The Nepalese Gurkhas have been serving under the British since 1815. They have partaken in every war that Britain has been involved in from the Pindarr War to WWII. The Gurkhas are considered by many to be one of the Worlds finest armed units. The Gurkha corps are definitely the most elite fighting force in the British Army and they have consistently proved their worth in every battle they have fought, whether it was a victory or defeat. The common Gurkha has a diamond-hard will, and indomitable fighting spirit that clearly distinguishes him from his peers. For the Gurkha is no common soldier.
He is a warrior to the core, and a not a man to be taken lightly. The term Gurkha was derived from the Kingdom of Gorkha and was given to it’s soldiers. The were already an established martial race but their fighting worth became wider known after they launched a successful invasion of Tibet, though greatly outnumbered (Nepal and Bhutan: Country Studies 199). Their fighting merit was plainly seen in Britains first interaction with the Gurkhas. The boundary between Nepal and the British and East India Company had been ill-defined, and the Gurkhas were using the confusion for their own purposes (Nepal 200).
Finally, on May 24, 1814, they attacked three police posts in the Butwai district, killing a score of Indian policemen as well as an Englishman (Brief Historical Background of the Gurkhas 1). In November, war was declared. A force of 20,000 soldiers was divided into four groups and sent in to invade Nepal. The Gurkhas gathered their forces to make a stand at fort Kalunga. When the British arrived they immediately laid siege to the fort. Though the Gurkhas were greatly out numbered, they held out for some time. As the siege dragged on, all agreed that the Gurkhas were a brave force.
As the foot soldier John Ship wrote in his memoirs: I never saw more steadiness or bravery exhibited in my life. Run they would not and of death they seemed to have no fear, though their comrades were falling thick around them, for we were so near that every shot told… (Brief History of the Gurkhas 1). Though the British were the victors the casualties were very high. They suffered the loss of 31 officers and 750 other ranks, while the Gurkhas had casualties closer to 520 total (Farwell 31). This pricey triumph set the British back and the campaign was called off.
It was resumed in 1815, but it also failed, though this time it was more do to poor organization, and incompetent leaders (Masters 48). It was April 24 of the same year that the 1st Gurkha Battalion was formed. This duty was given to Lieutenant Frederick Young who recruited his 3,000 plus soldiers from POW camps (Farwell 32). The third campaign began in 1816. A force of 17,000 was mustered and under new leadership, they soon made short work of the Gurkhas. When the Gurkhas surrendered at Malaun, the were held in such high esteem by their adversaries, that they were permitted to keep their colors flying and all personal property (Farwell 34).
In those days this was very rare. A treaty was signed March 4 of that year, one of the main articles of this treaty stated that no one would be permitted to use the Gurkhas as mercenaries with out the permission of Britain, such was the extent of the respect the British felt for their fearsome adversaries that they certainly did not want to face these men in battle another time. It was shortly after this that Young formed the Sirmoor Battalion which later became the 2nd King Edward VII’s Own Gurkha Rifles, a battalion which still exists today.
The British were so eager for more of these great fighters that they soon formed two other battalions, the Nasiri Battalions, which were later amalgamated into the 1st Gurkha Rifles (Morhiyo Gurkahli 2). The Sirmoor Battalion had already seen action by 1825, but it was at the siege of Bhurtpore in 1825-26 that the Gurkhas won their first honor. It was at this siege that the Gurkhas proved their worth and became noted as a fearsome part of the British Army (Farwell 34). It was around this time that the Gurkhas were being used to chase bandits, a very arduous job indeed.
There was a fierce army of some 800 bandits, led by the outlaw brothers Kuluna and Bhoora (Nepal and Bhutan: Country Studies 223). This group had captured the fort a Koonja and were using it as a focal point for their binge of plundering and killing in the nearby settlements. Captain Frederick Young was sent out with 200 contingents of the Sirmoor battalion, which was later joined by 150 more, to put an end to these trouble makers. Traveling 36 miles in twelve hours, the Gurkhas reached Koonja. Upon seeing the soldiers, the bandits fled to the safety of the fort.
