Gurkha

The Anglo-Nepalese War was fought between the Gurkha

About 5,000 men entered British service in 1815, most of whom were not just Gorkhalis, but Kumaonis, Garhwalis and other Himalayan hill men. These groups, eventually lumped together under the term Gurkha, became the backbone of British Indian forces.^[citation needed]

As well as Ochterlony's Gurkha battalions, Fraser and

Twelve regiments from the Nepalese Army also took part in the relief of Lucknow^[18] under the command of Shri Teen (3) Maharaja Jung Bahadur Rana of Nepal and his older brother C-in-C Ranodip Singh Kunwar (Ranaudip Singh Bahadur Rana) (later to succeed Jung Bahadur and become Sri Teen Maharaja Ranodip Singh of Nepal).^{[citation needed]}

After the rebellion the 60th Rifles pressed for the Sirmoor Battalion to become a rifle regiment. This honour was granted in 1858 when the battalion was renamed the Sirmoor Rifle Regiment and awarded a third colour.^[19] In 1863, Queen Victoria presented the regiment with the Queen's Truncheon, as a replacement for the colours that rifle regiments do not usually have.^[20]

British Indian Army (c. 1857–1947)

From the end of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 until the start of

Between 1901 and 1906, the Gurkha regiments were renumbered from the 1st to the 10th and re-designated as the Gurkha Rifles. In this time the Brigade of Gurkhas, as the regiments came to be collectively known, was expanded to 20 battalions in the ten regiments.[23]

During World War I (1914–1918) more than 200,000 Gurkhas served in the British Army, suffering approximately 20,000 casualties and receiving almost 2,000 gallantry awards.^[24] The number of Gurkha battalions was increased to 33, and Gurkha units were placed at the disposal of the British high command by the Gurkha government for service on all fronts. Many Gurkha volunteers served in non-combatant roles, serving in units such as the Army Bearer Corps and the labour battalions.

A large number also served in combat in France, Turkey, Palestine, and Iraq.

Following the end of the war, the Gurkhas were returned to India, and during the inter-war years were largely kept away from the internal strife and urban conflicts of the sub-continent, instead being employed largely on the frontiers and in the hills where fiercely independent tribesmen were a constant source of trouble.[30]

As such, between the World Wars the Gurkha regiments fought in the

During this time the North-West Frontier was the scene of considerable political and civil unrest and troops stationed at Razmak, Bannu, and Wanna saw extensive action.[31]

During World War II (1939–1945) there were ten Gurkha regiments, with two battalions each, making a total of 20 pre-war battalions.^[32] Following the Dunkirk evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in 1940, the Nepalese government offered to increase recruitment to enlarge the number of Gurkha battalions in British service to 35.^[33] This would eventually rise to 43 battalions.

In order to achieve the increased number of battalions, third and fourth battalions were raised for all ten regiments, with fifth battalions also being raised for 1 GR, 2 GR and 9 GR.^[32] This expansion required ten training centers to be established for basic training and regimental records across India. In addition, five training battalions (14 GR, 29 GR, 38 GR, 56 GR and 710 GR) were raised, while other units (25 GR and 26 GR) were raised as garrison battalions for keeping the peace in India and defending rear areas.^[34] Large numbers of Gurkha men were also recruited for non-Gurkha units, and other specialized duties such as paratroops, signals, engineers and military police.

A total of 250,280

Gurkha ranks in the British Indian Army followed the same pattern as those used throughout the rest of the Indian Army at that time.[38] As in the British Army itself, there were three distinct levels: private soldiers, non-commissioned officers, and commissioned officers. Gurkha commissioned officers in Gurkha regiments held a "Viceroy's Commission", distinct from the King's or Queen's Commission that British officers serving with a Gurkha regiment held. Any Gurkha holding a commission was technically subordinate to any British officer, regardless of rank.^[39]

Rank equivalents in modern Indian and British Armies

Viceroy Commissioned Officers (VCOs) up to 1947 and Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs) from 1947:^[40]

• Subedar Major
  /no equivalent
• Subedar/no equivalent
• Naib Subedar
  )/no equivalent

