Gurkha Rifles

Gurkha tribesmen began to be recruited into the Bengal Army after the Gurkha War in 1816. They bore many names before becoming Gurkha Rifles. Articles on the regiments can be found as follows:

• 1st Gurkha Rifles
• 2nd Gurkha Rifles
• 3rd Gurkha Rifles
• 4th Gurkha Rifles
• 5th Gurkha Rifles
• 6th Gurkha Rifles
• 7th Gurkha Rifles
• 8th Gurkha Rifles
• 9th Gurkha Rifles
• 10th Gurkha Rifles

The 11th Gurkha Rifles was raised during the 1st World War then disbanded. The 25th, 26th & 29th Gurkha Rifles were raised during the 2nd World War then disbanded.

On the FIBIS website British Indian Army regiments are listed with titles as at the re-organisation of 1895. So 6th, 7th & 8th Gurkha Rifles are in articles titled 42nd, 43rd & 44th Gurkha Rifles. At the Partition of India in 1947 the regiments were given the choice of attachment to the British Army or the Indian Army. The 1st, 2nd, 6th, 7th & 10th Regiments chose Britain, and retained the name Gurkha. The 3rd, 4th, 5th , 8th & 9th Regiments chose India, and after a few years the name changed to Gorkha regiments.

Details of the structure of the Regiments are available below.

Spelling variants

Gurkha, Goorkha, Goorkhá, Gorkha, Gorkhali

The kukri

The kukri ( or ‘khukuri’) , the Nepalese knife used by the Gurkha Regiments is a lethal weapon which could be used to behead opponents.

The kukri has been used from the time the Nepalese joined the East India Company Bengal Army in 1815

There have been 5 Officially military pattern number kukris in official British Gurkha issue. A small batch of kukris were manufactured at the Rifle Factory, Ishapore in 1927

Gurkha jaats or tribes

Gurkha jaat or tribe names may be seen on medals. Common names include Gurung, Limbu, Pun, Rai, Tamang and Thapa.

The Gurungs were the largest tribe recruited by the British and Indian Armies for their Gurkha regiments, particularly for recruitment in the West of Nepal. Rais and Limbus were Eastern Nepal - 7th and 10th Gurkhas. The Gurungs, along with the Magars were considered the beau ideal of what a Gurkha soldier should be.

In the Army most men were known by their 4 digit numbers rather than their names as the number of surnames was extremely limited. One might have 30 Gurungs on parade and young Officers who knew their men knew their numbers. The men also referred to each other by their numbers and each cohort regarded their intake as "number-ies" - men of the same intake and therefore seniority.

External links

• Gurkha Rifles Wikipedia
  
• Gurkha Wikipedia
  
• Kukri Wikipedia
• Nepal including Gurkha Regiments Regiments.org, an archived website.
• "Regimental Histories and Army Handbooks: A Bibliography of the Gurkha Regiments" by Mary Des Chene, Dept of Anthropology, Stanford University SALNAQ - Issue 21 / 22 (Fall 1986 / Spring 1987) (SALNAQ: South Asia Library Notes & Queries | CONSALD) Archived link. Also available PAHAR Mountains of Central Asia Digital Dataset - if the download button does not display, locate in Books/Indian Subcontinent/1987.

Mary K. DesChene was the author of the 1991 Stanford University PhD thesis Relics of Empire: a Cultural History of the Gurkhas 1815-1987 which has not been published but is/was available from University Microfilms. This thesis is possibly available through "ProQuest Dissertations & Theses" which may be available though some Libraries (subscription website basis), or for purchase through "Dissertation Express (ProQuest)".

