Prince Harry joins Gurkhas: Report

The Times of India ^ | 9 July, 2007 | The Times of India

[CarrotAndStick]

KATHMANDU: Britain's Prince Harry has joined one of the most fearsome units in the British Army the Gurkhas and is undergoing intensive training with the legendary brigade.

The prince, 22, who is currently serving as an officer in the posh cavalry regiment, the Blues and Royals, is taking part in intensive training with the legendary unit to improve his fighting skills.

He is reportedly undergoing a four-day exercise with the 3rd Battalion Royal Gurkha Rifles in the Brecon Beacons, Wales.

At the end of the exercise, Harry, a 2nd lieutenant whose own unit has gone to Iraq without him because of fears for his safety, will be presented with an honorary kukri the curved knife of the Gurkhas.

"Harry will be told that when the kukri leaves its sheath it can never be returned without blood being drawn." a media report quoted an insider as saying.

The British Ministry of Defence would not comment on the princes current whereabouts but military sources suggested he was taking part in a special operation with the Gurkhas, the media reported.

The Gurkhas, renowned for their bravery and strength, have been recruited by the British Army for more than 200 years. They were first enlisted to fight against uprisings in India in the eighteenth century.

The British Army currently has around 3,400 Gurkhas serving in countries including Iraq and Afghanistan, with 250 new recruits annually.

Meanwhile, ending the seven years of relentless campaign and legal battle of former Gurkhas, the British government has announced equal pension to Gurkha soldiers.

According to Gurkha Army Ex-Servicemen's Organisation (GAESO) official, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown made the announcement during his address to the parliament.

[coloradan]

when the kukri leaves its sheath it can never be returned without blood being drawn

Does that include nicking your own finger, trying to get it back in the sheath?

[TChris]

I wonder if he will be truly, completely trained as a Ghurka, or if it will be some dog-and-pony show for publicity.

[TChris]

Does that include nicking your own finger, trying to get it back in the sheath?

I believe they will cut their own hand and draw blood if there is no enemy to fight, before re-sheathing the knife.

[CarrotAndStick]

Who are the Gurkhas?
 

Gurkhas are part of the British Army (picture copyright: MoD)

Gurkhas have been part of the British Army for almost 200 years, but who are these fearsome Nepalese fighters?

"Better to die than be a coward" is the motto of the world-famous Nepalese Gurkha soldiers who are an integral part of the British Army.

They still carry into battle their traditional weapon - an 18-inch long curved knife known as the kukri.

In times past, it was said that once a kukri was drawn in battle, it had to "taste blood" - if not, its owner had to cut himself before returning it to its sheath.

Now, the Gurkhas say, it is used mainly for cooking.

The potential of these warriors was first realised by the British at the height of their empire-building in the last century.

Bravest of the brave, most generous of the generous, never had a country more faithful friends than you   Sir Ralph Turner MC, 3rd Queen Alexandra's Own Gurkha Rifles, 1931

After suffering heavy casualties in the invasion of Nepal, the British East India Company signed a hasty peace deal in 1815, which also allowed it to recruit from the ranks of the former enemy.

Following the partition of India in 1947, an agreement between Nepal, India and Britain meant four Gurkha regiments from the Indian army were transferred to the British Army, eventually becoming the Gurkha Brigade.

Since then, the Gurkhas have loyally fought for the British all over the world, winning 13 Victoria Crosses between them.

More than 200,000 fought in the two world wars and in the past 50 years, they have served in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Borneo, Cyprus, the Falklands, Kosovo and Afghanistan.

Gurkhas with the emblem of the feared kukri behind them

They serve in a variety of roles, mainly in the infantry but with significant numbers of engineers, logisticians and signals specialists.

They keep to their Nepalese customs and beliefs, and the brigade follows religious festivals such as Dashain, in which - in Nepal, not the UK - goats and buffaloes are sacrificed.

But their numbers have been sharply reduced from a World War II peak of 112,000 men, and now stand at about 3,500.

The Gurkhas are now based at Shorncliffe near Folkestone, Kent - but they do not become British citizens.

The soldiers are still selected from young men living in the hills of Nepal - with about 28,000 youths tackling the selection procedure for just over 200 places each year.

If there was a minute's silence for every Gurkha casualty from World War II alone, we would have to keep quiet for two weeks   Gurkha Welfare Trust

The selection process has been described as one of the toughest in the world and is fiercely contested.

