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The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest decoration that a soldier can hope to earn from service to the Crown. Traditionally, it is awarded to "those officers and men who have served us in the presence of the enemy and shall then have performed some signal act of valor or devotion to their country." It remains one of the most desirable awards for British soldiers. Though Brigade of Gurkhas became part of the British Army in 1856, member of the elite British military regiment were not eligible to receive a VC until 1911. Since then, the Gurkhas have earned an impressive twenty-six Victoria Crosses. This long-awaited book gathers together the unique tales of courage and devotion that earned those twenty-six Victoria Crosses, each one more fascinating than the last.
In this book you will find the stories of all the men awarded the VC while serving in the Gurkha and Indian regiments of the Indian Army; this also includes British soldiers serving in these regiments. The Indian Army have been involved in wars all over Europe, Africa, the Middle and Far East, in many campaigns. However, it was not until 1912 that native Gurkhas and Indians were eligible for the award. It would be 1914 when the first native Indian was awarded it and 1915 for the first Gurkha. Prior to this only British soldiers serving in the Indian Army had been awarded the VC. This book is divided into two parts, the first part deals with the men who were serving in the Gurkha regiments at the time of their VC actions. Of the 26 Gurkha regiment VC’s half were awarded to native born Gurkhas and half to British officers. Part two of the book deals with the men who were serving in the Indian Army at the time of their VC actions. Of the 135 VCs awarded to Indian regiments, only 28 were awarded to native Indians, the remainder going to British soldiers serving in Indian regiments.
Nepal, 1767. The tiny kingdom of Gorkha is on the ascendant under its ruler Prithvi Narayan Shah. Over the next few decades, his Gorkhali army establishes a mighty kingdom, the borders of which extend from Kangra in the west to the Teesta river in the east. The territory encompasses a large part of present-day Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and almost all of present-day Nepal and Sikkim. When they are eventually reined in by the mighty British army in 1815, it sparks off a new engagement between the imperial power and Nepal. Impressed by the fighting abilities on display, the British army begins recruiting them. The Gurkhas (the prevalent spelling today) go on to serve with distinction in many theatres of war over the next hundred-odd years, their exploits in World War I and II earning them a number of bravery medals. With Indian independence in 1947 comes further change: the Gurkhas are now split across three armies: the British, Indian and the Nepalese. Ayo Gorkhali by Tim I. Gurung, a former British Gurkha, is the first work of history by a member of the community and brings alive the story of a people who have served flags other than their own with honour, even as they have attempted to keep their native warrior traditions alive in letter and spirit. The history of the Gurkha serviceman is one that goes beyond soldiering and bravery-it is in equal measure a story of the resilient human spirit, and of a tiny community that carved for itself a niche in world history.
Since the short and bloody war between Nepal and Britain in 1814-15, Gurkha volunteers, ever mindful of the their motto, 'It is better to die than be a coward', have fought and died for Britain, including in recent years in the Falklands, Afghanistan and Iraq. In the Second World War an astonishing quarter of a million Gurkhas fought aginst Germany and Japan. They have been awarded thirteen Victoria Crosses. Includes detailed appendices include all regimental changes and battle honours.
This is the story of the 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles from the Regiment raising in 1817 as the Cuttack Legion in the service of the Honourable East India Company until it's amalgamation with the 2nd King Edward VII's Gurkha Rifles ( The Sirmoor Rifles) to form the First Battalion of The Royal Gurkha Rifles in 1994. In the course of its 177 years' existence the Regiment has had many changes of title, acquiring its present one in 1959 when it became 'Queen Elizabeth’s Own'. In the days of the empire when men of many different races and religions served under the British Crown it was probably the Gurkha soldier who most captured the imagination of the British people, partially on account of his outstanding courage in battle, and partially because of his loyalty and sheer good humour. Prior to Independence in 1947 the former Indian Army contained ten regiments of Gurkha Rifles, each of two battalions. In 1948 four of these, of which the 6th Gurkha's was one, were transferred to the British Army. The others remained in the Indian Army. During the First World War the 6th greatly distinguished themselves at Gallipoli, and later Mesopotamia, Egypt, Persia, Salonika and Afghanistan. In the Second World War the Regiment fought in all the main theatres except North-West Europe, particularly in Burma where the Third Battalion was awarded two Vcs in one battle when serving with Wingate's Chindits. After the war the Regiment played a prominent part in Malaya during the Emergency, and later in Borneo during the confrontation with Indonesia. As will be evident to the reader of this book, wherever they served the 6th lived up to the Gurkha philosophy that is is 'Better to doe then live a coward”. The book also bears out the assertion that Field Marshal Viscount Slim, himself an officer of the 6th, that the Gurkha is 'the ideal infantryman'. Although it is sad that, owing to the reduction in strength of the British Army the 6th Gurkhas are being required to amalgamate with the equally distinguished 2nd Gurkhas, it is at least comforting that there will be Gurkhas serving in the Crown, as there have been since 1815. Long may they continue to do so, but no longer will the stirring cry 'Jai Sixth!” (Go Sixth) be heard on the battlefield or sports ground. Royalties from sales of this book have been donated by the author to the 6th Gurkha's Benevolent Fund.