• "The Gurkha Guide" by Harka Gurung 1 July 1991 himalmag.com. A bibliography.
• Gurkha kukri knife's historic role in war and peace BBC.
• Photograph: [1/4th] Gurkhas at kit inspection showing kukris [Le Sart, France]. Photographer: H. D. Girdwood. Date: 24 Jul 1915. Catalogue record British Library Digitised Manuscripts.
• Soldiers' Stories: Captain Walter Bagot-Chester 3rd Battalion The 3rd Queen Alexandra’s Own Gurkha Rifles, awarded the Military Cross (MC) for his part in the Third Battle of Gaza, Palestine, in November 1917. National Army Museum. Includes Diary extracts with details of "good kukri work" against Turks.
• "Gurkha Soldiers as an Intercultural Moment on the European Battlefields of the Great War" by Frank Jacob 2015. City University of New York (CUNY).
• "British Gurkha Recruitment : A Historical Perspective" by Kamal Raj Singh Rathaur Voice of History, Vol. XVI, No. 2 (Dec. 2001) , pages 19-24.
• "The Agony Of The Opt: The Transfer Of Gurkha Regiments From The Indian To The British Army In 1948" by Charles Messenger, BCMH Summer Conference 2012 – Indian Armies (The British Commission for Military History bcmh.org.uk, now an archived webpage).
• "Museum that showcases heroic deeds of Gurkhas" by R D [probably Romesh Dutt] The Tribune Saturday, February 20, 1999. The Museum is located at Subathu and contains memorabilia of the 1st and the 4th Gurkha Rifles.
• The Gurkha Museum Peninsula Barracks, Winchester, Hampshire, England. Covers the 2nd, 6th, 7th and 10th Gurkha Rifles, those Gurkha Regiments which became part of the British Army.
• Photographs: Salute to the Gurkhas flickr.com (retrieved 18 June 2014)
• John Eric Colenso: British Officer in the Gurkha Rifles by Ann Collins 24th August 2014. now an archived webpage. colensostudy.id.au. He was appointed to the 2/7th Gurkha Rifles in 1907 and seconded to the Burma Military Police (BMP) in1909. During WW1 was with the 2/7th Gurkha Rifles in Egypt and then on the Western Front with the 2/39th Garhwal Rifles, and then with the 2nd/2nd Gurkhas. Back in India, he took part in the 3rd Afghan War with the 2/7th Gurkhas and was then with the BMP 1919- c 1922, when he was transferred to the 3rd Gurkha Rifles and took part in the actions in Waziristan 1922-1923. He retired in 1932
• Video Delhi to the North West Frontier (1935). Film "Bt. Gurkha Rifles leaving Abbottabad for Waziristan" commences at 13.01 minutes. YouTube video, British Film Institute Collection.
• Soldiers from the Hills: The Gurkhas by Lieutenant Colonel A J Ferrea, AV. 23 March 1988. Individual study project, US Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, PA. Archive.org, Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) collection.
• From Pokhara to Kandahar: The Two Hundred Year Journey of the Force That Made Nepal Famous [The Gurkhas] by Elijah Wohl, 2013. Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 1742. digitalcollections.sit.edu
• Kukri History & Heritage with links to many articles. kilatools.com

Articles on academia.edu by author V K Kunwor [Viking Krishna Kunwor] "Exploring aspects of: The Kukri / Khukuri Knife, Nepali History, Gurkha & Gorkha Regiments". Includes

• "The Kukri (Khukuri) Knife of the Gurkhas; A Historical description 1793- 2014" by V K Kunwor
• "The Kukri (Khukuri) Knife and Nepali Arms & Armour at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA" by V K Kunwor 2014.

"The British Army Kukri: An artifact of western orientalism or the 20th century’s greatest combat knife?" chinesemartialstudies.com

Historical books online

• Char-ee-kar and service there with the 4th Goorkha Regiment (Shah Shooja's force) in 1841: an episode of the first Afghan War by Colonel Haughton 1879 Archive.org
• Notes on Goorkhas: 
being a short account of their country, history, characteristic, clans, &c. 
by Captain Eden Vansittart, 5th Goorkhas 1890 Archive.org
• Handbooks for the Indian Army: Gurkhas
  • Handbooks for the Indian Army: Gurkhas Compiled under the orders of the Government by Lieut- Colonel Eden Vansittart 2nd Bn 10th Gurkha Rifles. revised by Major B U Nicolay 1st Bn, 4th Gurkha Rifles 1915 (Reprint 1918), catalogued as Gurkhas (1915). Archive.org mirror version, from Digital Library of India.
  • Handbooks for the Indian Army: Gurkhas Compiled under the orders of the Government by Major C J Morris, late 2nd Bn, 3rd QAO Gurkha Rifles Second edition 1936, revised by the author, first published 1933, catalogued as Gurkhas (1936). Archive.org mirror version from Digital Library of India.
• "Review of Nepalese Troops at Delhi" page 167 Speeches by Lord Chelmsford, Viceroy and Governor General of India] Archive.org. A speech 5 February 1919 in respect of the Nepalese Contingent, 10 Battalions of Nepalese troops under their own Generals, sent from Nepal for general service in India from March 1915. Three battalions, the 1st Rifle Regiment, the Mahindradal Regiment and the Shere Regiment took part in operations in Waziristan in 1917, especially on 21 June.

