Origins of the Regiment 1817-1825

On 16 May 1817, as a result of unrest in the Cuttack area of Orissa State (some two hundred miles to the south west of Calcutta), the East India Company authorised the formation of a ‘local corps’ to keep order in the area. This corps was known as the Cuttack Legion. It is from the Cuttack Legion that the 6th Queen Elizabeth’s Own Gurkha Rifles traces its origins.

Captain Simon Fraser was appointed to raise and command the Cuttack Legion which consisted of two troops of light cavalry, an artillery detachment and three companies of infantry. The total strength was ten British Officers and six hundred and fifty-six Indians. Two hundred and thirty-two ponies were made available to the cavalry and officers. The main weapons were curved sabres for the cavalry, two 3 pounder ‘galloper’ guns for the artillery and muskets with a range of one hundred yards for the infantry. In 1819 a further company of infantry was raised.

The Cuttack Legion was involved in operations against the local tribesmen in 1819 and 1820. In late 1822 it left Cuttack and marched by stages to Jamalpur on the Brahmaputra River, finally reaching there in early 1823. Later that year the first two of many changes of name occurred and the Regiment first became the Rangpur Local Battalion and subsequently the 8th Rangpur Light Infantry. Together with these changes of name the Regiment was reorganised into eight companies of light infantry and two rifle companies. Two 6 pounder guns were issued for artillery support. The total strength was now six British Officers and nine hundred and ninety-three Indians.

The Cuttack Legion was involved in operations against the local tribesmen in 1819 and 1820. In late 1822 it left Cuttack and marched by stages to Jamalpur on the Brahmaputra River, finally reaching there in early 1823. Later that year the first two of many changes of name occurred and the Regiment first became the Rangpur Local Battalion and subsequently the 8th Rangpur Light Infantry. Together with these changes of name the Regiment was reorganised into eight companies of light infantry and two rifle companies. Two 6 pounder guns were issued for artillery support. The total strength was now six British Officers and nine hundred and ninety-three Indians.

The First Burma War broke out in 1823 when the Burmese invaded India from Manipur and Chittagong. The Regiment, which was employed on the North East Frontier with Burma, gained its first experience of the Assam area where it was to serve on many occasions during its early years. Fighting continued until early 1826 when the enemy sued for peace. To commemorate this war a medal was struck by the East India Company and the Battle Honour ‘ASSAM’ was authorised for the regiments engaged. For some unexplained reason the Regiment has never carried the Battle Honour.

Assam 1826-1856

The Regiment marched to Jorhat in 1829 from where four companies were deployed to deal with the dissident Raja of Biba. In this year two British Officers and their escort were killed by some five hundred Khasiah tribesmen. The resulting operations against both the Khasiah and the Garo tribes, which involved both the Regiment and the Sylhet Light Infantry, lasted until 1832 before being successfully brought to and end.

In 1834 and 1835 the Singpho tribe became troublesome during the fighting which resulted in Regiment suffering a number of casualties before the tribesmen were defeated. 1835 saw yet another reorganisation when two companies were transferred to the Assam Subundy Corps, later to become the 8th Gurkha Rifles. This transfer left the Regiment with ten companies once again as it left Jorhat for Sadiya in 1839.

Up until this time the Regiment had not been commanded by any officer above the rank of Major but in 1839 the Commanding Officer, Major White, was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. Shortly after his promotion he was killed together with the Subedar Major and a number of soldiers in a surprise attack on Sadiya by Kampti tribesmen. As a result of this the Kampti tribe was broken up and resettled in various parts of India.

Captain J F Hannay succeeded as Commanding Officer, a position he was to hold for the next twenty-two years! Hannay was the grandson of Simon Fraser. The descendents of these two officers continued to have close associations with the Regiment in later years.

In 1840 the artillery detachment was removed from the Regiment and transferred to the newly formed Assam Local Artillery. In 1843 a stockade in Bisa, garrisoned by a detachment of the Regiment, was besieged by the Singphos. When and food and water ran out the Garrison, under promise of safe conduct, surrendered and were then butchered by the tribesmen. The subsequent operations broke the power of the Singpho tribe for ever.

Having account for two tribes during its stay in Sadiya the Regiment moved to Jaipur in 1844 where it soon came to grips with the formidable Naga tribe, one of the largest and most warlike of all the tribes on the North East Frontier. 1844 bought yet another change of name, this time to the 1st Assam Light Infantry while the Assam Sebundy Corps became the 2nd Assam Light Infantry.

The Regiment left Jaipur for Dibrugarh in November 1847 but the battles with the Nagas continued. In 1849 a very gallant attack on a stockade held by the Nagas resulted in Sepoy Humail Khan being awarded the OBI. The years that followed found the Regiment fully occupied with skirmishes against the tribesmen in the area. An attack on the Mishmi tribe led by Lieutenant Eden was particularly successful. This officer along with twenty hand-picked men made an eight day forced march into the Mishmi hills, captured the chief at daybreak and brought him back to be tried and subsequently hanged. Two sepoys in this fighting patrol were awarded the IOM.

Reorganisation after the Indian Mutiny 1857-1871

Whilst other loyal units were involved in bitter fighting, the Regiment spent the years of the Indian Mutiny relatively quietly garrisoning on the North East Frontier from Dibrugarh. It remained loyal and therefore retained its arms. In 1858 five Jemedars and three Sepoys received accelerated promotion and seven Subedars, two Jemedars, one Halvidar and one bugler were awarded the IOM for conspicuous loyalty in the face of efforts to subvert them by the Surang Rajah of Assam. The Commanding Officer received the thanks of the Government for his loyal services.

As a direct result of the Indian Mutiny all troops in India were transferred from the service of the East India Company to that of the Crown. Queen Victoria assumed direct responsibility for the government of India and the Honourable East India Company virtually ceased to exist.

In 1858 and 1859 the Regiment was involved in putting down the Meyong Abor tribe. In 1860 khaki uniform was introduced for the first time and in 1861 Lt Col Hannay’s long tour of command ended when he died at Dibrugarh. That same year saw a total reorganisation of the Indian Army too; a number of regiments were removed from the order of battle and it became necessary to produce a sensible system of numbering those that remained.

It is of interest to note that the Army in India remained subdivided into the following three separate armies, called Presidency Armies, each with its own Commander-in-Chief:

The Bengal Army
The Madras Army
The Bombay Army (including the Frontier Force)

Assam1872-1885

For some years the Lushai clans had been raiding villages in the British territory. By 1871 these raids had become so frequent that a punitive expedition was mounted. Two columns were formed, the first at Chacar and the second at Chittagong. The Regiment, with a strength of 6 British Officers and over 500 men, embarked in a ship at Dibrugarh in October 1871 and sailed down the Brahmaputra River to Kalarooka. It then marched to Cachar, via Sylhet. It is worth noting here that unless there was a convenient river or railway-line all troop movement was by foot, and great distances were often covered remarkably quickly. Such moves required considerable administrative planning and organisation.

