Gurkhas

A name derived from the village of Gurkha, originally settled by Rajput immigrants from India, which is applied loosely to certain of the inhabitants of Nepal, including the Thakurs and Chettris, the Limbars and Rais of eastern Nepal, and in particular the Magar and Gurung tribes of western Nepal. In the course of the 18th century the Gurkhas took over the wealthy Katmandu valley and began a course of expansion which put them in control of all of Nepal by 1804. In 1814 they came into conflict with the English East India Company, were defeated, and surrendered some territory by the treaty of Segauli (March 1816). Three battalions of Gurkhas (the Malaun, Sirmoor, and Kumaon Rifles) had already been raised from prisoners of war by Lts Ross, Colquhoun, and Young, and by Maj Gen Sir David Ochterlony. Despite Nepal government discouragement until 1886, recruitment was carried on via a recruiting station on the borders of Nepal at Gorakhpur.

Because of the rates of pay and other benefits, service was popular and Gurkha troops became a prominent element in the East India Company and, later, British Indian forces. They also served in the forces of the Lahore state and in Shah Shuja's Contingent in Afghanistan, where a battalion was destroyed at Charekar in 1841. Gurkhas were employed in the third Maratha war, at the siege of Bharatpur in 1826, during the first Sikh war, and during the Indian Mutiny. During the latter, the 2nd (Sirmoor) Rifles (a unit mainly recruited in Garhwal) became famous for its successful defence of Hindu Rao's house at the siege of Delhi, where the battalion lost 327 out of 490 men. Regular Gurkha forces from Nepal were also sent to suppress the mutiny. During the following years Gurkhas were extensively recruited and used, notably on the North-West frontier but also in other areas.

By 1914 there were 26, 000 Gurkha troops, mainly in the ten regular two-battalion rifle regiments of the Gurkha Brigade (formed 1903). During the war 50, 000 more men were recruited to the brigade and many more to other units; over 200, 000 served between 1914 and 1918 in France, Gallipoli, the Middle East, and in India. The Gurkhas made an even greater contribution during WW II when a total of 43 battalions were formed, winning nine VCs. The Gurkhas were riflemen and wore the characteristic green jackets with the Kilmarnock cap which was replaced for active service by the familiar slouch hat in 1901. Their best known arm was the long, curved-bladed kukri. They were commanded throughout the history of British India by British officers. In 1947 the Gurkha regiments were divided between India and Britain, six going to India and four to Britain. The British Gurkha regiments were rebased in Malaya, later in Hong Kong, and finally in Britain. They saw active service in the Malayan emergency, the Borneo campaign, and in the Falklands. Superbly smart and with their own fine pipe band, they are a popular feature at tattoos and on guard duty at Buckingham Palace, but the number of battalions was reduced from eight to two in 1995.

Bibliography

• Bolt, David, Gurkhas (London, 1967).
• Farwell, Byron, The Gurkhas (London, 1984).
• James, H. D., and Sheil-Small, D., The Gurkhas (London, 1965)

— Malcolm E. Yapp

Gurkhas or Gorkhas were the ruling clan of the Kathmandu valley who, in the 18th cent., expanded their empire over much of Nepal. They were defeated in 1814-16 by Lord Hastings. However, their fighting qualities—especially with the kukri knife—earned much respect. The king of Nepal was invited to supply Gurkha contingents to the British Indian army. Gurkha batallions served with distinction in many colonial engagements, including the Indian mutiny, and in the First and Second World Wars.