29,525
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
no edit summary
==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.<ref>William Pennington in his autobiography ''Pick up your Parrots and Monkeys: The Life of a Boy Soldier in India'' (2003) reports being saved in [[Second World War|WW2 Burma]] by a Gurkha who beheaded a Japanese who was about to kill the author (page 333). Pennington also reported seeing Ghurkas playing football with severed Japanese heads (page 332).</ref><ref>[https://www.jstor.org/stable/43301154?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents "Henry George "Hank" Baker: An Obituary: 23rd June 1918 – 15th January 2006"] by Roger Croston ''The Tibet Journal'' Vol. 30/31, No. 4/1, Contributions to the study of Tibetan medicine (Winter 2005 & Spring 2006), pp. 193-196. jstor.org. Register and read online for free, see [[Miscellaneous tips]]. Page 193 details an incident against tribesmen in the Ahmedzai Salient, Waziristan, North West Frontier c 1939</ref>
The kukri has been used from the time the Nepalese joined the East India Company Bengal Army in 1815<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140220115928/http://torabladesforum.co.uk/19th-century-accounts-of-the-kukri-in-action_topic2439.html 19th Century accounts of the kukri in action] by 'Sirupate' Tora Blades Forum, an archived page.</ref>
There have still only ever been 5 Officially military pattern number kukris in official British Gurkha issue.<ref>[http://www.swordforum.com/forums/showthread.php?77657-The-20th-Century-British-Military-Pattern-Gurkha-Issue-Kukri The 20th Century British Military Pattern Gurkha Issue Kukri] by Jonathan R.S. Sword Forum. Contains a few images, but many are no longer available.</ref>
A small batch of kukris were manufactured at the Rifle Factory, [[Ishapore]] in 1927<ref>Thread from Sword Forum [http://www.swordforum.com/forums/showthread.php?110281-1927-RFI-MKII-Kukri 1927 RFI MKII Kukri] with images. Images are also on [http://s250.photobucket.com/user/Finnarm/media/RFIfactory.gif.html Photobucket]</ref>
The Gurungs were the largest tribe recruited by the British and Indian Armies for their Gurkha regiments, particularly if more so if it was recruited 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 or 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. <ref> QGE, (previously Martin G). [http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=235254&p=2351576 whats a GURUNG and a THAPA] ''Great War Forum'' 10 January 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2016.</ref>
== External Links ==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20140508061255/http://www.bcmh.org.uk/archive/conferences/2012AgonyMessenger.pdf "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).
*[https://www.flickr.com/photos/23268776@N03/galleries/72157645141750245 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. [httphttps://docsweb.googlearchive.comorg/web/20150304120617/viewer?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.colensostudy.id.au%2FJohn%20Eric%20Colenso%20-%20a%20british%20gurkha%2002.pdf html version], [http://www.colensostudy.id.au/John%20Eric%20Colenso%20-%20a%20british%20gurkha%2002.pdf pdf''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
===Historical books online===
*[https://archive.org/details/cu31924024153623 ''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), is available to read as a [http://dliwww.sercnew.iiscdli.ernet.in/handle/2015/237136 pdf download], Digital Library of India, catalogued as Gurkhas (1915).**''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, is available to read as a [http://dliwww.sercnew.iiscdli.ernet.in/handle/2015/238360 pdf download], Digital Library of India, catalogued as Gurkhas (1936).
*[https://archive.org/details/undertenviceroys00woodiala ''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.
*[http://dliwww.sercnew.iiscdli.ernet.in/handle/2015/505973 ''The Gurkhas'']. 1928. Pdf download, Digital Library of India. 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. *[http://dliwww.sercnew.iiscdli.ernet.in/handle/2015/126645 ''The Gurkhas''] Pdf download, Digital Library of India. 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.
== References ==