By March 1872 the expedition was brought to a successful conclusion when the Lushai chief came to terms. A clasp to the Indian General Service Medal was awarded to all ranks in the Lushai Expedition. The Commanding Officer was made a CB and Subedar Major Runbahadur was awarded the OBI. From 1872 soldiers in Assam were paid 2.8 Rupees per month as a local allowance called ‘batta’. In November 1872 the Short Enfield rifle replaced the Long version, but this in turn was soon replaced by the Snider rifle.

In May 1873 Lieutenant Colonel J P Sheriff assumed command of the Regiment. He subsequently became a Lieutenant General and was the first Colonel of the Regiment from 1904 to 1911. In April 1874 the 42nd Assam Light Infantry moved from Dibrugarh to Gauhati, and from there on to Shillong in November. During the period 1875 to 1880 the Regiment was heavily involved in a series of actions against the Nagas which were marked by the award of the clasp ‘NAGA 1879-80’ to the Indian General Service Medal. In November 1878 Subedar Major Runbahadur retired after forty-five years service.

In 1880 the Regiment moved from Shillong to Kohima and in 1882 it moved back to its old home of Dibrugarh. In 1884 it was issued with two steel 7 pounder mountain guns which were carried by porters when being deployed. Facsimiles of these weapons (known as Bubble and Squeak) were held by the Regiment up to the formation of the Royal Gurkha Rifles in 1994 where they now reside.

January 1885 marked another change of name when the Regiment became the 42nd Bengal Infantry. In April of the same year all soldiers who were not Gurkhas were transferred to other regiments. Then, as a purely Gurkha regiment, its name was changed in June 1886 to the 42nd Gurkha Light Infantry. Meanwhile it had, in February 1885, moved back once more to Shillong from where detachments were provided at Tezpur, Gauhati and Jowai.

Burma and the North East Frontier

The Regiment was not involved in the Third Burma War but took part in a number of operations in 1886 and 1887 designed to pacify the area and establish a British presence in Burma in the aftermath of the war. As a result of a particularly vigorous action at Chuang-Nai-Nuang four soldiers were awarded the IOM.

In late 1887 the Regiment marched from Kohima into Burma, a journey which took two months. 1888 and 1889 were spent in skirmishes against the hill tribes who at times fiercely resisted the advance of the British Forces. One particular action in May 1889 against the Chins resulted in the award of the IOM to no less than seven soldiers. These actions were all subsequently recognised by the issue of the clasp to the Indian General Service Medal. The conduct of the Regiment during these years earned particular praise from a number of senior commanders.

The winter of 1889-1890 was spent in the Chin-Lushai Hills as part of the expeditionary force sent to pacify that area. In April 1890 the Regiment returned to Dibrugarh by rail and sea via Rangoon and Calcutta having been highly commended for outstanding service by Lt Gen B L Gordon, GOC Burma District.

In September 1890 there was a revolution in Manipur State and the Regiment was deployed there in March 1891 in an attempt to arrest the self-appointed Jubraj. The British were forced to retreat after some hard fighting in which Lt Col C McD Skene, the Commanding Officer, was killed. The subsequent actions by the Manipur Field Force resulted in the capture and execution of the Jubraj. The clasp “NE FRONTIER 1891” was awarded to those who took part in crushing the revolt.

From the North East to the North West Frontier

Field Marshal the Lord Kitchener of Khartoum took over as Commander-in-Chief India in 1902 and as a result many changes were made. The Army was reformed into a functional command system which abolished the old geographic commands, replacing them with three army corps. The last traces of the Presidency Armies thus vanished. In 1905 a further reorganisation resulted in the formation of Northern, Western and Eastern Commands and two Independent Divisions (9th Secunderabad and Burma).

In an order published in October 1903, the names and numbers of all units were recast with the result that the ten Gurkha regiments were numbered separately, the 42nd Gurkha Rifles becoming the 6th Gurkha Rifles. The Regiment was issued with two machine guns in 1903 together with 16 pairs of binoculars and three range-finders (disrespectfully known as ‘string and guessing boxes’). Bandolier equipment was also issued, the .303 Lee-Enfield Mark IV rifle having already been issued in 1901.

In November 1904 the formation of a second battalion was formed from half the existing Regiment. The reorganisation took place at Abbottabad and the two new battalions were commanded as follows:

1st Battalion – Lt Col H O’Donnell
2nd Battalion – Lt Col F C Colomb
1st Battalion

By December 1905 the Battalion, having received 485 new recruits to make good its losses to the 2nd Battalion, was able to resume normal duties, the first of which was an inspection by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, later King George V.

In 1907 khaki drill shorts were issued to replace the khaki drill knickerbockers previously worn. In the same year a khaki felt hat for use in Field Service Order was introduced and soon became synonymous with Gurkhas. It is still in use today with the Royal Gurkha Rifles. 1907 also saw another reorganisation of the Indian Army, with the division of the Sub-Continent into two Army areas – Northern and Southern. Each Army had a number of divisions and some independent brigades.

In 1908 the Battalion was twice mobilised for expeditions against tribesmen on the North West Frontier but on both occasions saw no action. The remaining six years before the outbreak of the First World War were spent training, with the provision of the guard detachment at the Viceroy’s Residence at Simla providing a spell of public duties for four officers and one hundred and ninety-two soldiers.

2nd Battalion
The 2nd Battalion was formed in November 1904. It too was inspected by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales in December 1905, having received its 599 recruits. In September 1907 it moved into its own permanent barracks at Abbottabad.

Detachments of the Battalion were deployed on operations in the Zakha Khel area in 1908. In 1911 it moved to Chitral for two years garrison duty, returning to Abbottabad in October 1913. It then carried out routine peacetime training until the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914.

The first World War 1914-18

The First World War started in August 1914 and was fought between Germany, Austria and Turkey on one side and France, Russia, Italy, the United States of America and the British Empire and their allies on the other. By 1918 the British Empire had 10 million men under arms and had sustained over 1 million casualties. The Gurkha Brigade of the Indian Army produced 34 battalions, and additional help came from Nepal which deployed 10,000 troops of its own Army in the Sub-Continent of India, thereby releasing Indian Army troops for overseas service.

1st Battalion
The Battalion having mobilised, left Abbottabad in October 1914. It consisted of:

12 British Officers
24 Signallers
18 Gurkha Officers
685 Riflemen
16 Buglers
1 Medical Officers
45 Followers (Civilians)
82 Non-Commissioned Officer
12 Mules
12 Ponies

As part of 29 Indian Infantry Brigade the Battalion sailed from Karachi to Suez in November 1914. There was a shortage of water aboard the troop ship and the men could not understand why, there being water all around (none had seen the sea before). Subedar Gambirsing Pun stopped all waste of the drinking water by making 12 selected men each drink one pint of sea water. From November 1914 until April 1915 the Battalion was involved in building defences on the Suez Canal and in guard duties which resulted in skirmishes with the Turks.

At the specific request of General Sir Ian Hamilton, Gurkhas were included in the force to be used to capture the Gallipoli Peninsula. The operations in the Dardenelles were designed to relieved pressure on Russia by making the enemy divert troops to cope with the Allied attack, and also to open a supply route to Russia via the Black Sea. In April 1915 the Battalion sailed from Port Said and landed at Cape Helles in early May, six days after the invasion had begun.

