NationMaster - Encyclopedia: 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force)

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 in the First World War Infantry (or Infantrymen) are soldiers who fight primarily on foot, using personal weapons. ... 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 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Indian Army is the army of the Republic of India. ...

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 is a common year starting on Friday. ... ... 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, Source: Veterans Affairs Canada The Victoria Cross (official post-nominal letters VC) is the highest award for valour that can be awarded to members of the British and Commonwealth armed forces of any rank in any service and civilians under military command. ... 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 (also Panjab) is a region straddling the border between India and Pakistan. ... 1903 has the latest occurring solstices and equinoxes for 400 years, because the Gregorian calendar hasnt had a leap year for seven years or a century leap year since 1600. ...

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, is a town in northwestern Turkey. ... 1915 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 100-200 soldiers. ... Mesopotamia ( Greek: Μεσοποταμία, translated from Old Persian Miyanrudan the Land between the Rivers or the Aramaic name Beth-Nahrin two rivers) is a region of Southwest Asia. ... North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) is geographically the smallest of the four provinces of Pakistan. ... 1921 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 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

World War II

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. Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... The Italian Republic or Italy (Italian: Repubblica Italiana or Italia) is a country in southern Europe. ... Far East is a term often used for East Asia and Southeast Asia combined, sometimes including also the easternmost territories of Russia, i. ... The Union of Myanmar, also known as Burma, is a country in Southeast Asia. ... 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. Events January January 5 - US Senator Estes Kefauver introduces a resolution calling for examination of organized crime in the USA January 6 - The United Kingdom recognizes the Peoples Republic of China. ... The Islamic Republic of Pakistan (, or Islami Jamhooriya-e-Pakistan, in Urdu), or Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia and is part of the Greater Middle East. ... 1971 is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). ...

Categories: Commonwealth regiments and corps 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. ... Guy Hudleston Boisragon was a 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. ... John Manners Smith (VC, CIE, CVO) was a 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. ... Photo from Monuments To Courage Agansing Rai (VC, MM) 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. ... Photo from The Times Gaje Ghale 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. ... Netrabahadur Thapa 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. ... 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. ...