A tree was quickly cut down and used as a battering ram. The doors were soon smashed open. The ensuing battle was brief and the final score tallied up to 153 dead and 30 wounded and captured bandits, and 5 dead, 33 wounded Gurkhas (Farwell 37). The brothers had been killed by Gurkhas during the battle. Captain Young thought it was worthy to note that no Gurkhas touched any of the women. These fighters know had the reputations of fighters as well as gentlemen (Masters 106). The Sikh War of 1845-1846 was the next opportunity for the Gurkhas to show their military prowess.
The Khalsa army of the Sikhs had invaded India. In the subsequent war there were for major battles, two of which the Gurkhas participated in. These were the battles of Aliwal and Sobraon. At Sobraon the Gurkhas were unchallenged by anyone. In this battle four Indian Orders of Merit were won by Gurkha troopers (Farwell 39). As was noted by General Gough in his report: I must pause in this narrative especially to notice the determined hardihood and bravery with which our two battalions of Gurkhas, the Sirmoor and Nasiri, met the Sikh whenever they were opposed to them.
Soldiers of small stature and indomitable spirit,they vied in ardent courage in the charge with the Grenadiers, of our own nations, and, armed with the short weapon of their mountains, were a terror to the Sikhs throughout the great combat (Farwell 39). In 1857 India was divided into three parts, each with it own army. May 14 of that year, news was brought that the army of Bengal, one of the three parts, had revolted. In the area of the mutiny there were some 55,00 Indian soldiers and only 5,000 Europeans (Farwell 40). The Europeans had been standing their ground until they heard false rumors that the Nasiri battalion had revolted.
At this news they fled, such was the respect the Gurkhas commanded. However, three days after news of the revolt arrived Major Charles Reid set out with this very same battalion to put an end to the rebellion. The loyalty of the Gurkha troops was clearly displayed on this march to Bengal. For the vast majority of the Gurkhas were and still are Hindus. In the Hindu religion there is a cast called Brahmans, these are the priests, advisors etc. However, if a member of this caste was found to be a mutineer the Gurkhas did not hesitate to kill him, thereby putting their duty to their country before themselves (Farwell 42).
June 8th, 1857, outside Delhi where the rebels had set up their stronghold, the soldiers made short work of a group of mutineers and captured their position. From here they laid siege to the city. There were 26 attacks between June 8th and September 14 that the Gurkhas beat off. During one of these attacks, the Gurkhas killed approximately 300 mutineers with a loss of only 15 (Farwell 46). The mutineers often tried to lure the Gurkhas to their side. They promised not to fire if they would join them. The Gurkhas would take advantage of the temporary cease fire to advance, then fire off a volley and charge (Morhiyo Gurkahli 2).
Finally the British burst forth with all strength and knocked down the gates. By September the 20th the entire city was in British hands. After this victory Britain showed her gratitude by giving the Gurkhas the battle honor Delhi and officially styling them “Riflemen,” rather then the common term “sepoy” (Farwell 51). The Gurkhas also took part in the 2nd Afghanistan War of 1878-80 (Nepal 201). It was here that there reputation was again enhanced and they won no less the five battle honors (Masters 106). The 20th century brought with it a whole new war and the Gurkhas were not about to be left out, in all over 200,000 Gurkhas joined.
On October 29th , 1914, the first Gurkhas, the 2/8th, arrived on the western front and went into the trenches near Festubert. Before they had even settled in they were attacked by the Germans, an offensive maneuver that they barely managed to beat off. This was a new kind of warfare for them and the other battalions fared not much better during the first few months of the war. Still, they were not long in distinguishing themselves despite all their disadvantages. In December of 1914 (Farwell 90) scouts from the 1/4th went out to cut the enemies’ wire.
There were only four survivors and two of them were awarded the Indian Order of Merit. Great heroism was exhibited by rifleman Gane Gurung of the 2/3rd. He noticed heavy enemy fire coming from a battered farmhouse in Neuve Chapelle. He made a one-man attack and captured 8 German prisoners. For his gallant effort he was awarded the Indian Order of Merit (Farwell 93) Soon winter was over and the summer was spent recuperating by both sides. Then in September came the Battle of Loos. The British blew a huge mine under the German trenches and laid down heavy bombardments.