In mid May, after a hard fight and the loss of 18 killed and 41 wounded, the Battalion advanced five hundred yards and captured a prominent feature which was renamed ‘Gurkha Bluff’ to commemorate the action. It was heavily involved in the trench warfare which developed. An enemy counter-attack on its trenches in July resulted in 5 killed and 19 wounded whilst some 800 Turkish bodies were left in front of the Battalion’s positions. A further attack three days later produced over 2,000 enemy dead. In mid July the Battalion was withdrawn to the Island of Imbros. The Commanding Officer, Colonel the Hon C G Bruce, who had been badly wounded, was temporarily replaced by Major C J L Allanson.

After just a month in reserve the Battalion returned to Gallipoli, this time landing at Anzac Cove. After bitter fighting in August 1915 it secured the crest of Sari Bair, a feature which dominated the entire Gallipoli Peninsula. This position was held for three nights and two and half days against massive Turkish counter-attacks. Major Allanson and all British Officers except the Medical Officer, Captain E S Phipson, having been wounded or killed, Subedar Major Gambirsing Pun and Capt Phipson commanded the Battalion. As no reinforcements could reach the position the Battalion was eventually ordered to withdraw. This was probably the most outstanding action fought in the Regiment’s history and is unique in that the Battalion was jointly commanded with Capt Phipson communicating with the higher HQ and the Subedar Major passing the orders onto the companies. 2 DSOs, 2 MCs, 2 IOMs and 1 IDSM were awarded to members of the Battalion. Capt Phipson was awarded the DSO and the Sudebar Major the MC.

After a short time in Egypt the Battalion returned to India in February 1916. In February 1917 it was ordered to move to Mesopotamia where carried out duties on the lines of communication which stretched some 400 miles from Basra to Baghdad along the Tigris River. In April 1917 2Lt Merk died from injuries received when he was thrown from his horse. The Merk Prize for regimental signallers was instituted in his memory and was awarded to the signaller who obtained the highest marks in the annual signals classification test.

In August 1918, after a short period in the Kut area, the Battalion marched 590 miles to the Caspian Sea and spent the following year on various duties in Persia including the provision of support to the Persian Army. In November 1919, just one year after peace had been signed, it marched back into Abbottabad along a route lined by cheering members of the Garrison.

2nd Battalion
The Battalion was not despatched on overseas service during the early years of the First World War. It provided reinforcements drafts totalling 437 all ranks for the 1st Battalion and for 1/4GR. In August and September 1915 it took part in operations in Rustam on the North West Frontier. In March 1916 it moved to Mesopotamia where it joined 42 Brigade on the North Bank of the Euphrates River.

For some months the Battalion was based in Nasirah, from where companies were periodically detached to Safah. Four miles from Safah lies Ur of the Chaldees and it was here that a large and finely carved basalt slab was ‘acquired’. It shows the legs and feet of an Assyrian figure and is believed to have been the lintel of a door-post from the Temple of Diana. Attempts by the Battalion to purloin a sarcophagus from Ur were only thwarted by its unmanageable size and weight.

There were several skirmishes with the local Arabs. Eventually in April 1917 the Battalion moved to Baghdad where it was in reserve for six months. In September 1917 after a particularly hot summer, when temperatures exceeded 120 degrees Fahrenheit, it moved to Madhij, and on 27 and 28 September played played an important part in the capture of Ramadi. Eleven gallantry awards were won by men of the Battalion as a result of this battle whilst 3 men were killed and 82 wounded. The 2nd Battalion’s long association with the 14th/20th King’s Hussars began at Ramadi when the capture of a bridge by the Battalion allowed the cavalry, including the 14th Hussars, to deploy and deal with the enemy.

The winter of 1917-1918 was uneventfully spent training and improving the camp at Madhij until in February 1918 the Battalion took over garrison duties at Ramadi. From there it took part in a reconnaissance of the Turkish positions at Hit which were subsequently attacked, which resulted in the capture of 5,000 Turkish prisoners.

In September 1918 the Battalion embarked at Basra and after a twenty-five day sea voyage arrived at Salonika. October and November were spent refitting and carrying out field training. The Armistice was declared in November 1918 and the Battalion moved via the Black Sea to Kars and Tiflis.

It was at this time that the Battalion engineered a relatively bloodless coup d’etat to overthrow the self-appointed ‘Government of South West Caucasia’. This government, which was not recognised by the British, had come into being as a result of the power vacuum left by the disappearance of the Russian and Turkish forces from the area. The government was becoming more and more truculent and was considered a threat to the weak British forces in the area. The Battalion surrounded the Parliament buildings in Kars and the Commanding Officer, Lt Col G A Preston, entered and said “I declare martial law”. His words were given added force by an accidental discharge from a rifleman in the cordon. Members of the Government promptly surrendered and the Commanding Officer promptly became Military Governor. All Kars was soon in the hands of the hands of the Battalion and a house-to-house search was carried out. Among other items this produced two small Russian brass mortars and three very fine Russian brass bells. Today the brass mortars are with the Royal Gurkha Rifles and the bells with the Gurkha Museum in Winchester. Tours of duty in Tiflis and Kars followed during which the Battalion had to meet heavy guard commitments which at one time ran to 300 men per day out of 550 fit for duty.

In May 1919 the Battalion moved to Samsun on the south coast of the Black Sea. In October it moved to Constantinople and embarked for India in November, arriving in Abbottabad in late November 1919. Thus ended the Battalion’s activities in the First World War.

Between the Wars 1919-1938

1st Battalion
Having returned to Abbottabad in November 1919 the Battalion sent a draft of 3 Gurkha Officers and 200 men to 4/3 GR who were in action in Waziristan. In August 1920 it deployed to Kohat on the North West Frontier to join the Kohat-Kurram Force, relieving 1/11 GR. It is of interest to note that 1/11 GR was formed in 1918 from four existing companies, one from each of the regular battalions of the 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force) and 6 GR. 1/11 GR played a distinguished part in the Third Afghan War. Before it disbanded in 1921 it presented to the 1st Battalion a Krupp mountain gun which had been captured from the Afghans by its original 1st Battalion company at the Battle of Bagh Springs in May 1919.

It is during this time that the name Captain W J Slim first appears in the records. Whilst a subaltern with the Royal Warwickshire Regiment at Gallipoli, Slim witnessed with admiration some of the deeds of 6 GR and resolved to try and serve with the Regiment. He joined the 1st Battalion soon after the First World War. On promotion to Lieutenant Colonel several years later he was transferred to command a battalion of the 7th Gurkha Rifles. This officer was destined to become the Commander of the 14th Army in Burma during the Second World War, Chief of the Imperial General Staff and Governor-General of Australia, without doubt the most distinguished member of the Regiment.

After various small actions the Battalion returned to Abbottabad in October 1921. It was at this time the Rifleman’s pay was increased from 11 to 16 Rupees per month plus 4 Rupees ‘batta’ when on active service. The Battalion’s stay in Abbottabad was interrupted by a month of Internal Security duties in Lahore. In November 1922 it marched to the Malakand where it was to spend the next two years on garrison duty.

