7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles
Encyclopedia
The 7th Gurkha Rifles started as a regiment
of the British Indian Army
, before being transferred to the British Army
following India's
independence.
regiment within the Bengal Native Infantry
, ranked as the 43rd Gurkhas. In 1903, it was renumbered as the 7th Gurkha Rifles. The year before, the 8th Gurkha Rifles was formed from a nucleus of men primarily from the 10th Gurkha Rifles, but also from other Gurkha units. In 1903, this became the 2nd Battalion, 10th Gurkha Rifles. until 1907; at that time, the 7th Gurkhas amalgamated with the 8th Gurkha Rifles to become its 2nd Battalion, while 2/10 Gurkha Rifles was renamed as the "new" 7th Gurkhas.
at Kut-al-Amara in 1916, before being reformed in Mesopotamia
the same year. Following the end of the war, the 1st Battalion saw service in the Iraq
and Kurdistan campaigns, while the 2nd Battalion returned to India to fight in the Third Afghan War. During the Second World War, the regiment primarily saw service in North Africa, Italy
and the Far East.
. Also in 1948, the two remaining battalions were converted to artillery
, forming the 101st and 102nd Field Regiments, Royal Artillery
. They stayed in the artillery role for a year during service in Malaya
, before converting back to infantry in 1949.
From 1949 to 1970, the regiment alternated, along with the other Gurkha units, among various postings in the Far East; Malaya, Borneo
, Hong Kong. It was during this period that the regiment was renamed as the 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles in honour of the Duke of Edinburgh In 1970, the 2nd Battalion was amalgamated with the 1st, leaving the regiment with a single battalion. The following year, the regiment became the first Gurkha unit to mount the guard
at Buckingham Palace
.
In 1982, the 2nd Battalion was reformed in Hong Kong, while the 1st Battalion was deployed for war service in the Falklands War
, its primary action being at Mount William. The 2nd Battalion was disbanded in 1987, while the 1st Battalion continued until it was amalgamated with the 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles)
, 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles
and 10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles
to form the Royal Gurkha Rifles
.
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
of the British Indian Army
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...
, before being transferred to the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
following India's
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
independence.
Formation
The original 7th Gurkhas was formed as the Assam Sebundy Corps in 1835, eventually becoming a GurkhaGurkha
Gurkha are people from Nepal who take their name from the Gorkha District. Gurkhas are best known for their history in the Indian Army's Gorkha regiments, the British Army's Brigade of Gurkhas and the Nepalese Army. Gurkha units are closely associated with the kukri, a forward-curving Nepalese knife...
regiment within the Bengal Native Infantry
Bengal Native Infantry
The Bengal Native Infantry was part of the organisation of the East India Company's Bengal Army before the Indian rebellion of 1857.The infantry regiments underwent frequent changes of numbering during their period of existence...
, ranked as the 43rd Gurkhas. In 1903, it was renumbered as the 7th Gurkha Rifles. The year before, the 8th Gurkha Rifles was formed from a nucleus of men primarily from the 10th Gurkha Rifles, but also from other Gurkha units. In 1903, this became the 2nd Battalion, 10th Gurkha Rifles. until 1907; at that time, the 7th Gurkhas amalgamated with the 8th Gurkha Rifles to become its 2nd Battalion, while 2/10 Gurkha Rifles was renamed as the "new" 7th Gurkhas.
Predecessor names
- (1835–1844)- Assam Sebundy Corps
- (1844–1861)- 2nd (Assam) Light Infantry
- (1861–1864)- 43rd Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry
- (1864–1885)- 43rd (Assam) Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry
- (1885–1886)- 43rd (Assam) Regiment of Bengal Infantry
- (1886–1891)- 43rd Regiment, Gurkha Light Infantry
- (1891–1901)- 43rd Gurkha (Rifle) Regiment of Bengal Infantry
- (1901–1903)- 43rd Gurkha Rifles
- (1903–1907)- 2nd Battalion 10th Gurkha Rifles
- (1907–1947)- 2nd Battalion 8th Gurkha Rifles
- (1950–1994)- 7th Gurkha Rifles/7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles
First and Second World Wars
During the First World War, the regiment served primarily in the Middle East. The 2nd Battalion was captured by the Turkish ArmyTurkish Army
The Turkish Army or Turkish Land Forces is the main branch of the Turkish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The modern history of the army began with its formation after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire...
at Kut-al-Amara in 1916, before being reformed in Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
the same year. Following the end of the war, the 1st Battalion saw service in the Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and Kurdistan campaigns, while the 2nd Battalion returned to India to fight in the Third Afghan War. During the Second World War, the regiment primarily saw service in North Africa, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and the Far East.
