men. Side by side with British
and Commonwealth troops Gurkhas fought in Syria, the
Western Desert, Italy and Greece, from North Malaya
to Singapore and from the Siamese Border back through
Burma to Imphal and then forward to Rangoon. BORNEO
- THE BRUNEI REVOLT AND 'CONFRONTATION' WITH INDONESIA
Gurkha troops (1st Battalion, 2nd KEO
Gurkha Rifles) were the first to be used again in an
operational role at the outbreak of the Brunei Revolt
in December 1962. The battalion was alerted at 11pm
on 7th December and the first company was air landed
in Brunei, 900 miles away, at 9am the following morning.
There followed four years on continuous operations against
units of the Indonesian Regular Army in Sabah and Sarawak
in which every unit of the Brigade of Gurkhas took part.
As they did in the Malayan Emergency, Gurkha units again
provided the bulk and the continuity of the British
Army's contribution to this campaign. It was in November
1965 that Lance Corporal Rambahadur Limbu of the 2nd
Battalion, 10th PMO Gurkha Rifles won the Victoria Cross.
When the Borneo campaign ended in 1966 there was a short
lull before the Brigade found itself engaged in internal
security tasks in Hong Kong during civil disturbances
resulting from China's Cultural Revolution.
RIVER PATROL DURING THE BORNEO CONFRONTATION
Between 1967 and 1972, as a result of changing defence
commitments and the reorganisation of the Armed Forces,
the strength of the Brigade of Gurkhas was reduced from
14,000 to about 8,000. This was achieved by a reduction
of the number of Gurkha infantry battalions from eight
to five, reductions in the strength of the three corps
units ( Engineers, Signals and Transport) and the disbandment
of the Gurkha Parachute Company and the Gurkha Military
Police. When British Forces withdrew from Singapore
in 1971 three battalions of Gurkha infantry and the
Gurkha Engineers, Gurkha Signals and Gurkha Transport
Regiment were stationed in Hong Kong and the remaining
two battalions stationed one in the United Kingdom (at
Church Crookham) and the other in Brunei. In 1974 the
battalion based in England (10th PMO Gurkha Rifles)
deployed to Cyprus to reinforce the British Sovereign
Base Area when Turkey invaded the island. Since 1978
the United Kingdom based Gurkha battalion has taken
its turn in helping to garrison Belize and in 1982 the
1st Batalion 7th DEO Gurkha Rifles took part in the
Falkland Islands Campaign. In the Gulf War to liberate
Kuwait in 1990/1991, the then Gurkha Transport Regiment
provided 28(Ambulance) Squadron and the Band of The
Brigade of Gurkhas deployed as stretcher bearers.
RECENT OPERATIONS
The Brigade continues to play a full and active part
in contemporary British military operations. The 1st
Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles were at the forefront
of the NATO Peace Support Operations in Kosovo in 1999,
whilst in the same year, the 2nd Battalion played a
key role in the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission
in East Timor. All units of the Brigade have contributed
to United Nations and NATO Peace Support Operations
in the Balkans over the last decade. The Royal Gurkha
Rifles have also been directly committed to British
Operations in Sierra Leone, most notably the 2nd Battalion
The Royal Gurkha Rifles and 2 PARA Gurkha Reinforcement
Company. The 2nd Battalion deployed to Bosnia for six
months in late 2001.
GURKAS DE-PLANING
IN BOSNIA
In the two World Wars the Gurkha Brigade suffered 43,000
casualties, and to date it has won 26 Victoria Crosses
- 13 by Gurkhas and 13 by British Officers. This short
chronicle is of necessity brief and factual. It cannot
adequately portray the spirit and the character of the
Gurkha soldier, nor can it reflect the 'esprit de corps'
and the bond of comradeship and mutual respect which
bind together the British and Gurkha Officers and men
of the Brigade.