On returning from the Malakand in 1924 the Commanding Officer, Lt Col G M Glynton, endowed a family hospital and welfare centre at Abbottabad in memory of his late wife Irene. The first of its kind, this centre was commemorated by a plaque in the Regiment’s Family Welfare Centre. In March 1926 Field Marshal the Lord Birdwood of Anzac was appointed Colonel of the Regiment, and in the same year Rifleman Aimansing Pun was awarded the Albert Medal for a most gallant attempt to save a drowning comrade in the Indus River. Today, Aimansing’s medal is on display in the Gurkha Museum in Winchester.

In 1927 the old Regimental Colours became too fragile for use and by special permission of the King Emperor they were replaced by replicas which were presented by the Colonel of the Regiment. In 1930 the Battalion was once against deployed to the North West Frontier, this time to Razmak in Waziristan. The minor actions which took place were marked by the issue of a clasp ‘NORTH WEST FRONTIER 1930’ to the Indian General Service Medal. The Battalion returned to Abbottabad in 1932. In 1934 His Highness Maharajah Sir Joodha Shamshere Jang Bahadur Rana, Prime Minister of Nepal , was appointed Honorary Colonel of all regiments in the Gurkha Brigade.

The Battalion was deployed to Waziristan again in February 1937 and was soon engaged in heavy fighting with the Pathans during which 3 Officers and 28 Other Ranks were killed and 45 wounded. After ten months on active service the Battalion returned to Abbottabad and then moved to the Malakand for another two year tour of garrison duty.

2nd Battalion
Having returned to Abbottabad one day after the 1st Battalion in November 1919, the Battalion reorganised to the post-war establishment. In October 1920 it was deployed in Waziristan to help deal with the considerable unrest left in the aftermath of the Third Afghan War. A number of sharp clashes with the tribesman followed during the next two and half years as a result of which ten decorations for gallantry were awarded to members of the Battalion.

In 1924 the Adjutant, Captain J G Bruce, and three young NCOs of the Battalion took part in the Mount Everest Expedition led by Brigadier General the Hon C G Bruce. The Regiment held the Olympic Medal awarded to Lance-Naik Tejbir Bura for his achievements on the Expedition. Captain Bruce also received the Olympic Gold Medal and McGregor Medal. Tejbir’s medal is now on display in the Gurkha Museum in Winchester.

In 1930 the Battalion was selected to provide the guards for the residences of the Viceroy and the Commander-in-Chief in Simla. The combined Pipes and Drums of both Battalions were in this detachment. Every year from 1934 to 1939 the 2nd Battalion won the Gurkha Brigade Hill Race. The silver trophy awarded for this race became British Officers’ Mess property and is now on display at the Gurkha Museum in Winchester.

The Battalion carried out a tour of duty in Razmak from 1934 to 1936 and was again deployed from Abbottabad to Waziristan in February 1937 together with the 1st Battalion. It was involved in operations there until the spring of 1938. Whilst in Waziristan it lost a young Non-Commissioned Officer in circumstances that mingled pride with sorrow. Lance-Naik Lilbahadur Gurung, whilst running down a hillside on withdrawing from a picket with his section, heard a grenade in his haversack ignite. He immediately moved away from his section and warned them of the danger. Whilst he was removing his pack the grenade exploded, killing him. He could have saved himself but at grave risk to the lives of others. He was posthumously awarded the IOM.

The Battalion’s return to Abbottabad was short-lived for it deployed to the North West Frontier yet again in August 1938, remaining there until April 1939. This was the last time it was to serve on the Frontier. The outbreak of the Second World War was now imminent.

The Second War World - 1939-1945

1st Battalion

The outbreak of the Second World War had no immediate effect on life of the Battalion which was located in the Malakand on garrison duty. It had no modern equipment apart from some Vickers machine guns and Vickers-Berthier light automatics. There were no mortars, radios or mechanical vehicles except the British Officers’ Mess car which was driven by a re-enlisted Naik who had been a taxi driver.

In April 1940 the Battalion returned to Abbottabad on a routine peace-time move. Major recruiting efforts started in September when orders were given to re-raise the 3rd Battalion. Subsequently a 4th Battalion was also formed. During this year the Gurkha Brigade had 20 Gurkha Officers and 1,800 men away on recruiting duties which resulted in the introduction of a centralised recruiting system, thus ending for ever the old method of recruiting by regimental recruiting parties. During the years 1939-45, 110,941 recruits were enlisted, of which the Regiment received 10,397. The central recruiting organisation was run by Col G C Strahan (late 6 GR). Maj H R K Gibbs 6 GR was the deputy Recruiting Officer from 1940-47.

In 1940 Subedar Major Maniraj Gurung retired after 33 years service. He was the last man serving who had been with the Battalion at Gallipoli. The Commanding Officer, Lt Col G R Grove was the only British Officer in the Battalion with more than 3 years service. In September 1940 the Battalion moved to Waziristan to carry out duties on the Frontier which consisted mainly of protecting convoys. The period April to June 1941 was spent training near Abbottabad before the Battalion was once more deployed to the Frontier until September 1941.

Japan entered the War in December 1941 and in February 1942 the Battalion left Abbottabad, never to return, thereby ending a 42 year association with the town which had been the Regiment’s home. As part of 19 Indian Division (the Dagger Division) it carried out intensive training, its war role being the defence of India. Gradually new equipment was issued and by the end of 1942 the Battalion consisted of 1,000 all ranks.

It is of interest to note that in 1942, while the Battalion was still training hard in India, fate had brought together in Burma three of its most distinguished officers – Lt Gen Sir William Slim commanding 1 Burma Corps, Maj Gen D Tennant Cowan commanding 17 Indian Division and Maj Gen J B Scott commanding 1 Burma Division.

By 1943 the Battalion was organised into Headquarters, Administrative and four Rifle Companies. By now the accent had changed from the defence of India to jungle operations in Burma. The training undertaken was varied accordingly.

In August 1944, after three and half years training, the Battalion moved to Manipur State to start operations against the Japanese. In November, with 167 mules for transport, it crossed the Chindwin River and began the long march to Rangoon. Ten to twenty miles a day were covered on foot carrying three days rations. Resupply was by airdrop. In January 1945 it crossed the Irrawaddy River to take part in the attack on the major Burmese town of Mandalay. Before the attack started a bitter fight developed to secure 19 Division’s bridgehead as of which the Battalion won 2 MCs and 9 MMs.

After bitter fighting, Mandalay was finally captured in March 1945. Soon afterwards Gen Slim, now Commander of 14th Army, paid a visit to his old Battalion. The road to Rangoon now lay open and in the subsequent months part of the 14th Army pushed south towards the city. This advance cut the Japanese forces in two and they tried desperately to reunite and withdraw into Thailand. The Battalion was heavily engaged in operations to cut off and clear those Japanese forces remaining in Burma. The Japanese rarely surrendered and each encounter had to be followed through to the final elimination of every enemy soldier in position attacked.

