The Gurkhas have been part of the British army for almost 200 years, beginning in 1816 when the British East India Company signed the Sugauli Peace Treaty with Nepal that allowed them to recruit local men. Gurkhas had fought them to a bloody stand still on a number of occasions and the Company was keen to have such a martial race on their side.

Lieutenant Frederick Young was one of those fighting the Gurkhas in 1815. His troops ran away and only he refused to run as he was surrounded. The Gurkhas admired his courage and told him, “We could service under men like you.” He is known as the father of the Brigade of Gurkhas. He later recruited 3,000 of them and became the commanding officer of a battalion, later named the 2nd King Edward VII’s Own Gurkha Rifles’.

Gurkhas are famous for carrying the ‘kukri’ blade, a curved knife, and there is a myth saying, that once drawn, it must be blooded before it is sheathed. Gurkhas remained loyal to Britain during the Indian Mutiny and have fought for Britain in every major conflict since then winning 13 Victoria Crosses to date.

They have seen active service in Burma, Afghanistan, the North West frontiers of India, Persia, Malta, Cyprus, Italy, Borneo and Malaya. At the beginning of the First World War, the King of Nepal placed the entire Nepalese army at the disposal of the British Crown. More than 20,000 of them were killed or injured, an almost unimaginable loss to a nation with a population of just 4 million.

Professor Sir Ralph Turner MC served with the 3rd Queen Alexandra’s Own Gurkha Rifles and in 1931 quoted: “As I write these words, my thoughts return to you who were my comrades. Once more I hear the laughter with which you greeted every hardship. Once more I see you in your bivouacs or about your fires, on forced march or in the trenches, now shivering with wet and cold, now scorched by a pitiless and burning sun. Uncomplaining you endure hunger, thirst and wounds, and at the last your unwavering lines disappear into the smoke and wrath of battle. Bravest of the brave, most generous of the generous, never had country more faithful friends than you. ”

In the Second World War, there were 110,000 Gurkhas in British Service. In 1940, permission was sought to recruit another 20 battalions and the Nepalese Prime Minister readily agreed saying, “We will not desert you in times of need and no matter what occurs we will always support you.”

Against the Japanese, the Gurkhas earned a reputation as relentless and skilled hand-to-hand fighters. In Burma, Rifleman Ganju Lama went solely with an anti-tank gun to destroy 2 tanks and although he was injured with 3 gun- shot wounds he advanced to kill the enemy with grenades. He won the VC for that action, yet it is only one of many hundred stories that explain the enormous affection and respect the Gurkhas have earned for themselves.

If there was a minute's silence for every Gurkha casualty from World War 2 alone, we would have to keep quiet for two weeks. Gurkha graves are spread across the face of the earth in nearly every country in which Britain has fought - silent testament to Gurkha Loyalty and Courage.

Gurkha troops (1st Battalion, 2nd KEO Gurkha Rifles) were the first to be used again in an operational role at the outbreak of the Brunei Revolt in December 1962. There followed four years on continuous operations against units of the Indonesian Regular Army in Sabah and Sarawak in which every unit of the Brigade of Gurkhas took part. As they did in the Malayan Emergency, Gurkha units again provided the bulk and the continuity of the British Army's contribution to this campaign. It was in November 1965 that Lance Corporal Rambahadur Limbu of the 2nd Battalion, 10th PMO Gurkha Rifles won the Victoria Cross. When the Borneo campaign ended in 1966 there was a short lull before the Brigade found itself engaged in internal security tasks in Hong Kong during civil disturbances resulting from China's Cultural Revolution.

In 1982, Gurkhas were part of the 5 Airborne Brigade and were involved in the assault on the liberation of Falkland Islands from the Argentinians. There was a propaganda saying that the Argentinians believed that Gurkhas were savages and sometimes ate the enemy.

The 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles were at the forefront of the NATO Peace Support Operations in Kosovo in 1999, whilst in the same year, the 2nd Battalion played a key role in the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in East Timor. All units of the Brigade have contributed to United Nations and NATO Peace Support Operations in the Balkans over the last decade. The Royal Gurkha Rifles have also been directly committed to British Operations in Sierra Leone, most notably the 2nd Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles and 2 PARA Gurkha Reinforcement Company.

The Brigade continues to play a full and active part in contemporary British military operations. Gurkhas have also served in Iraq and Afghanistan in the early 21st century with distinction and maintain an age old spirit and tradition, and are proud to be labelled as the elite infantry men.

The Gurkhas have been part of the British army for almost 200 years and more than 45,000 have died in British uniform. To date it has won 26 Victoria Crosses - 13 by Gurkhas and 13 by British Officers. This short chronicle is of necessity brief and factual. It cannot adequately portray the spirit and the character of the Gurkha soldier, nor can it reflect the 'esprit de corps' and the bond of comradeship and mutual respect which bind together the British and Gurkha Officers and men of the Brigade. Around 3,500 currently serve in the Army, including in the Sultanate of Brunei and Afghanistan.

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