Brigade of Gurkhas
|
|
The Brigade of Gurkhas is the collective term for British Army units that are composed of Nepalese soldiers. They are famous for their ever-present kukri blade.
The first Gurkhas volunteered as mercenaries in the service of the British East India Company after the war in Nepal of 1814-1816. During the war, the British were impressed by the tenacity of the Gurkha soldiers and encouraged them to volunteer for the British armed forces.
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 the Indian 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 Sepoy Mutiny in 1857, the Gurkha regiments remained loyal to the British, 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. Twelve Gurkha regiments also took part in the relief of Lucknow.
See the Gurkha article and individual regimental pages for details of Gurkha service with the Indian Army from 1875 until 1947.
After Indian independence – and partition – in 1947 and under the Tripartite Agreement, six Gurkha regiments joined the post-independence Indian Army. Four Gurkha regiments, the 2nd, 6th, 7th, and 10th Gurkha Rifles, joined the British Army on January 1 1948. They formed the Brigade of Gurkhas and were stationed in Malaya.
During the Malayan Emergency, Gurkhas fought as jungle soldiers as they had done in Burma. They also formed four new units – Gurkha Engineers, Signals, Transport and Military Police. They were also used for convoy escort duties, security of the new villages and ambushing guerillas. In the year of Malayan independence, Gurkha Signals units monitored communications during the first free elections.
One Gurkha battalion – 2nd Gurkha Rifles - was stationed in Tidworth, Wiltshire in 1962. On December 7, the unit was deployed to Brunei on a day’s notice at the outbreak of the Brunei Revolt. The forthcoming Indonesian Confrontation saw the formation of the Gurkha Independent Parachute Company on April 1 1963. It ended up as a commando unit and worked with the Special Air Service. The unit was disbanded in 1972.
After that conflict ended, the Gurkhas were transferred to Hong Kong, where they had security duties during the upheavals of the Chinese Cultural Revolution.
The Gurkha brigade’s size was reduced to 8,000 men when the British government changed its defence policy. Hong Kong became their headquarters, while other battalions were stationed in the UK and Brunei.
In 1971 the 7th Duke of Edinburgh’s Gurkha Rifles moved to Queen Elizabeth Barracks at Church Crookham, Hampshire. In 1974 Turkey invaded Cyprus and the 10th Gurkha Rifles was sent to defend the British sovereign base area of Dhekelia. Later they remained there on peacekeeping duties and sometimes had to literally place themselves between Greeks and Turks.
On July 1, 1994 the four rifle regiments were merged into one, the Royal Gurkha Rifles, and the three corps regiments (the Gurkha Military Police having been disbanded in 1965) were reduced to squadron strength. On July 1, 1997, the British government handed Hong Kong over to the People's Republic of China, which led to the reduction of the local garrison. The size of the Brigade of Gurkhas was reduced to 3,400. Gurkha HQ and recruit training were moved to the UK.
Gurkhas have had a role in the Falklands War (1st Battalon of the 7th), Gulf War, NATO operations in Kosovo and UN peacekeeping operations in Bosnia and East Timor. Two Gurkha battalions are stationed in Sierra Leone.
Currently all Gurkha recruits begin their service in the Gurkha Training Wing at Church Crookham. Brigade HQ is based at Airfield Camp near Netheravon, Wiltshire. The 2nd Battalion, Royal Gurkha Rifles is stationed in Brunei.
Gurkha regiments traditionally have British officers, although many officers of all ranks are now themselves Gurkhas - those who wish to receive Queen's Commissions are required to become British subjects. Past officers have described their troops as silent, reliable and loyal. Their enemies describe them as silent, ruthless and dangerous.
The Brigade of Gurkhas - or to be precise, their salaries and pensions - is a significant source of income for Nepal. Every year, Gurkha recruiters select 270 out of of ten of thousands of applicants, mostly from the Magar, Gurung, Rai and Limbu tribes.
Gurkhas have one five-month leave in Nepal every three years. Some of them can take their families with them to the UK – this becomes a permanent right once they have reached the rank of Colour Sergeant. Most serve unaccompanied.