The Nepalese Contingent page 159 The Gurkhas : Special Force by Chris Bellamy 2011 Archive.org Books to Borrow/Lending Library

• Under Ten Viceroys: the Reminiscences of a Gurkha by Major-General Nigel Woodyatt 1922 Archive.org. Chapters XII and XIII are specifically about the Gurkhas.
• The Gurkhas. 1928. Archive.org, Public Library of India Collection. Full title: The Gurkhas: their Manners, Customs and Country by Major W Brook Northey, late 1st KGO Gurkha Rifles and Captain C J Morris 3rd QAO Gurkha Rifles. Also available as a download from PAHAR Mountains of Central Asia Digital Dataset.

The Land Of The Gurkhas Or The Himalayan Kingdom Of Nepal by Major W Brook Northey, late 1st KGO Gurkha Rifles. Reprint edition, first published 1937. Archive.org, Public Library of India Collection. The author held the post of Recruiting Officer for five years, during which he was permitted to visit the interiors of Nepal that were out of bounds to other Europeans. Also available to download as a pdf from PAHAR-Mountains of Central Asia Digital Dataset.

• The Gurkha Soldier by Major H. R. K Gibbs (6th Gurkha Rifles). Deputy Recruiting Officer for Gurkhas. Second Edition 1947, first published 1944. Link to a pdf download, PAHAR Mountains of Central Asia Digital Dataset. Includes various tribes & classes, customs etc, (63 pages).
• Gorkha - the Story of the Gurkhas of Nepal by Lt.-Gen. Sir Francis Tuker 1957. Link to a pdf download, PAHAR Mountains of Central Asia Digital Dataset.
• Johnny Gurkha by Duncan Forbes 1964. Link to a pdf download, PAHAR Mountains of Central Asia Digital Dataset.
• The Gurkhas Archive.org, Public Library of India Collection. A regimental history. This appears to be a reprint edition, for which no author is given, and which advises first published 1960. However the final chapter refers to events in 1964. The most likely publication appears to be The Gurkhas by Harold James and Denis Sheil-Small published 1965, London.

The Gurkhas by James, 1965. Link to a pdf download, PAHAR Mountains of Central Asia Digital Dataset.

• Better to Die - the Story of the Gurkhas by Edward Bishop 1976. Link to a pdf download, PAHAR Mountains of Central Asia Digital Dataset.
• The Gurkhas by Byron Farwell 1984 Link to a pdf download, PAHAR Mountains of Central Asia Digital Dataset. Also available at the Archive.org Lending Library. Describes their manners, customs, and character, and their history as soldiers
• Johnny Gurkha : 'Friends in the Hills' by E D Smith 1985. Archive.org Books to Borrow/Lending Library.
• Warrior Gentlemen–Gurkhas in the Western Imagination by Lionel Caplan 1995. Link to a pdf download, PAHAR - Mountains of Central Asia Digital Dataset (MCADD). If download button does not display, locate in Books/Nepal
• A Special Corps : the Beginnings of Gorkha Service with the British by A.P. Coleman. 1999. Link to a pdf download, PAHAR - Mountains of Central Asia Digital Dataset (MCADD). If download button does not display, locate in Books/Nepal.
• The Gurkhas : the inside story of the world's most feared soldiers by John Parker 1999. Link to a pdf download, PAHAR - Mountains of Central Asia Digital Dataset (MCADD). If download button does not display, locate in Books/Nepal.
• Gorkhas of the Indian Army by Y M Bammi 2009. Link to a pdf download, PAHAR - Mountains of Central Asia Digital Dataset (MCADD). If download button does not display, locate in Books/Indian Subcontinent
• Britain's Gurkhas by Christopher Bullock 2009. Archive.org Books to Borrow/Lending Library.
• The Gurkhas : Special Force by Chris Bellamy 2011 Archive.org Books to Borrow/Lending Library

• For personal accounts by officers, see 3rd Gurkha Rifles for John Morris's autobiography, and 4th Gurkha Rifles for John Masters's autobiographies.