Post war
In 1948, following India's independence, the 7th Gurkha Rifles was one of four Gurkha regiments that became part of the British Army. However, a large number of its manpower chose not to follow the regiment into British service; the 3rd Battalion was transferred to the 5th Gurkha Rifles, while a large number of men formed the nucleus of the new 11th Gurkha Rifles11th Gorkha Rifles
The 11 Gorkha Rifles is a Gorkha regiment of the Indian Army that was re-raised after independence. The regiment consists of primarily the Rais and Limbus of eastern Nepal...
. Also in 1948, the two remaining battalions were converted to artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
, forming the 101st and 102nd Field Regiments, Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
. They stayed in the artillery role for a year during service in Malaya
Federation of Malaya
The Federation of Malaya is the name given to a federation of 11 states that existed from 31 January 1948 until 16 September 1963. The Federation became independent on 31 August 1957...
, before converting back to infantry in 1949.
From 1949 to 1970, the regiment alternated, along with the other Gurkha units, among various postings in the Far East; Malaya, Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
, Hong Kong. It was during this period that the regiment was renamed as the 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles in honour of the Duke of Edinburgh In 1970, the 2nd Battalion was amalgamated with the 1st, leaving the regiment with a single battalion. The following year, the regiment became the first Gurkha unit to mount the guard
Queen's Guard
The Queen's Guard and Queen's Life Guard are the names given to contingents of infantry and cavalry soldiers charged with guarding the official royal residences in London...
at Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
.
In 1982, the 2nd Battalion was reformed in Hong Kong, while the 1st Battalion was deployed for war service in the Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
, its primary action being at Mount William. The 2nd Battalion was disbanded in 1987, while the 1st Battalion continued until it was amalgamated with the 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles)
2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles)
The 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army before being transferred to the British Army on India's independence in 1947. The 4th Battalion joined the Indian Army as the 5th Battalion, 8th Gurkha Rifles , where it exists to this day...
, 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles
6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles
The 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles was a regiment of the British Indian Army, before being transferred to the British Army following India's independence. Originally raised in 1817 as part of the army of the British East India Company, the regiment has been known by a number of names...
and 10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles
10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles
The 10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles, , was originally an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment was first formed in 1890, taking its lineage from a police unit and over the course of its existence it had a number of changes in designation and composition...
to form the Royal Gurkha Rifles
Royal Gurkha Rifles
The Royal Gurkha Rifles is a regiment of the British Army, forming part of the Brigade of Gurkhas. The Royal Gurkha Rifles are now the sole infantry regiment of the British Army Gurkhas...
.
Battle honours
- The Great War: Suez Canal, Egypt 1915, Megiddo, Sharon, Palestine 1918, Shaiba, Kut al Amara 1915 '17, Ctesiphon, Defence of Kut al Amara, Baghdad, Sharqat, Mesopotamia 1915-18
- Afghanistan 1919
- The Second World War: Tobruk 1942, North Africa 1942, Cassino I, Campriano, Poggio del Grillo, Tavoleto, Montebello-Scorticata Ridge, Italy 1944, Sittang 1942 '45, Pegu 1942, Kyaukse 1942, Shwegyin, Imphal, Bishenpur, Meiktila, Capture of Meiktila, Defence of Meiktila, Rangoon Road, Pyawbwe, Burma 1942-45
- Falkland Islands 1982
Victoria Cross
- Rifleman Ganju LamaGanju LamaGanju Lama VC MM was a Gurkha 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.-Enlistment:...
of the 1st Battalion, Ningthoukhong, Burma, Second World War (1944).
See also
- Gurkhas
- British ArmyBritish ArmyThe British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
- Gurkha Welfare TrustGurkha Welfare TrustThe Gurkha Welfare Trust is a British charity, established in 1969. It is the principal UK charity dedicated to the provision of aid to Gurkha ex-servicemen and their dependents in their homeland of Nepal....
- List of Gurkha Recipients of the Victoria Cross