Young hopefuls have to run uphill for 40 minutes carrying a wicker basket on their back filled with rocks weighing 70lbs.

After the Gurkhas have served their time in the Army - a maximum of 30 years, and a minimum of 15 to secure a pension - they are discharged back in Nepal.

Historically, they received a much smaller pension - at least six times less - than British soldiers, on the grounds that the cost of living is much lower in Nepal.

But with more choosing to settle permanently in the UK with their families, campaigners said this left them suffering considerable economic hardship.

 

They won a partial victory in March 2007, when Defence Minister Derek Twigg announced that all those who retired after July 1997 would get the same pension as the rest of the Army.

He also revealed that work was under way to see if women could be recruited to the brigade for the first time.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/2786991.stm

 

[quark]

Why would Harry want to become a pickle? ;~D

[CarrotAndStick]

Heh heh heh!

[flashbunny]

That’s been pretty much put to bed as a myth.

In nepal they use kukris every day from the day they’re old enough to handle one. To think that every time they draw it out to cut a plant or a branch they have to draw blood is rather humorous. The population of nepal would drop dramatically from blood loss along.

[flashbunny]

along = alone.

[vpintheak]

I don’t think any Cavalry regiment in the USA could ever be called “posh”. Too funny.

[Uriah_lost]

You are correct.

[Pete]

My favorite Ghurka story:

The Ghurkas have long had a reputation for being tough. Here’s a story about them.

British Officer : “We want your men to do a surprise attack. We’ll drop your men into the sea from 600 feet.”
Ghurka Officer : “No, no that’s too high.”
British Officer : “It’s risky but I suppose we could drop you from 450 feet.”
Ghurka Officer : “No, that’s still too high”
British Officer : “Well, how low do you want us to drop you?”
Ghurka Officer : “100 feet”
British Officer : “We can’t, your parachutes will never open in time”
Ghurka Officer : “Oh, you want us to use parachutes?”

[RexBeach]

So, what’s the point of Harry becoming a member of the Gurkhas? His high command won’t send him to Iraq, allegedly because he poses a threat to those he serves with, and his possible death in combat would be a blow to the nation.

I admire the guy’s gung-ho attitude, but honestly, why bother to do this?

[Uriah_lost]

That rule only applies to “combat”.

[CarrotAndStick]

Kukri

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Jump to: navigation, search

For the genus of snakes having the common name kukri snakes, see oligodon.

Kukri knife and sheath

The Kukri or Khukuri (Devanāgarī: खुकुरी) is a heavy, curved Nepalese knife used as both tool and weapon. It is also a part of the regimental weaponry and heraldry of Gurkha fighters. It is known to many people as simply the "Gurkha knife".

The name is pronounced khu-khoo-ree, although khukuri or khookree are more accurate transliterations. Kukri is the most well-known and standard spelling of the name of this blade style. In early English writings there were many and diverse spellings of the name.

Contents

[]

• 1 Design
• 2 History
• 3 Usage
• 4 Kukri in popular culture
• 5 See also

 

[edit] Design

Kukri is slightly deflected at an angle of 20° though some examples have a very steep angle. It is 3 to 10 centimetres high, the length is 30 cm onwards, tapering towards the edge from the broad upper margin. It almost always has a single edge and almost never has a "false edge". It usually has a very thick spine and in many ways is a hybrid between knife and axe.

Kukris are sometimes forged from leaf springs taken from the suspension of trucks. Traditional kukris usually have handles made from hardwood, water buffalo horn, or cast brass. Sometimes cast aluminum is used in modern specimens. The tang usually goes through to the end of the handle. Cast handles may be on the tang by a press fit as the hot metal shrinks as it hardens. Wood and horn handles are often fastened with a kind of tree sap called laha, also known as Himalayan epoxy. Some kukris (such as the rough ones made by contractors for the modern Indian Army) have a very wide tang with handle slabs fastened on by two or more rivets, commonly called a full tang configuration.

The best traditional kukri has a hard tempered edge and a softer spine. This enables it to keep an edge, yet tolerate impacts. They are also balanced so that they will rest in a vertical position if supported on a fulcrum, e.g. a finger.