Warrant officers

• Warrant Officer Class 1
• Warrant Officer Class 2

Non-commissioned officers

• Colour Sergeant
• Havildar/Sergeant
• Naik/Corporal
• Lance Corporal

Private soldiers

• Rifleman

Notes

• British Army officers received Queen's or King's Commissions, but Gurkha officers in this system received the Viceroy's Commission. After Indian independence in 1947, Gurkha officers in regiments which became part of the British Army received the King's (later Queen's) Gurkha Commission, and were known as King's/Queen's Gurkha Officers (KGO/QGO). Gurkha officers had no authority to command troops of British regiments. The QGO Commission was abolished in 2007.
• Jemadars and subedars normally served as platoon commanders and company 2ICs but were junior to all British officers, while the subedar major was the Commanding Officer's advisor on the men and their welfare. For a long time it was impossible for Gurkhas to progress further, except that an honorary lieutenancy or captaincy was (very rarely) bestowed upon a Gurkha on retirement.^[39]
• The equivalent ranks in the post-1947 Indian Army were (and are) known as Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs). They retained the traditional rank titles used in the British Indian Army: Jemadar (later Naib Subedar), Subedar and Subedar Major.
• While in principle any British subject may apply for a commission without having served in the ranks, Gurkhas cannot. It was customary for a Gurkha soldier to rise through the ranks and prove his ability before his regiment would consider offering him a commission.^[39]
• From the 1920s Gurkhas could also receive King's Indian Commissions, and later full King's or Queen's Commissions, which put them on a par with British officers. This was rare until after the Second World War.
• Gurkha officers commissioned from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and Short Service Officers regularly fill appointments up to the rank of major. At least two Gurkhas have been promoted to lieutenant colonel and there is theoretically now no bar to further progression.^[39]
• After 1948, the Brigade of Gurkhas (part of the British Army) was formed and adopted standard British Army rank structure and nomenclature, except for the three Viceroy Commission ranks between Warrant Officer 1 and Second Lieutenant (jemadar, subedar and subedar major) which remained, albeit with different rank titles Lieutenant (Queens Gurkha Officer), Captain (QGO) and Major (QGO). The QGO commission was abolished in 2007; Gurkha soldiers are currently commissioned as Late Entry Officers (as above).^[39]

Regiments of the Gurkha Rifles (c. 1815–1947)

• 1st King George V's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Malaun Regiment)
  (raised 1815, allocated to Indian Army at independence in 1947)
• 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles) (raised 1815, allocated to British Army in 1948)
• 3rd Queen Alexandra's Own Gurkha Rifles
  (raised 1815, allocated to Indian Army at independence in 1947)
• 4th Prince of Wales's Own Gurkha Rifles
  (raised 1857, allocated to Indian Army at independence in 1947)
• 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force)
  (raised 1858, allocated to Indian Army at independence in 1947)
• 6th Gurkha Rifles, renamed 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles
  in 1959 (raised 1817, allocated to British Army in 1948)
• 7th Gurkha Rifles, renamed 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles
  in 1959 (raised 1902, allocated to British Army in 1948)
• 8th Gurkha Rifles
  (raised 1824, allocated to Indian Army at independence in 1947)
• 9th Gurkha Rifles
  (raised 1817, allocated to Indian Army at independence in 1947)
• 10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles (raised 1890, allocated to British Army in 1948)
• 11 Gorkha Rifles
   – following independence in 1947)
• 25th Gurkha Rifles (1942–1946)
• 26th Gurkha Rifles (1943–1946)
• 29th Gurkha Rifles (1943–1946)
• Cuttack Legion
  , renamed 6th Gurkha Rifles in 1903)
• 16th (Sylhet) Local Battalion
  , renamed 8th Gurkha Rifles in 1903)

Second World War training battalions

• 14th Gurkha Rifles Training Battalion^[41]
• 29th Gurkha Rifles Training Battalion
• 38th Gurkha Rifles Training Battalion^[41]
• 56th Gurkha Rifles Training Battalion^[41]
• 710th Gurkha Rifles Training Battalion^[41]

Post-independence (1947–present)

Under the

To the disappointment of many of their British officers, the majority of Gurkhas given a choice between British or Indian Army service opted for the latter. The reason appears to have been the pragmatic one that the Gurkha regiments of the Indian Army would continue to serve in their existing roles in familiar territory and under terms and conditions that were well established.[44] The only substantial change was the substitution of Indian officers for British. By contrast, the four regiments selected for British service faced an uncertain future, initially in Malaya - a region where relatively few Gurkhas had previously served. The four regiments (or eight battalions) in British service were subsequently reduced to a single regiment of two battalions. The Indian units have been expanded beyond their pre-Independence establishment of 12 battalions.^[45]