In August 1945 Japan surrendered unconditionally after atom bombs had been dropped on two of her cities. The War was over but the Battalion now had the task of helping to deal with the surrendered enemy.

After a brief rest in November 1944, the Battalion again took its place in the slow but steady advance. Many difficult river crossing operations took place. All were closely contested by the Germans and some very hard fighting resulted. In March 1945 the Battalion was provided with Sherman tanks converted into troop carriers. These vehicles, called ‘Kangaroos’, were manned by the 14th/20th King’s Hussars. The subsequent operations built up the firm friendship between the two regiments which was marked by a formal affiliation.

In April 1945 the Battalion captured the town of Medicina after a hard fight during which infantry-tank cooperation was used to the full. A painting of the Battle by Terence Cuneo hangs in the British Officers Mess. In early May 1945 the German Army in Italy capitulated and soon afterwards Germany surrendered. The Battalion was stationed in Trieste until June when it embarked for the Middle East. From there it returned to Abbottabad in February 1946.

In November 1945, at the request of His Highness the Maharajah of Nepal, Gurkhas were allowed to wear their hair long in the European fashion. Up to this time their heads had been shaven except for the Hindu’s ‘tupi’, a long tuft at the crown of the head.

2nd Battalion

Like the 1st Battalion, the 2nd Battalion had a quiet start to the Second World War. In April 1940 it moved to the Malakand on normal garrison duties where it remained until late that year.

It then joined 19 Indian Brigade which was part of 8 Indian Division at Delhi. By June 1941 it was at full war establishment and was training, including mechanised training.

In August 1941 the Battalion embarked for Iraq and Iran, landing at Basra later that month. This Allied deployment was necessary to prevent the area falling into German hands thereby threatening the Suez Canal, oil supplies and British interests in Egypt. The Battalion remained in Mesopotamia from August 1941 until July 1944 during which time a great variety of tasks were carried out and much useful training done. The men cheerfully bore extremes of temperature from 130 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer to 1 degree Fahrenheit in winter.

It was as a fully motorised unit of 43 Gurkha Lorried Brigade that the Battalion disembarked at Taranto in Italy in August 1944. It joined 1 British Armoured Division at Reconati and immediately set about preparing for the long fight that lay ahead as the Allies pushed the Germans up the length of Italy over ground which was most favourable to the defenders. The Battalion’s first action was on 14 September 1944 as part of the attack to capture the vital Passano Ridge. Much hard fighting followed.

In October 1944 the Battalion was ordered to capture Monte Codruzzo by night. This was accomplished without difficulty as the enemy did not expect an approach up the very steep hillside. Four days later the high point of Monte Chicco was captured after two days of bitter fighting during which, because of casualties among the Company Commanders, Maj Ingall found himself commanding A, B and C Companies. In a particularly gallant action Lance-Havildar Bhimbahadur Thapa and seven soldiers held a house full of wounded men against repeated German attacks. When his ammunition was nearly finished Bhimbahadur went out alone to meet the enemy of whom he shot 5 and cut down a further 3 with his kukri before being killed himself. His gallant action was recognised in the posthumous ward of the IOM.

3rd Battalion

The Battalion was reformed in October 1940 from drafts of 5 Officers and 240 Other Ranks provided by the 1st and 2nd Battalions. By December 1940 the Battalion was at its full strength of 900 all ranks and in March 1941 it was deployed to the Khyber Pass on Frontier duties. In March 1943 it moved to Waziristan. Shortly afterwards it was selected to join 77 Brigade, one of the Chindit brigades being a Special Force commanded by Maj Gen Orde Wingate.

Intensive training followed which was aimed at preparing the Chindits for an air-landed operation behind enemy lines in Burma. The Battalion, located in Orchha, was divided into two columns. The first, Number 63, was commanded by the Commanding Officer and the second, Number 36, by the Second-in-Command. The final test exercise involved marching and fighting over miles of jungle in open country with every man carrying a 60 pound pack plus weapons, ammunition and equipment.

In March 1944 the Battalion was landed by glider behind the Japanese lines at an airstrip code-named ‘Broadway’. The next task was to establish a block across the Japanese lines of communication. This was done by Number 63 Column and the South Staffordshire Regiment. They were subsequently joined by Number 36 Column. The block was code-named ‘White City’ and it soon became the scene of intense fighting as the Japanese reacted violently. In May, after incredibly hard fighting during which the Japanese launched fanatical attacks on ‘White City’ and suffered heavy casualties, the two columns were reunited and once more organised as a battalion.

A march of 160 miles was then made towards Moguang which was to be the objective of an attack by 77 Brigade. The final assault was made on 23 June during which Captain M J C Allmand and Rifleman Tulbahadur Pun both won the Victoria Cross. Captain Allmand died of his wounds during the battle. Rifleman Tulbahadur lived to become RSM of the 2nd Battalion during the Malayan Emergency. The citations for these two awards can be seen in the Victoria Crosses section. In July 1944 the Battalion was flown back to India. It now ceased to be part of the Chindits and moved to Ranchi to join 23 Brigade. Its casualties in Burma had been high:

• British Officers 11 killed, 9 wounded
• Gurkha Officers 6 killed, 8 wounded
• Gurkha Other Ranks 109 killed 335 wounded 7 missing

The following decorations were awarded to members of the Battalion:

• 2 VCs
• 2 DSOs
• 6 MCs
• 12 MMs
• 3 IOMs
• 5 IDSMs
• 3 American Silver Stars

Japanese movements towards Thailand. After the surrender of the Japanese it was flown to Thailand where it carried out guard duties. It moved to Malaya in December 1945, and then back to India in February 1946.

4th Battalion

The 4th Battalion was formed in Abbottabad in March 1941 from drafts provided by the 1st and 2nd Battalions, the balance being made up of recruits. By October it was considered fit for war and joined 62 Indian Infantry Brigade at Ahmednagar.

The events that followed were similar to those experienced by the 1st Battalion. In June 1943, 19 Indian Division moved from Madras to start jungle training in Mysore State. Intensive training was carried out to prepare the Battalion for operations in Burma. By the end of October 1944 both the 1st and 4th Battalions were in Manipur where the Regiment had last served in 1891 as the 42nd Gurkha Rifles.

In November 1944 the Battalion crossed the Chindwin River and the next day shots were exchanged with some fleeing Japanese. The weeks that followed were spent pursuing the retreating enemy who was still a most formidable opponent as the Battalion’s casualties showed. The Irrawaddy River was crossed in January 1945 and the Battalion was involved in the subsequent actions to defend the bridgehead. It was not employed in the battle for Mandalay but continued on to the south where the next five months were spent mopping up the Japanese pockets of resistance and ensuring that the enemy was not able to break out eastwards.

After the Japanese surrender the Battalion moved to Pegu to join 99 Indian Brigade, and in April 1946 it returned to India. The cost of its service in Burma had been 5 Officers and 95 Other Ranks killed and 317 wounded. Decorations earned were:

• 1 MBE
• 9 MCs
• 12 MMs
• 5 IDSMs

56th Battalion

Raised in the Autumn of 1943 as a training unit for the 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force) and the 6th Gurkha Rifles, the 56th Gurkha Rifles was part of 39 Indian (Training) Division located near Saharanpur.

