Gurkha Soldiers (1896)

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.

A kukri, the preferred blade of Gurkhas.

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.

Current Units of the Brigade of Gurkhas

• 1st and 2nd Battalions, The Royal Gurkha Rifles
• 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

External links

• The Official Website of the British Brigade of Gurkhas
• The Tripartite Agreement (TPA) 1947
• Gurkha Museum