Gurkhas

Gurkha (or Gorkha) are a people from Nepal who take their name from that of the ruling dynasty. They are most famous as foreign soldiers serving the British Army.

Sir Ralph Turner (former officer in the 3rd Gurkha Rifles).
Carved on the London memorial to Britain's Gurkha soldier unveiled by Queen Elizabeth II on December 3, 1997

Gurkhas claim descent from the Rajputs of Northern India who entered modern-day Nepal from the west. In the early 1500s they conquered the small state of Gorkha and adopted its name. By 1769, the Gorkha dynasty had taken over the area of modern Nepal. They made Hinduism the state religion.

In the Gurkha War (1814-1816) they waged war with the British East India Company army. The British were impressed by the Gurkha soldiers and began to regularly hire them as mercenaries into Gurkha regiments in the East India Company army.

Under international law British Gurkhas are not mercenaries. They are fully integrated soldiers of the British Army, operate in formed units of the Brigade of Gurkhas and abide by the rules and regulations under which all British soldiers serve. Similar rules apply for Gurkhas serving in Indian Army.

East India Company army

Gurkhas served as troops of the East India Company in the Pindaree War of 1817, in Bhurtbore in 1826 and the First and Second Sikh Wars in 1846 and 1848. During the Indian Mutiny in 1857, Gurkhas fought on the British side, and became part of the British Indian Army on its formation. The 2nd Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles) defended Hindu Rao's house for over three months, losing 327 out of 490 men. 12 Nepalese regiments also took part in the relief of Lucknow.

British Indian Army

From the end of the Indian Mutiny until the start of the First World War the Gurkha Regiments saw active service in Burma, Afghanistan, the North-East and the North-West Frontiers of India, Malta (the Russo-Turkish War, 1877-78), Cyprus, Malaya, China (the Boxer Rebellion of 1900) and Tibet (Younghusband's Expedition of 1903).

Between 1901 and 1906, the Gurkha regiments were renumbered from the 1st to the 10th and redesignated as Gurkha Rifles. 100,000 Gurkhas fought in the First World War. They served in the battlefields of France in the Loos, Givenchy, Neuve Chapelle and Ypres; in Mesopotamia, Persia, Suez Canal and Palestine against Turkish advance, Gallipoli and Salonika. One detachment served with Lawrence of Arabia.

During the Battle of Loos the 8th Gurkhas fought to the last, and in the words of the Indian Corps Commander, "found its Valhalla". During the Gallipoli Campaign the 6th Gurkhas captured a feature later known as "Gurkha Bluff". At Sari Bair they were the only troops in the whole campaign to reach and hold the crest line and look down on the Straits which was the ultimate objective. 2nd battalion of 3rd Gurkha Rifles was involved in the conquest of Baghdad.

In the interwar years, Gurkhas fought in the Third Afghan War in 1919 followed by numerous campaigns on the North-West Frontier, particularly in Waziristan.

During World War Two, the Nepalese crown let the British recruit 20 extra battalions – 40 in total – and let them serve everywhere in the world. In addition to keeping peace in India, Gurkhas fought in Syria, North Africa, Italy, Greece and against the Japanese in Singapore and in the jungles of Burma. 10 Gurkha Rifles became a nucleus for the Chindits. They fought in the Battle of Imphal.

Post independence

After Indian independence – and partition – in 1947 and under the Tripartite agreement, six Gurkha regiments joined the post-independence India Army. Four Gurkha regiments joined the British Army

British Army Brigade of Gurkhas

Four Gurkha regiments which joined the British Army on January 1 1948 were the 2nd, 6th, 7th, and 10th. They formed the Brigade of Gurkhas and were initally stationed in Malaya. See the Brigade of Gurkhas for details of British Gurkha activities since 1948.

Indian Army Gorkhas

During Indian independence in 1947, the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th, and 11th Regiments, became part of the Indian Army. The Indian Army uses 'Gorkha' as the official spelling.

The 1st Battalion of the 11th Gorkha Regiment fought in the 1999 Kargil conflict for India. In 1999 5/8 Gorkha Rifles were sent as part of the Indian Army UN contingent to Sierra Leone to secure the diamond fields against the Revolutionary United Front.

Other

Gurkha soldiers have won 13 Victoria Crosses, although all but one (Rambahadur Limbu) were won when all Gurkha regiments were still part of the Indian Army. An additional 13 VCs have been awarded to British Officers in Gurkha regiments.

Genetically Gurkhas are Tibeto-mongolians. They speak a Rajasthani dialect. They are also famous for their large knife called the kukri.

In the mid 1980s some Nepali speaking groups in West Bengal began to organize their own Gurkha state. In 1988 they were given broader autonomy.

The treatment of Gurkhas and their families has been the subject of controversy in the United Kingdom following revelations that Gurkhas receive smaller pensions than their British equivalents.

The nationality status of Gurkhas and their families has also been in dispute, with claims that some ex-army Nepalese families are being denied residency and forced to leave Britain.

See also: History of Nepal