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. A further 13 have been awarded to British officers in Gurkha regiments. They have affiliations with the Royal Scots, the King’s Royal Hussars and the Royal Green Jackets.
In addition to the British Army, Gurkhas are recruited for the Gurkha Contingent of the Singapore Police Force. The Indian Army still also has Gurkha troops, usually recruited from those who have been rejected by the British Army, since pay and conditions are nowhere near as good and most potential Gurkhas would therefore prefer to serve with the British.
| Contents |
Old Gurkha Military Rank System (Indian Army)
Indian Army/British Army Equivalence
- Subedar Major/Gurkha Major
- Subedar/Gurkha Captain
- Jemadar/Gurkha Lieutenant
- Company Havildar Major/Company Sergeant Major
- Company Quartermaster Havildar/Company Quartermaster Sergeant
- Havildar/Sergeant
- Naik/Corporal
- Lance Naik/Lance Corporal
- Rifleman
Note:
- As opposed to British army officers who received regular Queen's or King's Commissions, Gurkha officers in this system would receive the Viceroy's Commission or, later, Queen's or King's Gurkha Commission. This distinction implied that Gurkha officers had no authority to command troops of British regiments.
- While in principle any British subject may apply for a commission without having served in the ranks previously, the same cannot be said about Gurkha officers. 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.
- 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.
Indian Army Gurkha Rifle Regiments ca.1800-1948
- 1st King George V's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Malaun Regiment) (raised 1815, allocated to India at independence in 1947)
- 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles) (raised 1815, became part of British Army in 1948)
- 3rd Queen Alexandra's Own Gurkha Rifles (raised 1815, allocated to India at independence in 1947)
- 4th Prince of Wales's Own Gurkha Rifles (raised 1857, allocated to India at independence in 1947)
- 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force) (raised 1858, allocated to India at independence in 1947)
- 6th Gurkha Rifles, renamed 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles in 1959 (raised 1817, became part of British Army in 1948)
- 7th Gurkha Rifles, renamed 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles in 1959 (raised 1902, became part of British Army in 1948)
- 8th Gorkha Rifles (raised 1824, allocated to India at independence in 1947)
- 9th Gorkha Rifles (raised 1817, allocated to India at independence in 1947)
- 10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles (raised 1890, became part of British Army in 1948)
- 11th Gorkha Rifles (raised 1918, allocated to India at independence in 1947)
- 14th Gurkha Rifles (1942-1946)
- 25th Gurkha Rifles (1942-1946)
- 26th Gurkha Rifles (1943-1946)
- 29th Gurkha Rifles (1943-1946)
- 38th Gurkha Rifles (1943-1946)
- 42nd Gurkha Rifles (raised 1817 as the Cuttack Legion, renamed 6th Gurkha Rifles in 1903)
- 44th Gurkha Rifles (raised 1824 as the 16th (Sylhet) Local Battalion, renamed 8th Gorkha Rifles in 1903)
- 56th Gurkha Rifles (1943-1946)
- 710th Gurkha Rifles (1943-1946)
British Gurkha Units ca. 1940-1994
- 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles) (Became part of the Royal Gurkha Rifles in 1994)
- 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles (Became part of the Royal Gurkha Rifles in 1994)
- 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles (Became part of the Royal Gurkha Rifles in 1994)
- 10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles (Became part of the Royal Gurkha Rifles in 1994)
- The Queen's Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment (2001-present)
- Gurkha Army Service Corps (1958-1965)
- Gurkha Transport Regiment (1965-1992)
- Queen's Own Gurkha Transport Regiment (1992-2001)
- Queen's Gurkha Engineers (1977-present)
- Gurkha Engineer Training Squadron, Royal Engineers (1948-1951)
- 50th (Gurkha) Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers (1951-1955)
- Gurkha Engineers (1955-1977)
- Queen's Gurkha Signals (1977-present)
- Gurkha Signals (1948-1949)
- Gurkha Royal Signals (1949-1954)
- Gurkha Signals (1954-1977)
- Gurkha Provost Company, Royal Military Police (1949-1957)
- 17th Gurkha Divisional Provost Company, Royal Military Police (1957-1969)
- 2nd Gurkha Parachute Battalion (March-November 1945)
- 3rd Gurkha Parachute Battalion (March-November 1945)