During the period of its existence, the Battalion carried out continuous and strenuous training in the jungle between Dehra Dun and Saharanpur, thereby fulfilling its task of rounding off the training of recruits from the Regimental Centres, toughening them and generally preparing them for the rigours of battle. On completion of this training recruits were drafted to their battalions. The Battalion was disbanded in March 1946.

The Regimental Centre

The Regimental Centre was formed at Abbottabad in 1940. It played a vital role in supporting the four battalions of the Regiment during the war years. It trained recruits, provided reinforcement drafts and maintained the records of all ranks of the Regiment. It was the Regiment’s ‘anchor’ in the prevailing wartime conditions of upheaval, movement and change.

the End of British Rule in India

1st Battalion
When the War ended the Battalion remained in Burma based at Meiktila and was employed chasing dacoits (bandits) until 1947 when it moved south to Mingaladon, near Rangoon.

2nd Battalion
The 2nd Battalion, after a short tour of duty at Abbottabad, moved to Secunderabad in May 1946 where it rejoined 43 Gurkha Lorried Brigade. In February 1947 it moved to Delhi where Viceroy Guard duties were mixed with Internal Security operations.

In August 1947 the British handed over power to the Indian Government and the Battalion played a prominent part in the ceremonies. The Adjutant, Capt R C Neath, who was later to command the Battalion, obtained the last Union Jack to fly over the historic Red Fort in Delhi. This flag now is now held by the Gurkha Museum in Winchester, UK.

3rd Battalion
After a period of railway protective duties at Deolali the Battalion moved to Madras to carry out Internal Security duties. It was decided not to transfer the Battalion to the British Army but to disband it. The disbandment order was however cancelled and in December 1947 the old 3rd Battalion ceased to form part of the Regiment and became the 5th Battalion of the 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force).

4th Battalion

On its return from Burma the Battalion was stationed at Allahabad before moving to Abbottabad in January 1947. It was disbanded after a final parade in January 1947.

The Regimental Centre
In 1946 it was decided that all Gurkha Regimental Centres were to be centralised and in early August 1947 the 6th Gurkha Rifles Regimental Centre moved to Dehra Dun. In February 1948 it moved to Ranchi where the Centres of the 2nd, 7th and 10th Gurkha Rifles were also concentrated. Here large numbers of recruits were received and partially equipped before embarkation for Malaya.

The British Army
The end of British rule in India heralded the partition of the Sub-Continent and the division of the old Indian Army between the new states of India and Pakistan. The bulk of the Gurkha Brigade was transferred to the new Indian Army but it was announced that the 2nd, 6th, 7th and 10th Gurkha Rifles were to be transferred to the British Army with two battalions each. Men of these battalions were given every inducement by the new Indian Government to stay in India and many opted to do so. Some men from the other Gurkha regiments remaining in India were also allowed to transfer to the four regiments destined for the British Army.

Over the next months the last of the non-regular British Officers left the Regiment. Their places were taken by regulars from the Gurkha regiments destined to remain in India and one or two from Indian regiments. No fewer than ten fittingly came from the 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force), the Regiment which had also had its home in Abbottabad and which had so often fought alongside the 6th Gurkha Rifles on the North West Frontier and on the battlefields from Gallipoli to Burma.

The 1st Battalion arrived in Malaya from Burma in January 1948 and the 2nd Battalion followed from India a few weeks later. Thus ended the history of the Regiment in the service of British India. This service totalled one hundred and thirty-one years.

The Malayan Emergency 1948-1960

In 1948 the Regiment was affiliated to the Rifle Brigade, an affiliation which was changed in 1969 to one with the Royal Green Jackets.

1st Battalion

On its arrival in Malaya from Burma in January 1948 the Battalion moved to Sungei Patani. Training at Sungei Patani also involved the training of the Regiment’s recruits for which purpose a Training Wing was established.

In June 1948 the Battalion was first deployed on operations against the Communist Terrorists (CTs) who were attempting to overthrow the Governments of Malaya and Singapore, both still British colonies. By 1950 the Battalion had killed 35 enemy and captured and 23. In July 1950 it moved to Bahau from where operations continued unabated. The families remained in Sungei Patani. In January 1951 Support Company was formed and at this time Captain Pahalman Gurung retired. He was enlisted in the Regiment in 1919. Also in 1951 Lt Col W C Walker took over command of the Battalion; he would go on to become Major General Brigade of Gurkhas, GOC 17 Gurkha Division and eventually Commander-in-Chief Allied Forces Northern Europe. Field Marshal Sir John Harding was appointed Colonel of the Regiment in succession to Lord Birdwood who had died in May 1951.

In October 1951 the Battalion returned to Sungei Patani for two months and then moved to a new operational area based on Muar. October saw the first two post-war Sandhurst commissioned officers join the Battalion; 2Lt C J Scott and D J Walsh. The fathers of both these officers had served in the Regiment.

In April 1952 the Battalion began operations in the Kuala Kangsar and Taiping areas. In September 1952, 17 Gurkha Division came into being, thereby perpetuating the number and traditions of the old 17 Indian Division (the Black Cat Division). The Regiment was to spend much of the next 13 years as part of this formation. The Battalion concentrated for Christmas 1952 having just returned from 48 days on operations in the jungle with all resupply being by airdrop. In July 1953 the whole Battalion, including families, moved to Ipoh. During a dawn assault on a bandit camp a few weeks later, the Battalion managed to kill four high-ranking members of the Malaysian Peoples’ Liberation Army. By 1955 the Battalion had accounted for 200 enemy killed.

Before the Second World War it had been the practice for the Monarch to be attended by four Indian Army Orderly Officers during state functions. These Orderly Officers were found from all the regiments and corps in the Indian Army. This Practice was discontinued at the outbreak of the Second World War, but in 1954 Her Majesty the Queen reinstated it, commanding that she be attended by two Queen’s Gurkha Orderly Officers on state occasions. One of the first two officers selected for this appointment was Captain (QGO) Lalbahadur Thapa of the 1st Battalion.

In April 1957 the Battalion moved to the New Territories of Hong Kong and took over Tam Mei Lines. The various duties and competitions in 48 Gurkha Infantry Brigade provided a welcome change from nine years of jungle operations.

In January 1959 Her Majesty the Queen honoured the Regiment by authorising it become the 6th Queen Elizabeth’s Own Gurkha Rifles. As a result of the Regiment’s change in name Major I C Brebner composed a new regimental pipe march, ‘Queen Elizabeth’s Own’ which replaced ‘All the Blue Bonnets are over the Border’. ‘The Young May Moon’ remained the regimental march for military bands.

In April 1959 the Battalion returned to Malaya and was stationed at Kluang. In June a party of serving and retired officers and men of the Regiment was received by Her Majesty the Queen at Buckingham Palace to mark the granting of the Royal Title.

May and June 1960 were spent on exercise in British North Borneo (now known as Sabah) and in August that year Battalion provided a contingent for the victory parade in Kuala Lumpur to celebrate the end of the Malayan Emergency.

