Major Lalit Bahadur Gurung – Gurkha Major, The King’s Gurkha Artillery

Major Lalit Bahadur Gurung began his distinguished military career with the Brigade of Gurkhas in January 1995. Upon successfully completing basic training in the United Kingdom, he was posted to The First Battalion, The Royal Gurkha Rifles (1 RGR), then stationed in Hong Kong. Early in his service, he participated in overseas training exercises in Hawaii and Australia.

In 1996, Major Gurung joined the First Battalion of the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment in Canterbury as part of the Gurkha Reinforcement Company. He deployed on a Non-Combatant Evacuation Operation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and later to the Falkland Islands. In 1999, he deployed to Kosovo with 1 RGR, where he placed second on the Junior Leadership Cadre and completed the battalion sniper cadre. Promoted to the rank of Corporal, he served in Kenya, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Canada. In 2005, he became the Battalion Intelligence Section Non-Commissioned Officer in Bosnia and was later appointed as an instructor at the Infantry Training Centre (ITC) Catterick.

Following his tenure at ITC Catterick, he was posted to the First Battalion of the Mercian Regiment as a Platoon Sergeant and deployed to Afghanistan on Operation HERRICK 12. Promoted to Colour Sergeant in 2010, he served as Assistant Intelligence Officer with 1 RGR on Operation HERRICK 17, working closely with the Afghan Uniform Police. In 2013, he was promoted to Warrant Officer Class Two and appointed Operations Warrant Officer, concurrently serving as a Platoon Commander for the Junior Leadership Cadre. He was subsequently appointed Company Sergeant Major of B Company and, after a year, commissioned as a Captain and assumed the role of Motor Transport Officer with 1 RGR. He deployed on Exercise ASKARI STORM in Kenya in both 2016 and 2018.

Major Gurung played a pivotal role in transforming 1 RGR from a Light Infantry Battalion into a Protective Mobility Battalion in preparation for Operation TORAL 7, for which he was awarded the Chief of the General Staff’s Commendation. He later served as Second-in-Command of A (Delhi) Air Assault Task Force (AATF) Company, attached to the Third Battalion of the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) Battle Group, part of the 16 Air Assault Brigade. In this role, he deployed on Exercise FALCON AMARANTE in France, Operation ELGIN in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Exercise GAULISG 2 in France, and Exercise SWIFT RESPONSE in Croatia as Officer Commanding.

In 2020, he was appointed Quartermaster Technical of 1 RGR, deploying on both Operation ROSE and Operation ELGIN in Kosovo, where he played a key role in sustaining operational capability. In October 2022, he assumed the esteemed position of Quartermaster for Brunei Garrison and 1 RGR, overseeing critical logistical operations in a strategically significant location. Most recently, he made history by becoming the first Gurkha Major of The King’s Gurkha Artillery an appointment that reflects his exemplary leadership, professionalism, and pioneering service.