Fact of the Day: G is for Gurkha

The subject for this post is one which I have been excited about sharing with you and I hope you'll find this as interesting as I do.  I first heard about the Gurkha from my dad a few years ago in reference to their service in the Falklands War in 1982 and I developed an instant respect.  As is customary, let's start at the beginning....

The Kingdom of Gorkha was centered in present day Nepal and claimed to have descended from invading peoples from further south and west.  In the 18th century the Gorkhas rose in power and prominence until their leader became King of Nepal.  Their expansion soon led to clashes with the British East India Company in India and eventually war in 1814.  By the end of the Anglo-Nepalese War in 1816 the British and the Gurkha (the Brits always find it necessary to change the spelling of native words, even just a little) had developed a mutual respect for each other's fighting prowess.  This was so much the case that the first Gurkha volunteer regiments within the British forces was created before the war-ending treaty was signed.  The peace with Nepal opened the opportunity to bring Gurkhas under the British crown en masse.  As further conflicts within India necessitated military involvement, the Gurkha units (though still commanded by Anglo officers) distinguished themselves as soldiers and gained a reputation as fearsome warriors.  This reputation was furthered by the widespread use of their distinctive Kukri blades in battle.  The knife (pictured in the hand of Victoria Cross recipient Tul Bahadur Pun) is a traditional tool and weapon with which young Gurkha men are proficient at an early age.  Part of their continuing legend is the tradition that once a Kukri blade is draw, it it cannot be re-sheathed without drawing blood.  The fact that this is simply that - legend - was irrelevant to the Argentine troops who abandoned machine guns and mortars ahead of the Gurkhas advance based solely on the Nepalis' fearsome reputation.  

Though Nepal has never been a British colony, over the past two centuries, 200,000 Gurkhas have served the crown in wars the world over and continue to do so in Afghanistan and Iraq.  They maintain their Nepali citizenship but serve an ally nation as their fathers and grandfathers - there has never been a female Gurkha - did before them.  They can still be seen in the UK, Nepal, Singapore and Brunei with their hats still jauntily cocked to the side and their Kukri on their hip.  See here for the Brigade of Gurkhas portion of the British Army site.