Blades are typically 30–38 cm (12–15 inches) but size varies. Blades longer than 15 inches are generally considered impractical. Ceremonial versions can be up to 70 cm (27 inches) long. Ceremonial blades used to sacrifice water buffalo are much larger.

Kukri sheaths are usually made of wood with a leather covering. The leatherwork is usually done by a sarki. Traditionally, the scabbard also holds two smaller knives called the karda and the chakmak. The karda is a small accessory blade used for many tasks. The chakmak is used to burnish the blade and it can also be used to start a fire with flint. Attached to older style scabbards there is sometimes a pouch for carrying flint or dry tinder.

Kukris usually have a notch or a pair of adjacent notches at the base of the blade, the "kaura" or "cho", situated near the handle. Various reasons are given for this, both practical and ceremonial: that it can be used to catch the strike of a sword; that it makes blood and sap drop off the blade rather than running onto the handle; that it delineates the end of the blade whilst sharpening; that it is a symbol of potency; that it represents the Hindu goddess Kali. Kukri can also have one or more fullers, including the "aunlo bal" (finger of strength/force/energy), a relatively deep and narrow fuller visible in the modern example above, as well as one or more "chirra", which may refer either to shallow fullers in the belly of the blade or a hollow grind of the edge [1]. This groove is said to symbolize the spear of the god Shiva. There are other stories about the meaning of these decorations. Very often the knifesmith will put his own maker's mark near the handle as well.

 

[edit] History

A Gurkha officer of the Gurkha Contingent, Singapore Police Force patrols around Raffles City during the 117th IOC Session. The distinctively tilted Hat Terrai Gurkha and the Kukri can be seen affixed to the back of his belt.

The kukri was used by the Gurkha forces in the Anglo-Nepal War as well as in First and Second World War. The Nepalese handle these knives from the age of five. During World War II, Gurkha recruits preferred their village smith's (kami) blade to mass-produced issue ones. The quality of the blade varies widely. They come in every size from miniatures to enormous sword-like implements. The people who make them are called Kamis (knifesmiths) and the Kamis are a member of the "untouchable" caste.

The Gurkhas, noteworthy as brave soldiers who have used the kukri as a fighting knife while in British service, are members of the Kshatriya caste. Invaders into India historically have remained there, and added to the social/ethnic/cultural life of the country. The Gurkhas are an East Asian-looking people, though it is a matter of debate when they migrated to the south side of the Himalayas, or just where in the North they migrated from.

It is a matter of debate where the design came into Nepal from or who promoted it first. It may be indigenous to the Indian region, but ancient Egypt, the Spanish Celts, and the Greeks used similar designs. One weapon of Spanish origin, the Falcata, shows some similarity with the weapon, and the Greeks used forms called the Machaira and kopis. Alexander the Great's men used weapons of this type and may have spread it into India when Alexander moved into the Punjab. Also there were Greek kings in Afghanistan and India in later centuries who kept in touch with Mediterranean culture. After the time of Julius Caesar, Roman merchants, who had a huge commercial presence in India, seem to have used tools like the khukri also, and probably were promoters of it. The Romans were always buying items such as tigers, spices, precious stones, handcrafted goods and fine steel from India during antiquity, as India had a vast population and very old civilization. That said, Roman armies never saw fit to use such a design, as the khukri did not fit with their tactics; the Roman military never got far east of Azerbaijan. Instead, the classical Romans used another short sword design that the Celtic and Basque Spanish tribes had used, the "gladius hispaniensis", which had a straight two-edged blade though sometimes it had a "wasp waist" that saved weight and increased cutting ability.

It is unknown if the Aryans had a similar weapon, but another Eurasian steppe people, the Turks, did. The Turkish forward-curving sword is called a yataghan. But the yataghan seems to have been developed independently as it first appeared in centuries after the Battle of Manzikert.

 

[edit] Usage

The kukri is considered a very effective weapon. Despite the physical resemblance to a boomerang, the kukri is not designed to be thrown; instead, the blade's distinctive kink is intended to translate and amplify lateral swipes into perpendicular motion. It is erroneously said that the knife is specifically weighted for the purpose of slitting the throat. The specific strike for which the kukri gains this reputation is difficult to accurately describe, but essentially involves striking near to the jugular with the blade near the handle, followed by a quick draw across the rest of the neck with the remainder of the blade.^{[citation needed]} In the attack, the kukri is most effective as a chopping, slashing weapon, as photographs of kukri-swinging Gurkhas, with their weaponed hands raised overhead, would seem to indicate. Still, it is more commonly used as a woodcutting tool than a weapon, and is a very common agricultural implement in Nepal. The forward curve of a kukri means that even a somewhat dull example can cut furiously. It is however, a very poor stabbing weapon. The most effective kukri is about 16 to 18 inches in overall length and weighs in at one to two pounds. Bigger examples are impractical for everyday use and are rarely found outside of collections or as ceremonial instruments. Smaller ones are of more limited utility, but very easy to carry.