The principal aim of the Tripartite Agreement was to ensure that Gurkhas serving under the Crown would be paid on the same scale as those serving in the new Indian Army.^[46] This was significantly lower than the standard British rates of pay. While the difference is made up through cost of living and location allowances during a Gurkha's actual period of service, the pension payable on his return to Nepal is much lower than would be the case for his British counterparts.^[47]

With the abolition of the Nepalese monarchy in 2008, the future recruitment of Gurkhas for British and Indian service was initially put into doubt. A spokesperson for the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) (later the "Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre)"), which was expected to play a major role in the new secular republic, stated that recruitment as mercenaries was degrading to the Nepalese people and would be banned.^[48] However, as of 2023, Gurkha recruitment for foreign service continues.

British Army Gurkhas

Four Gurkha regiments were transferred to the British Army on 1 January 1948:

• 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles)
• 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles
• 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles
• 10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles

They formed the Brigade of Gurkhas and were initially stationed in

• 43rd Independent Gurkha Infantry Brigade (Italy, circa 1943)
• 26th Gurkha Brigade (Hong Kong, 1948–1950)
• 17th Gurkha Division (Malaya, 1952–1970)
• 51st Infantry Brigade (Hong Kong disbanded 1976)
• 48th Gurkha Infantry Brigade (Hong Kong, 1957–1976; renamed Gurkha Field Force 1976–1997; returned to old title 1987 – c. 1992)

As of August 2021, the Brigade of Gurkhas in the British Army has the following units:

• 1st Battalion,
  The Royal Gurkha Rifles
  (1RGR)
• 2nd Battalion,
  The Royal Gurkha Rifles
  (2RGR)
• 3rd Battalion,
  The Royal Gurkha Rifles
  (3RGR)
• Gurkha Allied Rapid Reaction Corps Support Battalion^[a][50]
• Queen's Gurkha Signals which includes:
  • 250 Gurkha Signal Squadron, 30 Signal Regiment
  • 246 Gurkha Signal Squadron,
    2 Signal Regiment
  • 247 Gurkha Signal Squadron, 16 Signal Regiment
  • 248 Gurkha Signal Squadron, 22 Signal Regiment
  • 249 Gurkha Signal Squadron,
    3rd (UK) Division Signal Regiment
• 10 Queen's Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment RLC
• Queen's Gurkha Engineers, which includes:
  • 69th Gurkha Field Squadron, 36 Engineer Regiment
  • 70th Gurkha Field Squadron, 36 Engineer Regiment
• Gurkha Staff and Personnel Support Company
• Band of the Brigade of Gurkhas
• Gurkha Company (Sittang), Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
• Gurkha Wing (Mandalay), Infantry Battle School
• Gurkha Company (Tavoleto), Land Warfare Centre

The Brigade of Gurkhas also has its own chefs posted among the above-mentioned units. Gurkhas were among the troops who retook the

Upon independence in 1947, six of the original ten Gurkha regiments remained with the Indian Army.^[43] These regiments were:

• 1st King George V's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Malaun Regiment)
• 3rd Queen Alexandra's Own Gurkha Rifles
• 4th Prince of Wales's Own Gurkha Rifles
• 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force)
• 8th Gurkha Rifles
• 9th Gurkha Rifles

Additionally, a further regiment,

Since partition, the Gurkha regiments that were transferred to the Indian Army have established themselves as a permanent and vital part of the newly independent Indian Army. Indeed, while Britain has reduced its Gurkha contingent, India has continued to recruit Gorkhas of Nepal into Gorkha regiments in large numbers, as well as Indian Gorkhas.[45] In 2009 the Indian Army had a Gorkha contingent that numbered around 42,000 men in 46 battalions, spread across seven regiments.

Although their deployment is still governed by the 1947 Tripartite Agreement, in the post-1947 conflicts India has fought in, Gorkhas have served in almost all of them, including the wars with Pakistan in 1947, 1965, 1971 and 1999 and also against China in 1962.