2nd Battalion

In January 1948 at New Delhi, 8 British Officers, 3 Gurkha Officers and 113 Other Ranks joined the British Army and became the nucleus of the 2nd Battalion. At an attestation parade the Battalion was sworn into British service.

Having received a draft of 180 recruits the Battalion moved by sea to Malaya in March 1948 and was stationed in Kuala Lumpur from where it carried out anti-CT operations for the next nine months. It was moved to Hong Kong in December. It was based in San Wai Camp (later known as Gallipoli Lines) but the families lived in Kowloon, there being no quarters for them in the New Territories.

Whilst the Battalion trained hard during the next few months the Hong Kong garrison was increased from a Brigade to a full Division to deal with expected trouble from China (the struggle for supremacy between the Communists and the Nationalists was at its peak). By August 1949 the Battalion’s strength had reached 1,000 men.

In late 1950 the Battalion moved back to Malaya and was soon heavily engaged in operations, this time in the Kluang area. By September 1951 it had accounted for 59 CTs killed and 36 captured. Behind these bare figures lies the story of many weary hours spent struggling through swamp and jungle in search of the enemy.

The Regiment was represented by detachments from both Battalions at the Coronation celebrations in London in June 1953. In April 1953 the 2nd Battalion assumed responsibility for operations in the Segamat area where in one week in January 1954 17 CTs were encountered and 15 killed. By the end of the year the Battalion had killed more CTs in 1954 than any other unit in Malaya and had also found the biggest CT arms dump of the campaign. The largest weapon, a Japanese medium machine gun, is now displayed by the Royal Gurkha Rifles.

The Battalion moved to Seremban in early 1953 and after a period of retraining was once more fully involved in anti-CT operations. In March 1957, for the first time since leaving India, it moved into a proper modern barracks when it relieved the 1st Battalion at Ipoh. Operations against the CTs continued. In 1960 contingents took part in the Victory parades in Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur which brought to a close a campaign in which the Brigade of Gurkhas had earned an outstanding reputation as jungle fighters. The Regiment gained the following decorations during the Malayan Emergency:

• 4 DSOs
• 8 DCMs
• 5 OBEs
• 26 MMs
• 17 MBEs
• 2 MCs

Peace and Confrontation 1961-1966

1st Battalion

1961 saw the departure of the last National Service Officers who served the Regiment so well during the Malayan Emergency. In April 1961 the 1st Battalion was chosen to be the first Gurkha battalion to serve in the United Kingdom. Considerable reorganisation was carried out prior to the move including the disbandment of Support Company and the formation of support platoons in rifle companies, and the sending of a large number of men on leave. The Battalion arrived at Tidworth in May 1962 where it formed part of 51 Infantry Brigade in 3 Division of the Strategic Reserve.

In June 1962 Her Majesty the Queen presented Royal Pipe Banners to both Battalions of the Regiment at a parade held in the gardens of Buckingham Palace. The whole of the 1st Battalion was on parade and the 2nd Battalion was represented by a detachment flown from Hong Kong for the occasion. Spectators included two Field Marshals and fifteen ex-Commanding Officers of Battalions of the Regiment.

During its United Kingdom tour of duty the Battalion took part in exercises all over the country and in Northern Ireland, Denmark and Aden. Some officers and men also attended an exercise in Greece. In 1963 the Battalion ran the Bisley rifle meetings.

In December 1962 trouble in Borneo had started with the outbreak of the Brunei revolt and in December 1963 the Battalion’s United Kingdom tour was cut short. In February 1964 it was flown to Sarawak where it initially deployed to Sibu and then to Lundu. In September 1964 it moved to Hong Kong to relieve the 2nd Battalion. In 1965 and 1966 the Battalion carried out two further operational tours in Sarawak at Serian and Bario.

2nd Battalion

In July 1961 the Battalion arrived in Hong Kong to join 48 Gurkha Infantry Brigade. It was soon fully committed to the many duties in Hong Kong and took every opportunity to train for conventional warfare. In September 1961 His Majesty the King of Nepal visited the Gurkha units in Hong Kong and spent some time with the Battalion. In August 1961 Field Marshal Sir John Harding finished his 10 year appointment as Colonel of the Regiment and was succeeded by Maj Gen J A R Robertson. Gen Robertson had been Adjutant of the 1st Battalion, had commanded a battalion of the 7th Gurkha Rifles in Burma and had then commanded the 1st Battalion from 1947 to 1948.

In May 1962 the Battalion was deployed to deal with an influx of many thousands of refugees from Communist China who streamed across the border into Hong Kong. It was a task which required tact and sympathy, and the men proved well able to deal with the many difficult and sometimes dangerous situations which arose. One company alone apprehended some 2,000 illegal immigrants in a single night. In July 1963 the Battalion was deployed on a three month operational tour of Borneo which found it spread from Tawau in British North Borneo to Sibu in Sarawak, a span of some 500 miles. It was at this time that Lieutenant F H Wallace was killed in a clash with a large group of Indonesians in Sarawak. This officer was commemorated by the Wallace Memorial Trophy which was awarded annually to the Regiment’s Champion Company.

Once more back in Hong Kong the Battalion was honoured by an invitation from the 14th/20th King’s Hussars for men of the Battalion to wear that Regiment’s badge in commemoration of service together in 43 Gurkha Lorried Brigade during the Second World War. This arrangement was approved by the Army Dress Committee. After this all ranks of the Regiment wore the 14th/20th badge (the Prussian Eagle) on the right sleeve of their uniforms whilst all ranks if the 14th/20th wore the crossed kukris of the 43 Gurkha Lorried Brigade on both sleeves.

In September 1964 the Battalion, having been relieved by the 1st Battalion in Gallipoli Lines, moved to Seria in Brunei to become the only accompanied battalion stationed in Borneo. The next two years were to witness numerous sharp clashes between the Battalion and Indonesian regular and irregular forces along the Indonesian-Malaysian border.

Four boxers from the Battalion went to Japan in October 1964 to represent Nepal in the 18th Olympics, the first time Nepal had taken part. They acquitted themselves well but did not bring back a medal. In November 1966, with Confrontation between Malaysia and Indonesia over, the Battalion moved to Kluang in Malaya having spent more time on operations in Borneo than any other infantry unit. The successful conclusion of Confrontation proved again the value of the Gurkha soldier and earned further respect for the Brigade of Gurkhas which had borne the brunt of the four years of fighting. Both Battalions had acquitted themselves in the manner which had come to be expected of the Regiment.

Rundown and Amalgamation 1967-1977

1967 and 1968 were years of chaos in China. The ‘Cultural Revolution’ resulted in mass purges of officials, riots and the disruption of industry and agriculture. The troubles inevitably affected Hong Kong. There were riots in the Colony and numerous incidents on the Sino-Hong Kong border, some involving exchanges of fire. The 1st Battalion was heavily involved in manning the Border and in supporting the Royal Hong Kong Police in other Internal Security tasks. The 2nd Battalion was flown to Hong Kong from Malaysia for an operational tour from February to June 1968.