A kukri

Although a popular urban legend states that a Gurkha "never sheaths his blade without first drawing blood", the kukri is most commonly employed as a multi-use utility tool, rather like a machete. It can be used for building, clearing, chopping firewood, digging, cutting meat and vegetables, skinning and also for opening tins.

The kukri also has a religious significance in Hindu religion and is blessed during the Dasain festival.

[Biggirl]

This branch of the UK army is to the UK as the Marines are to the USA. Both are very tough.

[Red Badger]

Why would Harry want to become a pickle? ;~D

Just gherkin off, I suppose.....

[hunter112]

So, what’s the point of Harry becoming a member of the Gurkhas?

That way, you can send him overseas, because he'll be surrounded by guys who can whip any raghead's ass. My ex girlfriend was in a company compound in Iraq in 2005 guarded by Gurkhas, she said they were definitely up to the task!

[Tallguy]

That’s pretty low turnover. Only 200 slots annually out of a total force of 3,500? That’s less than 6% of the force.

[Uriah_lost]

Self improvement, warrior spirit? A man that wants to challenge himself will make a great leader one day.

[gunservative]

At the end of the exercise, Harry, a 2nd lieutenant whose own unit has gone to Iraq without him because of fears for his safety, will be presented with an honorary kukri the curved knife of the Gurkhas.

"Harry will be told that when the kukri leaves its sheath it can never be returned without blood being drawn." a media report quoted an insider as saying.

Hmmmmmmmm......... What would John Kerry do?

[SJSAMPLE]

Four days training says it all.

Sadly, he really wanted to deploye with his unit.
He must be very depressed.
Maybe this training will help?

[Oberon]

I admire the guy’s gung-ho attitude, but honestly, why bother to do this?

So he knows if he's really got what it takes, or not.

Like that line from The Ghost and the Darkness:

"We'll drink, and dance, and try to convince ourselves that we're brave."
"I wouldn't think that would be a problem for you."
"You wouldn't think so...but you never really know."

[Tallguy]

I wonder if he will be truly, completely trained as a Ghurka, or if it will be some dog-and-pony show for publicity.

4-days sounds like a 'familiarization' session more than a qualification school. How much can you do in 4 days?

[GFritsch]

Reminiscences of Gunga Din!

Through the valley of death rode the five hundred!

Ah, where is Banyard Kipling when he's needed most.

[FReepaholic]

...What would John Kerry do?...

Put himself in for a Purple Heart.

[Gideon T. Reader]

The kid has balls.
If he completes his training and goes operational, he will be a REAL soldier in the most basic sense of the words.
Note: That he is in the Brecons for training.
That is the locale where the SAS does their stuff.
50 pence says he goes on to the SAS after putting in some Command qualification time with the Ghurkas.
I’m impressed.
I sincerely wish that he is NOT an idiot (as are so many of the Royal family)and is in the process of maturing.
Would THAT not be a pleasant change?

[Rb ver. 2.0]

"Four days training does not a Gurkha make."

[Tallguy]

The Blues and Royals are a “Household Cavalry Unit” but they do provide a couple of squadrons (battalions) for combat duty. I guess the closest thing we would have in the US would be the 3rd Infantry “Old Guard” which performs ceremonial duties down at Arlington/DC-area (guarding the Tomb of the Unknowns, burial details, etc). I’d resist calling that duty “posh” since those soldiers compete for those slots and work awfully hard at what they do. Probably a case of a reporter ‘reaching’ for a term out of ignorance.

[uglybiker]

What would John Kerry do?

Prick his finger and put himself in for a medal.

Or finger his.......

[swarthyguy]

One things for sure, if you kill British soldiers well and good, they'll eventually hire you.

[2001convSVT]

This may be a ploy, if the media announces to the world that Prince Harry is in training in Wales, it may give him cover to rejoin his outfit in Iraq.

