The 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. Following India's independence in 1947, the regiment transferred to the Indian Army. Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme, First World War. ... A regiment is a military unit, larger than a company and smaller than a division. ... The Indian Army in the time of the British Raj (1857–1947) See Indian Army for the post-independence (and post-partition) army of the Republic of India. ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Indian Army (भारतीय सेना Hindi: Bhartiya Sena) is the land force of the Armed Forces of India and has the prime responsibility of conducting land-based warfare. ...

History

19th Century

The regiment was originally raised in 1858 as the 25th Punjab Infantry. The regiment's first major action was during the Second Afghan War, with the regiment's first battle honour coming at Peiwar Kotal, at which Captain John Cook was awarded the Victoria Cross. By this time, the regiment had been ranked as the 5th Gurkhas. During the period up to the end of the 19th century, the regiment was based primarily in the Punjab as part of the Frontier Force. This was reflected when in 1903, the regiment was renamed the 5th Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force). 1858 (MDCCCLVIII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... ... John Cook was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. ... Victoria Cross medal, ribbon, and bar. ... Gurkha Soldiers (1896) Wives and children of Gurkha Soldiers (1896) Gurkha (or Gorkha) are a people from Nepal who take their name from the former city-state of Gorkha, which went on to found the Kingdom of Nepal later on. ... Punjab, 1903 Punjab Province, 1909 The Punjab (meaning: Land of five Rivers; also Panjab, Gurmukhi: ਪੰਜਾਬ, Shahmukhi: پنجاب) is a region straddling the border between India and Pakistan. ... 1903 (MCMIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

World War I

During the First World War, the regiment primarily saw service in the Middle East - the 1st Battalion saw extensive service at Gallipoli in 1915 (where 7 officers and 129 men were killed in the first few hours after the battalion landed). Despite the terrible conditions, the Gurkhas remained stoic; indeed, the last troops to leave following the evacuation was a company of the 5th Gurkhas. The 2nd Battalion saw service in Mesopotamia, while a 3rd Battalion was raised for service on the North-West Frontier, before being disbanded in 1921. Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... Gallipoli, called Gelibolu in modern Turkish, (Greek: Καλλίπολις), is a town in northwestern Turkey. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... // US Army In the United States military, infantry companies are usually made up of three rifle platoons and a heavy weapons platoon; tank companies are usually made up of three tank platoons and a command element. ... Mesopotamia (Greek: Μεσοποταμία, translated from Old Persian Miyanrudan between rivers; Aramaic name being Beth Nahrain house of rivers) is a region of Southwest Asia. ... North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) is geographically the smallest of the four provinces of Pakistan. ... 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

Inter-War

In 1921, the regiment was given the title 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles, in recognition of its service during the war. During the inter-war period, the regiment received three further battle honours, for the Third Afghan War in 1919, and two for service on the North-West Frontier. Of all of the regiments that saw service in this region during the period, only the 5th Gurkhas and the 13th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers were awarded such honours. The Rise of Dost Mohammad It was not until 1826 that the energetic Dost Mohammad was able to exert sufficient control over his brothers to take over the throne in Kabul, where he proclaimed himself amir. ... 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

World War II

The 2nd Battalion, 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles marching through Kure soon after arriving in Japan to join the British Commonwealth Occupation Force. (May 1946)

During the Second World War, the 5th Gurkhas served in most theatres, with the 1st Battalion in the Middle East and Italy, and the 2nd Battalion in the Far East. The 2nd Battalion was involved in the retreat of the British Indian Army from Burma in the face of the Japanese invasion, and was one of four battalions chosen to fight as the rearguard at the Sittang River, which formed the border with India. In blowing the bridge across the river (and preventing the Japanese forces from entering India), many men were left on the wrong side. The re-entry into Burma in 1943 saw the regiment at the forefront, with three Victoria Crosses won during the campaign. Rifleman Thaman Gurung of the 1st Battalion also won the VC serving in Italy. Kure (呉市; -shi) is a city located in Hiroshima, Japan. ... The 2nd Battalion, 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles marching through Kure soon after their arrival in Japan. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... Far East is an inexact term often used for East Asia and Southeast Asia combined, sometimes including also the easternmost territories of Russia, i. ... Thaman Gurung was a Nepalese recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. ...

Post Independence

On Indian independence, the 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles was one of six Gurkha regiments that remained part of the new Indian Army, being renamed in 1950 as the 5th Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force). Since then, the regiment has participated in virtually every major action the Indian Army has undertaken in its four wars with Pakistan, including the first airborne operations undertaken by the army during the 1971 war. Today, the regiment has a total of six battalions. 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ...

Battle Honours

• Peiwar Kotal, Charasiah, Kabul 1879, Kandahar 1880, Afghanistan 1878-80, Punjab Frontier
• The Great War: Suez Canal, Egypt 1915-16, Khan Baghdadi, Mesopotamia 1916-18, Helles, Krithia, Suvla, Sari Bair, Gallipoli 1915, N.W. Frontier India 1917
• Aghanistan 1919, North-West Frontier 1930, North-West Frontier 1936-39
• The Second World War: The Sangro, Caldari, Cassino II, San Angelo in Teodice, Rocca d'Arce, Ripa Ridge, Femmina Morta, Monte San Bartolo, The Senio, Italy 1943-45, Sittang 1942, Yenangyaung 1942, Buthidaung, Stockades, North Arakan, Chindits 1944, Mogaung, Imphal, Sakawng, Shenam Pass, Bishenpur, The Irrawaddy, Sittang 1945, Burma 1942-45
• Zoji La, Kargil, Jammu and Kashmir 1947-48, Charwa, Punjab 1965, Sylhet, East Pakistan 1971, Jammu and Kashmir 1971, Shehjra, Punjab 1971

Combatants British / Indian Afghans Commanders General Roberts Ayub Khan Strength 10,000 12,800 Casualties 36 Killed, 218 wounded 1,000 Killed, ? wounded {{{notes}}} The Battle of Kandahar (1st September 1880) was the last major conflict of the Second Anglo-Afghan War. ...

'Victora Cross recipients

• John Cook
• Guy Boisragon
• John Manners-Smith
• Agansing Rai
• Gaje Ghale
• Netrabahadur Thapa
• Thaman Gurung