The

The GC is a well trained, dedicated and disciplined body whose principal role is as riot police. In times of crisis it can be deployed as a reaction force. During the turbulent years before and after independence, the GC acquitted itself well on several occasions during outbreaks of civil disorder. The Gurkhas displayed the courage, self-restraint and professionalism for which they are famous and earned the respect of the society at large.^[57]

Brunei Gurkha Reserve Unit

The

The Special Frontier Force (SFF) is an Indian paramilitary organization consisting of Tibetan refugees, Nepali Gurkhas, and other ethnic groups from mountainous areas. The SFF is tasked with conducting covert actions against China in the event of another Sino-Indian war. The SFF was originally intended to exclusively consist of Tibetan refugees living in India, however, the SFF began recruiting Nepali Gurkhas and hill tribesmen in 1965 to make up for a declining recruitment rate among Tibetans. It is believed there are around 700 Gurkhas serving in the SFF.^[58]

Other

Victoria Cross recipients

There have been 26 Victoria Crosses (VC) awarded to soldiers of Gurkha regiments.^[59] The first was awarded in 1858 and the last in 1965.^[60] Thirteen of the recipients have been British officers serving with Gurkha regiments. Since 1915, the majority have been awarded to Gurkhas serving in the ranks as private soldiers or NCOs.^[24] Since Indian independence in 1947, Gurkhas serving in the Indian Army have been awarded three Param Vir Chakras, which are equivalent to the Victoria Cross.^[61]

Two George Cross (GC) medals have been awarded to Gurkha soldiers for acts of bravery.^[24] The George Cross (GC) is the highest award bestowed by the British government for non-operational gallantry or gallantry not in the presence of an enemy. In the UK honours system, the George Cross is equal in stature to the Victoria Cross. This has been the case since the introduction of the George Cross in 1940.^[62]

Treatment of Gurkhas in the United Kingdom

The treatment of Gurkhas and their families was the subject of controversy in the United Kingdom once it became widely known that Gurkhas received smaller pensions than their British counterparts.

Despite the changes, many Gurkhas who had not served long enough to entitle them to a pension faced hardship on their return to Nepal, and some critics derided the government's decision to only award the new pension and citizenship entitlement to those joining after 1 July 1997, claiming that this left many ex-Gurkha servicemen still facing a financially uncertain retirement. An advocacy group, Gurkha Justice Campaign,^[64] joined the debate in support of the Gurkhas.

In a landmark ruling on 30 September 2008, Mr Justice Blake in the High Court in London decided that the Home Secretary's policy allowing Gurkhas who left the Army before 1997 to apply for settlement in the United Kingdom was irrationally restrictive in its criteria, and overturned it. He upheld the claim of six Gurkha soldiers for the right to settle in Britain at the end of their service, reciting the Military Covenant and observing that granting them residence in Britain "would, in my judgment, be a vindication and an enhancement of this covenant".^[65] In response to the decision of the High Court, the Home Office said it would review all cases that were affected by it.^[66]

On 29 April 2009 a motion introduced by the Liberal Democrats that all Gurkhas be offered equal right of residence was passed in the House of Commons by 267 votes to 246. This was the only first-day motion defeat for a government since 1978. Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader, stated that "this is an immense victory ... for the rights of Gurkhas who have been waiting so long for justice, a victory for Parliament, a victory for decency." He added that it was "the kind of thing people want this country to do".^[67]

On 21 May 2009 Home Secretary Jacqui Smith announced that all Gurkha veterans who retired before 1997 with at least four years service would be allowed to settle in the UK. Actress Joanna Lumley, daughter of Gurkha corps Major James Lumley who had highlighted the treatment of the Gurkhas and campaigned for their rights, commented, "This is the welcome we have always longed to give".^[68]

A charity,

Gurkha Square in Fleet, Hampshire, which contains the Fleet war memorial, is named after the Gurkhas.^[71]

Settlement rights

A 2008 UK High Court decision on a test case in London, R. (on the application of Limbu) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2008] EWHC 2261 (Admin), acknowledged the "debt of honour" to Gurkhas discharged before 1997. The Home Secretary's policy allowing veterans to apply on a limited set of criteria (such as connection to the United Kingdom) was quashed as being unduly restrictive. The Court found that the Gurkhas had suffered a "historic injustice" and that the policy was irrational in failing to take into account factors such as length of service or particularly meritorious conduct.^[72]

See also

• Military of Nepal
• Sino-Gurkha War
• Anglo-Nepalese War
• The Gurkha Welfare Trust
• The Gurkha Museum
• History of Nepal
• Ethnic groups in Nepal
• Nepali language

Notes

1. ^ In August 2021, the battalion added the subtitle 'Gurkha'. Though the battalion has had Gurkhas for many years, it is now officially been subsumed into the Brigade of Gurkhas.