Under the cover of smoke shells, the Meerut Division including the 2/8th and 2/3rd were sent out to lead the attack. However, the noise and confusion had not been enough to phase the Germans so when they emerged they were all shot down. A party of 38 Gurkhas managed to sneak through the lines. Rifleman Kulbir Thapo was among them but he became separated from the group. Alone and wounded in the midst of the enemy, he stumbled upon a badly wounded soldier of the Leicestershire regiment. Thapa made him as comfortable as possible and stayed with him through the whole night.
In the early morning under the cover of a thick mist he put the man across his back and carried him back to the Allied lines. Through barbed wire and close discovery he made his way. He passed two badly wounded Gurkhas who he was unable to help. Thapo dropped the man off in a shell hole and went back for the Gurkhas who he brought back to the Allied lines. He immediately went back for the Leicestershire soldier. By this time the mist had risen and his last trip was made under heavy fire. For Kulbir’s brave, courageous actions he was awarded the Victoria Cross, the equivalent of the United States’ Medal of Honor.
He was the first Gurkha to accomplish this feat (Morhiyo Gurkahli). After 13 months in France the Gurkhas withdrew, having accumulated 21,000 casualties and eight Victoria Crosses. Though they had nothing to be ashamed of most historians agree that it was a mistake to send them (Farwell 94). They were poorly equipped and not prepared for fighting in cold, wet France. They had only two machine guns per battalion, no mortars and only cheap grenades. The Gurkhas had lived in a dry and often hot climate all their lives. The defeats they suffered can not be blamed on them.
The decision to use the Gurkhas elsewhere was wise for they are not a unit to waste in a habitat where they could not survive. In 1915 plans had been made to knock Turkey out of the war, beginning with an attack on the Gallipoli Peninsula. Ian Hamilton was to lead the land forces. On March 25th, 1915, he wrote to the Secretary of State for War with a request: I am very anxious, if possible, to get a brigade of Gurkhas, so as to complete the New Zealand Divisional Organization with a type of man who will, I am most certain, be most valuable on the Gallipoli Peninsula.
The scrubby hillsides on the south-west faces of the plateau are just the sort of terrain where these little fellows are their brilliant best…each little “Gurk” might be worth his full weight in gold at Gallipoli (Farwell 96). Hamilton was not given all he asked for, but he was given a hastily whipped together brigade which was to be made up of the 29th,1/5th,1/6th and 2/10th. Their first major operation was on May 12th. There was a 300ft bluff to the west of the beachhead that was bristling with Turkish machine guns. Two previous attempts to oust them by other regiments had failed.
The 1/6th was given the task and the bluff is taken and has since been renamed Gurkha Bluff. So they succeeded where two of Britains finest outfits, the Dublin Fusiliers and the Royal Marines, had failed. Their casualties where a mere 18 killed and 42 wounded (Masters 146). For the next several weeks the Turks launched a series of determined attacks to dislodge the invaders. It was during on of these attacks that Naik Dhan Sing Gurun was captured. He was being marched away when he bolted and threw himself over a cliff. He survived but was captured on the beach below.
Naik again managed to escape, this time by diving into the sea. He made his way out to sea and then followed the coastline until he reached the British lines (Farwell 123). This display of courage is typical of the Gurkhas. After a serious defeat the battalions where given some time to recuperate, but already there was a plan to capture the highest point on the island, the ridge Sari Bair. A huge attack was launched during the night of August 7th and it included the Gurkhas and other British troops. The only group to reach the top of the ridge and drive back the Turks was a small group of the 1/5th and 1/6th.
However, the reinforcements that were expected never arrived and they were driven back (Farwell 130). This was the last chance for Gallipoli and the campaign was called off (Nepal and Bhutan: Country Studies). Still the only unit that managed even a small victory over the Turks were the Gurkhas. There were also Gurkhas stationed in Mesopotamia. While they where residing there it was decided that they were to press on to Baghdad. On the trek down they encountered a Turkish force at Kut-el-Amara where they captured 1,300 prisoners and all their guns.