Gurkhas receive
operational medals
Against a jungle backdrop and in the heat of Brunei's
rising sun, 600 soldiers of the 1st Battalion The Royal
Gurkha Rifles celebrated their recent return from Afghanistan
with a medals parade.
General Sir David Richards, Colonel Commandant
of the Brigade of Gurkhas and Commander in Chief of
UK Land Forces took the parade salute.
Other guests included the Commander of the Royal Bruneian
Land Force, Colonel Hayes as Colonel Brigade of Gurkhas,
and the British High Commissioner in Brunei, John Saville.
The parents of Major Alexis Roberts, killed in action
whilst with the Battalion in Afghanistan, were also
present.
Watched by their families and friends the Commanding
Officer of the 1st Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Jonny
Bourne, began the parade with a memorial service for
Major Roberts before General Richards was invited to
present medals to the Battalion.
"This parade effectively marks the successful conclusion
of the Battalion's recent involvement in operations
in Afghanistan," said Lieutenant Colonel Jonny
Bourne. "I am very proud of my men. They have performed
with the utmost professionalism and determination to
complete a very successful tour."
General Sir David Richards presents the medals; Crown
copyrght.
Addressing the troops on parade, General
Richards thanked the Battalion for their endeavours
and ability to take the fight to the Taliban. However,
he remarked that what made the deployment so successful
was the unique ability of the Gurkha soldier to connect
to the local people of Afghanistan and win their confidence.
Speaking to the families General Richards thanked them
for their support and said that he understood the strain
they were under while their loved ones were deployed.
During the deployment the Gurkhas operated across the
whole of the south of the country alongside a variety
of coalition partners. However, it was alongside the
Canadians that the Gurkhas had some of their hardest
fighting.
This was recognised by the award of the Mention Élogieuse
Commendation by the Canadian Chief of Defence Staff
for "outstanding élan and extemporary combat
skills". It is only the fourth time the award has
been presented to a non-Canadian unit. The award includes
a commemorative flag, which was proudly flown above
the parade.
"It was a long, hard tour but I am very happy to
have my family watching me get my medal from the General.
I think we did a good job and it is nice to be recognised,"
said Lance Corporal Dilendra, from Headquarter Company.
Following the parade, the celebrations continued with
an evening of Nepali entertainment sponsored by the
British Forces Foundation.
Gurkha Battalion joins ANA and ISAF
effort in Upper Gereshk Valley
Soldiers from the 1st, 2nd Battalion The Royal Gurkha
Rifles and other Gurkha units are currently taking part
in a Task Force offensive involving 2,500 troops in
decisive operations in Helmand Province, their first
major operation since their arrival in Afghanistan earlier
this month.
In this offensive, codenamed 'Palk Wahel' or 'Sledgehammer
Hit', the Gurkhas, alongside other British Forces from
the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and
the Afghan National Security Forces, are driving the
Taliban from key areas in the Upper Gereshk Valley.
Normally based in Serai, Brunei and elsewhere in UK
the Gurkhas form part of ISAF's Regional Command (South)
Battlegroup and are serving in Afghanistan on a six
month operational tour. This is the first time the Gurkhas
have deployed from Brunei as a formed Battalion, although
the unit has been involved in operations elsewhere to
varying levels, including Iraq, Sierra Leone and the
Balkans.
The Gurkhas, who have a reputation as fearsome warriors,
are ideally suited to the operating environment in Afghanistan
which in some ways is similar to the mountains and plains
of Nepal. In addition, their experience of operating
in the Bruneian jungle meant that the soldiers arriving
in Afghanistan were able to acclimatise quickly and
prepare themselves for the tasks ahead.
Lieutenant Colonel Jonny Bourne, Commanding Officer
1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles, said:
"We are really pleased to be conducting our
first operation so soon after our arrival in theatre.
Operation Palk Wahel is protecting areas within Helmand
Province where gains have previously been made against
the Taliban and pushing them further out. We have been
given the task of clearing down into the Upper Gereshk
Valley from the north east.