References

• Barthorp, Michael (2002). Afghan Wars and the North-West Frontier 1839–1947. Cassell.
  ISBN 0-304-36294-8
  .
• Chappell, Mike (1993). The Gurkhas. Vol. 49 of Elite series (illustrated ed.). Oxford: Osprey Publishing.
  ISBN 978-1-85532-357-5
  .
• Chauhan, Dr. Sumerendra Vir Singh (1996). The Way of Sacrifice: The Rajputs, pp. 28–30, Graduate Thesis, South Asian Studies Department, Dr. Joseph T. O'Connell, Professor Emeritus, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario Canada.
• Cross, J.P & Buddhiman Gurung (2002) Gurkhas at War: Eyewitness Accounts from World War II to Iraq. Greenhill Books.
  ISBN 978-1-85367-727-4
  .
• Ember, Carol & Ember, Melvin. (2003). Encyclopedia of Sex and Gender: Men and Women in the World's Cultures. Springer.
  ISBN 0-306-47770-X
  .
• Parker, John (2005). The Gurkhas: The Inside Story of the World's Most Feared Soldiers. Headline Book Publishing.
  ISBN 978-0-7553-1415-7
  .
• Poddar, Prem and Anmole Prasad (2009). Gorkhas Imagined: I.B. Rai in Translation. Mukti Prakashan.
  ISBN 978-81-909354-0-1
• Purushottam Sham Shere J B Rana (1998). Jung Bahadur Rana-The Story of His Rise and Glory.
  ISBN 81-7303-087-1
• Sengupta, Kim (9 March 2007). "The Battle for Parity: Victory for the Gurkhas". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 24 July 2009.
• Singh, Nagendra Kr (1997). Nepal: Refugee to Ruler: A Militant Race of Nepal. APH Publishing. p. 125.
  ISBN 978-8170248477
  . Retrieved 7 November 2012.
• Tod, James & Crooke, William (eds.) (1920). Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan. 3 Volumes. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Pvt. Ltd., Delhi. Reprinted 1994.

Further reading

• Austin, Ian and Thakur Nahar Singh Jasol. (eds.) The Mewar Encyclopedia.^[ISBN missing]
• Austin, Ian (1999). Mewar – The World's Longest Serving Dynasty. Roli Books, Delhi/The House of Mewar.
• BBC staff (2 June 2007). "Gurkha tells of citizenship joy". BBC News. Retrieved 31 May 2009.
• Davenport, Hugh (1975). The Trials and Triumphs of the Mewar Kingdom. Maharana Mewar Charitable Foundation, Udaipur.
• Farwell, Byron (1985). The Gurkhas. W.W. Norton & Co.
  ISBN 0-393-30714-X
• Goswami, C.G. and M.N. Mathur. Mewar and Udaipur. Himnashu Publications, Udaipur-New Delhi.^[ISBN missing]
• Griffiths, Neil. Gurkha Walking books: 'Hebridean Gurkha; 'Gurkha Highlander'; 'Gurkha Reiver'. Neil takes a Scottish cross-country walk with Gurkhas every year to raise funds for the Gurkha Welfare Trust.
• Latimer, Jon (2004). Burma: The Forgotten War, London: John Murray.
  ISBN 978-0-7195-6576-2
  .
• Masters, John (1956). Bugles and a Tiger – autobiography of the life and times of a British officer serving with a Gurkha regiment in India in the run up to World War II
• Pemble, John (2009). "Forgetting and Remembering Britain's Gurkha War". Asian Affairs. 40 (3): 361–376.
  S2CID 159606340
  . Contains a historiographical analysis of the Gurkha "legend".
• Seear, Mike (2002). With The Gurkhas in the Falklands.
  ISBN 978-0-9556237-0-7
• Tucci, Sandro (1985). Gurkhas. H. Hamilton.
  ISBN 0-241-11690-2
  .

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gurkha.

• "Gurkha" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 12 (11th ed.). 1911.
• Gurkha kukri Knife: The traditional lethal Gurkha weapon.
• About Gurkhas and Gurkha Knives
• Gurkha Museum
• The Tripartite Agreement (TPA) 1947, British Ministry of Defence
• Twenty-Six Victoria Crosses have been won by Gurkha Regiments
• Land of Gurkhas, a video footage from 1957
• British, Indian, France Army training