Field Marshall Sam Manekshaw, former Chief of Staff of the Indian Army once said, "If a man says he is not afraid of dying, he is either lying or is a Gurkha." There is no body of fighters more well known--or more feared--in the British Army than the Brigade of Gurkhas. Formed in June 1815, these fierce soldiers are still world-renowned for their courage, finesse, and their signature weapon, the Khukuri. In their two-hundred year history, they have won major victories, countless medals for bravery, and the hearts of the British people. This book, written by Major General J C Lawrence CBE, with a foreword by HRH The Prince of Wales, is the complete visual history of the regiment, its brave soldiers, and the romanticism imbued by tales told over centuries. With over two hundred magnificent photos, The Gurkhas will delight historians and military enthusiasts alike.
Fought amid the most challenging terrain of any theater during the Second World War, the campaign in the Far East saw heroic actions against the unyielding Japanese that resulted in the awarding of more than forty Victoria Crosses greater than a fifth of all the VCs of the war.Such actions include that of Major Frank Blaker, whose battalion of the Gurkha Rifles was held up by Japanese machine-guns on 9 July 1944. After climbing for five hours up a 2,100-foot hill, Blaker crawled on his hands and knees through dense jungle alone until he was close enough to stand up and charge the strong enemy position. Though mortally wounded, he urged his men to follow and the hilltop was taken.During the famous Chindit operations, Lieutenant George Cairns was with the South Staffordshire Regiment as it attacked a Japanese position on top of Pagoda Hill. The Chindits reached the summit and, charging into the Japanese, a vicious hand-to-hand battle ensued. In the fighting a Japanese officer hacked off Cairns left arm but, astonishingly, the young Londoner then killed the enemy officer, picked up the sword with his right hand and carried on fighting. He died the next day.The Gurkhas are renowned for their courage and it is unsurprising that many of the Fourteenth Armys VCs were won by these tough Nepalese soldiers. Rifleman Bhanbhagta Gurung found his battalion of the 2nd Gurkha Rifles pinned down by an enemy sniper. So he stood up in the open and killed the Japanese soldier. As his battalion advanced again, it once more came under enemy fire. Bhanbhagta Gurung charged the enemy positions, taking five Japanese foxholes, one by one in the face of almost pointblank fire.The wide-ranging nature of the conflict in the Far East saw awards being granted for actions not just in Burma but also in India, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaya, Borneo, New Guinea and even off the coast of Japan itself. The recipients came from across the Commonwealth, including Australia, Canada, Fiji, Great Britain, India and Nepal.These VC actions are told in great detail in The Forgotten VCs, the first book to examine in depth the Victoria Crosses of the war in the Far East. Brian Best brings to life the daring deeds of a group of courageous men in the most inhospitable of battlefield conditions, filling a glaring gap in the historiography of Britains most prestigious award for valor.
Throughout our recent and not-so-recent history, the understated, fearless and hearty Gurkhas have served the British loyally and without complaint. For more than a hundred years, this bloodthirsty regiment has followed the British Army around the globe - from Gallipoli to the jungles of Burma in World War II, from Palestine to the Falklands and the Gulf War. This text tells the story of this regiment. It tells of the Gurkha blood running through the veins of British military conquests for more than two centuries, from the founding of the brigade by the terrifying, extraordinary Johnny Gurkha through to the amazing feats that put Gurkhas in the same distinguished company as the British Paras, the Commandos, the Guards and the Black Watch.