At the city of Ctesiphon 300 men of the 2/7th and less then a hundred of the 21st held back the assaults of an entire Turkish division, resulting in the hill they stood on in being named Gurkha Mound. There was a long siege at Kut-el-Amara that resulted in the British surrender, but in December of 1916 they resumed the offensive with a force of 166,000 men (Farwell 112), over two-thirds of which were part of the Indian and Gurkha regiments. With this new force they marched down to Baghdad. There was much hard fighting but they reached the city and on March 11th, 1917, the entire city came under British control.
In every country where the war was being fought there were Gurkhas. They fought on every frontier and brought glory to their names. Even after the war some Gurkhas remained along the Indian frontiers keeping order. There was a time of peace for a short while, where the Gurkhas did not see that much action. But World War II was just around the corner, and it was this war that gave the Gurkhas world wide renown (Nepal 203). In World War II alone, the Gurkha Brigade won 197 battle honors for gallantry and 12 Victoria Crosses (Brief Historical Background of the Gurkhas).
The Gurkhas saw the most action in North Africa, Italy, Greece and Burma (Nepal and Bhutan: Country Studies 178). Eventually Britain’s Indian Army numbered 2 million (Farwell 176) making it the largest all volunteer army in the history of the world (Brief Historical Background of the Gurkhas 3). The first real disaster for the Gurkhas during World War II was Singapore’s surrender in February 1942 (Farwell 190). The entire 2/2nd and 9/2nd was taken prisoner by the Japanese and separated from their officers.
The Indians and Gurkhas numbered approximately 45,000 (Nepal and Bhutan: Country Studies 208). They were put into separate camps and pressed to defect to the Indian National Army and fight against Britain by Indian deserters. Many Indian succumbed to this tempting offer but no Gurkhas joined. Let it be noted that throughout the entire war over 20,000 Indians changed sides and there was only one traitorous Gurkha (Farwell 207). The Gurkhas were sent to Skeleton camp for intensive coercion. The attempts to win over the Gurkhas began with talks that lasted late into the night.
Still none defected. Twenty-six officers were selected for brutal treatment. Five were put in solitary confinement for 8 hours and badly beaten, the Gurkhas remained loyal. The 26 was made to work at heavy tasks, clubbed with rifle butts, beaten up with bamboo poles and sand was mixed with their food. They were given no shelter at night and no blankets (Keegan 309). Subadar Jit Bahadur Gurung and Dilbahadur Gurum were consistently knocked unconscious, brought round and knocked out again. Dilbahadur’s wrist was broken when he shielded his friend from a fatal blow (Keegan 313).
Subadar Major Chetha Bahadur of the 2/9th was placed in a small cage and left for long periods in solitary confinement. He was starved and beaten put he declared that they “might as well kill him for he would never give in” (Farwell 193). Harisung Bohra of the 2/2nd was beaten to death with bamboo poles after refusing to defect, even after long torture sessions (Keegan 322). After torture failed they were taken to a pleasant bungalow and housed with Indian servants. They were given time to get comfortable and then offered commissions in the Japanese army. After they all refused they were sent to work camps.
Their iron resolve had not faltered for even a moment throughout the whole ordeal (Farwell 248). Very, very few prisoners have ever escaped from the Japanese work camps but several Gurkhas managed to accomplish this feat. All through the entire war this type of courage and bravery was evident. In Burma the Gurkhas served as guides for many of the covert operations (Keegan 356). They served their battalions faithfully and never have they been shamed. In the deserts of North Africa the Gurkhas were pitted against Rommel the “Gray Fox” and his Panzer division and emerged victorious (Reginald 118).
The Gurkhas legendary fighting skills will never be forgotten. Even today they are used by the British Army. Just recently a detachment was sent into Bosnia. It was a wise decision to keep the Gurkhas employed. In view of their illustrious history and heroic deeds, it is understandable why many view them as one of the most dangerous fighting units in the world. The twelve Victoria Crosses speak for themselves, the heroic escapes and daring rescues need no explanation, no analysis. The Gurkhas have been, still are, and always will be the most glorious addition to the British Army.
