The Gurkhas

Background

In 1814-16, the British East India Company fought a war against the powerful city-state of Gorkha in what is now western Nepal. Although victorious, the British were greatly impressed by the fighting qualities of their Gurkha opponents.

Under the terms of the subsequent peace treaty, large numbers of Gurkhas were permitted to volunteer for service in the Company's army. In the years that followed, they proved to be among the finest soldiers in what became the British Indian Army.

Wars in India

The Gurkhas' reputation for bravery and steadfast loyalty was enhanced during the Sikh Wars (1845-46 and 1848-49) and the Indian Mutiny (1857-59).

By the time of the Second Afghan War (1878-80), such was the fighting prowess of Gurkha regiments that they were among the first selected by the British whenever there was a crisis on the North-West Frontier or elsewhere in their Indian Empire.

Jemadar Jangia Thapa aka ‘Bullets’

Jemadar Jangia Thapa was one of Major-General Frederick Roberts' orderlies during the Second Afghan War (1878-80). He was nicknamed 'Bullets' because he was once hit on the forehead by a spent bullet that completely flattened without causing him the least discomfort.

Thapa was admitted to the Second Class of the Order of British India in April 1897. He was selected as one of the representatives for India at the inauguration of the Australian Commonwealth in January 1901.

First World War

Around 100,000 Gurkhas fought in the First World War (1914-18). Gurkha battalions served at Neuve Chapelle, Loos, Givenchy and Ypres on the Western Front, as well as in Mesopotamia, Persia, Palestine and Gallipoli against the Turks.

Gurkha regiments received hundreds of gallantry awards, including three Victoria Crosses. They also suffered over 20,000 casualties.

Between the World Wars, the regiment received battle honours for the Third Afghan War in 1919, and a further two for service on the North-West Frontier (1930 and 1936-39).

Second World War

During the Second World War (1939-45), more than 110,000 men served in 40 Gurkha battalions in the Western Desert, Italy, Greece, Malaya, Singapore and Burma. Nearly 30,000 of them were killed or wounded.

In 1948, the year after Indian independence, four Gurkha rifle regiments were transferred to the British Army and six others were allocated to the new Indian Army.

The units that continued in British service were the 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles), the 6th Gurkha Rifles, the 7th Gurkha Rifles and the 10th Gurkha Rifles. Together, they formed the Brigade of Gurkhas, along with newly raised engineering, signalling and transport units.

Post-war operations

The Brigade of Gurkhas was stationed in Malaya during the Emergency there (1948-60) and then took part in the Indonesian Confrontation (1962-66). After that conflict, Gurkha headquarters transferred from Malaya to Hong Kong, where the Brigade performed security duties until the end of British rule in 1997.

Since then, a much-reduced Brigade has been based in Britain. Prior to leaving the Far East, Gurkhas served in Cyprus (1974), the Falklands War (1982) and the Gulf War (1990-91).

In 1994, the four rifle regiments were merged into one, the Royal Gurkha Rifles. In recent years, the regiment has seen service in Kosovo, Bosnia, East Timor, Sierra Leone and Iraq. In Afghanistan, they helped to contain the opium trade and establish security after the overthrow of the Taleban government in 2001.

Settlement

Originally, the only Gurkhas veterans allowed to remain in the UK were those who had retired since the Brigade headquarters moved to England in 1997.

In May 2009, after a long campaign supported by Dame Joanna Lumley and other advocates, around 36,000 members of the regiment who had retired before 1997 won the right to settle in Britain with their spouses and children.