In the 150th year of its existence the Regiment was informed that, due to drastic cuts to be made in the strength of the British Army and the Brigade of Gurkhas, the 1st and 2nd Battalions were to be amalgamated in 1969. Notwithstanding this news, the 150th Anniversary was marked by both Battalions, with the main celebrations taking place in the 2nd Battalion in Malaya as the 1st Battalion was fully employed on Internal Security duties in Hong Kong. From 1967 to 1970 the Regiment was required to send over half its strength on redundancy. That this remarkably difficult process was carried out without any major loss of morale was due entirely to the high standards maintained by all ranks of the Regiment.

At Gallipoli Lines in Hong Kong on 14 June 1969 the 1st and 2nd Battalions reunited to form the 6th Queen Elizabeth’s Own Gurkha Rifles. In May 1969, just a few days before the amalgamation, Maj Gen A G Patterson succeeded Maj Gen J A R Robertson as Colonel of the Regiment. General Patterson had commanded both Battalions of the Regiment, the 1st Battalion in Burma and the 2nd Battalion in Malaya. He had also been Major General Brigade of Gurkhas, GOC 17 Gurkha Division and Director of Army Training at the Ministry of Defence in London.

In October 1971 the Regiment moved to Seria in Brunei after a post-amalgamation period in Hong Kong during which it dominated most of the military and sporting competitions in the Colony. It was now the only British Army unit in Borneo and was soon busy retraining for jungle warfare.

In January 1974 the Regiment returned to Hong Kong, this time to Cassino Lines, to rejoin 48 Gurkha Infantry Brigade. Service in Hong Kong brought frequent tours of Frontier duty and a very full and varied training programme. In March 1974 Maj Gen A G Patterson handed over as Colonel of the Regiment to Brigadier D L Powell-Jones. Brig Powell-Jones had commanded the Battalion in Malaya.

In the Autumn of 1976 two members of the Regiment, Major Duncan Briggs and Corporal Rinchen Wangdi-Lepcha (a clerk) took part in a successful Army mountaineering expedition which climbed Annapurna South Peak; both reaching the summit of 23,680ft.

The Regiment moved to Church Crookham in the United Kingdom in April 1977 to join 6 Field Force.

The final Years 1977-1994

In 1987 the Regiment moved again to Church Crookham, this time to join 5 Airborne Brigade, the Army’s quick response formation. For the first time since the 1970s Gurkhas began to attend the very demanding parachute training course and, in addition to wearing their parachute ‘Wings’, were permitted to wear the coveted red beret.

In March 1988 6GR found themselves back in Belize for a 7 month tour, this time under command of Lieutenant Colonel Duncan Briggs. Later in the year Brigadier (later Major General) Ray Pett, at the time Director of Army Staff Duties in the MoD, took over as Colonel of the Regiment from Lieutenant General Sir Derek Boorman who by now was Chief of Defence Intelligence. Brigadier Pett had commanded Support Company on secondment to the 2nd Battalion from 1967 to 1969 in Kluang, Malaysia, was DAA&QMG HQ 48 Gurkha Infantry Brigade in Hong Kong and commanded 48 Gurkha Infantry Brigade with the 6GR under his command. Subsequently, he became Director of Army Staff Duties. In February 1989 Her Majesty The Queen honoured the Regiment by visiting it at Church Crookham for the second time in eleven years.

By April 1989 the Battalion was back in Hong Kong and quickly settled back into the routine of border duties interspersed with training and sport. At a ceremonial parade in Hong Kong on 22nd July 1991, the family of Captain Michael Allmand generously presented to the Regiment their late brother’s Victoria Cross, won at Mogaung on 21st June 1944 alongside Rifleman Tulbahadur Pun, to join the latter’s VC in the Quarterguard. But the beginning of the 1990’s was overshadowed by the news that the Brigade of Gurkhas was to be drastically reduced as part of the reduction of the Army as a whole. This news, received in July 1991, showed that all four Gurkha Regiments would lose their titles and be formed into one new Regiment. By now Lieutenant Colonel Nigel Collett had taken over command and had the sad task of managing the rundown.

Despite this difficult background, operations continued on the Hong Kong border, often in dangerous circumstances. Two members of the Battalion were awarded the Commander British Forces Commendation for disarming and capturing an Illegal Immigrant whose pistol, fortunately for his captors, failed twice to fire. In operations of a different scale, three 6GR Officers were involved in the 1990/1991 Gulf War. Captains Ian Thomas and James Cheshire were attached to the Regiment’s affiliated regiment, 14th/20th King’s Hussars, while Captain Jeremy Brade was with the 1st Battalion The Royal Highland Fusiliers.

Having moved to Brunei in May 1992 the Regiment began preparations for the 175th Anniversary of its raising in 1817. The first event was held in UK in November. At the Tower of London, in the presence of Her Majesty The Queen and His Majesty The Sultan of Brunei, the combined Pipes and Drums of the Regiment and the bands, trumpets and bugles of affiliated regiments 14th/20th King’s Hussars and The Royal Green Jackets beat Retreat. This was followed by a reception attended by Her Majesty. It was enormously successful but was to be the last Royal event in the Regiment’s history.

In Brunei in December the Regiment’s main celebrations were held over a week and attended by the Colonel of the Regiment, Major General Ray Pett with his wife and other senior guests. Celebrations were also held in Nepal, both in Pokhara and in Kathmandu. And, as the Regiment’s history was drawing to a close, it was most fitting that commemorative visits were made by parties from the Regiment to all the places which figure highly in that history.

1993 saw a new Commanding Officer. Lieutenant Colonel Nick Hinton arrived from 2GR to complete the final phase of rundown. He was to prepare 6GR for amalgamation with elements of 2GR and stay on to command what was to become the 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles.

The Regiment’s last year of history did not go unmarked. The indomitable hillmen from Nepal have adapted to the challenges and changes thrown at them since the days of being armed with the ‘Brown Bess’ musket in the 1820’s. One remarkable example of this is that of Corporal Pimbahadur Gurung. In March 1993 he became the first Gurkha pilot in the British Army and joined 4 Regiment Army Air Corps as a Gazelle helicopter pilot. And determination to excel to the bitter end is typified by Lieutenant (QGO) Dharmendra Gurung. That summer, at the Army Rifle Association’s Centenary meeting at Bisley, he won the Queen’s Medal for the second time. Her Majesty herself presented him with his medal. This was the fourth time a member of the Regiment had won the Queen’s Medal in little over ten years; a proud record and a far cry from the days of the ‘Brown Bess’.

As its history draws to a close, it is appropriate to note that the Regiment has been the only regiment in the British Army to bear the name of Her Majesty The Queen. It has done so with great pride and honour, no more so than in the final years when Her Majesty has had so much contact with the Regiment through visits and other Royal Occasions.

On 1st July 1994 The Royal Gurkha Rifles was formed with those remaining officers and men of the Regiment becoming part of its 1st Battalion. The name 6th Queen Elizabeth’s Own Gurkha Rifles ceased to exist as part of the British Army. But, as has happened when the name of the Regiment has changed in former years, the spirit of the Sixth and of its forebears will live on, now through the Regimental Association and The Royal Gurkha Rifles.