- 153rd Gurkha Parachute Battalion (1941-1945)
- 154th Gurkha Parachute Battalion (1942-1945)
- Gurkha Independent Parachute Company, Parachute Regiment (ca.1960-1970)
Current Units of the Brigade of Gurkhas
- 1st and 2nd Battalions, The Royal Gurkha Rifles
- A (Gallipoli) Company, 1st Battalion, The Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons)
- C Company, 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment
- The Queen's Gurkha Engineers
- The Queen's Gurkha Signals
- Queen's Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment
- The Band of the Brigade of Gurkhas
- Gurkha Company, 3rd Battalion, Infantry Training Centre Catterick
- Gurkha Company (Sitang), Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
- Gurkha Company (Mandalay), Infantry Battle School Brecon
- Brigade of Gurkhas Training Team
- Gurkha Language Wing, Catterick
- Gurkha Training Wing, Church Crookham
Training Depot Brigade of Gurkhas (TDBG)
Although Britain has been recruiting Gurkha soldiers from Nepal since the 19th century, no effort was made to develop a centralized recruit-training system in the Brigade of Gurkhas throughout the pre Second World War era. As a result, recruiting training was conducted at the various Gurkha regimental training certres in India.
The need for such centralized training establishment became apparent in the late 1940s following India's national independence, and subsequently the TDBG was established on 15 August 1951 at Sungei Patani, North Malaya.
With Malaya's independence, however, the TDBG was once again relocated to Malaya Lines in the New Territories, Hong Kong in 1971. At the TDBG in Hong Kong, recruits were taught basic English alongside military subjects such as field craft, drill, weapon-handling etc. More importantly, being in a modern city like Hong Kong, these young recruits from the hills of Nepal were given the opportunity to experience life in a different culture and environment. Such experience would be crucial for their future deployments in different corners of the world.
Due to Hong Kong's handover from Britain to China, the TDBG was closed down in December 1994. However, it was reconstituted immediately as the Gurkha Training Wing (GTW) at Queen Elizabeth Barracks (Church Crookham) in the U.K. In December 1999, The GTW moved to Helles Barracks (Catterick) and became Gurkha Company, 3rd Battalion, Infantry Training Centre (ITC). Organized in two wings, A(Imphal) Wing and B(Meiktila) Wing, the company currently maintains 72 permanent staff of all ranks and 230 recruits.
Selection and Basic Training
First Stage: Hill Selection
Hill selections are held at various locations in Nepal. There are usually 30 applicants for every place available at this stage. Potential recruits must satisfy the following requirements before proceeding to the second stage:
- Aged between 17 and 22
- Be at least 5 feet 2 inches
- Weight at least 7 stone 12 pounds
- In good health
- Have attained a certain level of education
Second Stage: Pokhara Selection Centre
This stage of the selection process would last for 3 weeks. All candidates must pass the following tests in order to proceed further:
- English grammar
- Math
- Fitness test, which included exercises and a doko race (carrying 75 pounds of stones and run up a 4.2 kilometre long steep course)
- Initiative test
- Final interview
Third Stage: Basic Training at GTW Infantry Training Centre Catterick
This is a nine-month long training course that includes:
- Language training (3 months)
- Military skills
- Western culture and customs
Final Stage: Passing Out
The graduation of successful recruits will be marked by a passing out parade at the end of the basic training course. Based on their progress and results they will then be alloted to various positions within the Brigade of Gurkhas. In general those who obtained better results in the Math test during the second stage of selection would be offered postings to the Queen's Gurkha Signals or the Queen's Gurkha Engineers.
External links
- The Official Website of the British Brigade of Gurkhas (http://www.army.mod.uk/brigade_of_gurkhas/index.htm)
- The Tripartite Agreement (TPA) 1947 (http://www.army.mod.uk/brigade_of_gurkhas/gurkha_employment/tpa)
- Gurkha Museum (http://www.thegurkhamuseum.co.uk/)
- "Brigade of Gurkhas" in Land Forces of Britain, The Empire and Commonwealth (http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/depot/948gurka.htm)
- Combat & Survival magazine, June 2001 issue