[bobjam]

An aspiring Henry V

[BBell]

Maybe his girlfriend likes pickles.

[When do we get liberated?]

Stab America in the back?

[Andrew Byler]

I don’t think any Cavalry regiment in the USA could ever be called “posh”. Too funny.

Apparently you've never heard of the elitist/posh units in the US Army, such as Philadelphia's "First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry", part of the 28th infantry Division. Read on!

http://www.firsttroop.com/

[centurion316]

Through the valley of death rode the five hundred!

When citing Kipling, its considered bad form to quote Tennyson.

However, this Ruyard Kipling piece is fitting for the occasion, in my view

The Grave of the Hundred Head

There’s a widow in sleepy Chester
Who weeps for her only son;
There’s a grave on the Pabeng River,
A grave that the Burmans shun;
And there’s Subadar Prag Tewarri
Who tells how the work was done.

A Snider squibbed in the jungle,
Somebody laughed and fled,
And the men of the First Shikaris
Picked up their Subaltern dead,
With a big blue mark in his forehead
And the back blown out of his head.

Subadar Prag Tewarri,
Jemadar Hira Lal,
Took command of the party,
Twenty rifles in all,
Marched them down to the river
As the day was beginning to fall.

They buried the boy by the river,
A blanket over his face —
They wept for their dead Lieutenant,
The men of an alien race —
They made a samadh in his honor,
A mark for his resting-place.

For they swore by the Holy Water,
They swore by the salt they ate,
That the soul of Lieutenant Eshmitt Sahib
Should go to his God in state,
With fifty file of Burmans
To open him Heaven’s gate.

The men of the First Shikaris
Marched till the break of day,
Till they came to the rebel village,
The village of Pabengmay —
A jingal covered the clearing,
Calthrops hampered the way.

Subadar Prag Tewarri,
Bidding them load with ball,
Halted a dozen rifles
Under the village wall;
Sent out a flanking-party
With Jemadar Hira Lal.

The men of the First Shikaris
Shouted and smote and slew,
Turning the grinning jingal
On to the howling crew.
The Jemadar’s flanking-party
Butchered the folk who flew.

Long was the morn of slaughter,
Long was the list of slain,
Five score heads were taken,
Five score heads and twain;
And the men of the First Shickaris
Went back to their grave again,

Each man bearing a basket
Red as his palms that day,
Red as the blazing village —
The village of Pabengmay,
And the “drip-drip-drip” from the baskets
Reddened the grass by the way.

They made a pile of their trophies
High as a tall man’s chin,
Head upon head distorted,
Set in a sightless grin,
Anger and pain and terror
Stamped on the smoke-scorched skin.

Subadar Prag Tewarri
Put the head of the Boh
On the top of the mound of triumph,
The head of his son below —
With the sword and the peacock-banner
That the world might behold and know.

Thus the samadh was perfect,
Thus was the lesson plain
Of the wrath of the First Shikaris —
The price of a white man slain;
And the men of the First Shikaris
Went back into camp again.

Then a silence came to the river,
A hush fell over the shore,
And Bohs that were brave departed,
And Sniders squibbed no more;
For the Burmans said
That a white man’s head
Must be paid for with heads five-score.

There’s a widow in sleepy Chester
Who weeps for her only son;
There’s a grave on the Pabeng River,
A grave that the Burmans shun;
And there’s Subadar Prag Tewarri
Who tells how the work was done.

[theDentist]

I admire the guy’s gung-ho attitude, but honestly, why bother to do this?

In his case, since they won't let him join his unit in Iraq, he's likely trying to firm up his service record in another fashion. You know 20-30 years from now people will be questioning why he wasn't with his unit in Iraq, and it's better than someone suggesting he was a royal couch potato.

[GreenLanternCorps]

This branch of the UK army is to the UK as the Marines are to the USA. Both are very tough.

Actually, while the Gurkha's are tough troops. I would say that the Royal Marines are the UK equivalent of the US Marine Corps.

[ccmay]

Now, the Gurkhas say, it is used mainly for cooking

Hmm, from what I hear, more than one Taliban sentry has silently lost his head to a kukri in the past few years.

-ccm

[singletrack]

My father served alongside some Ghurka units in Italy during WW2. The story about “always drawing blood” is a myth, but what struck me was his comments about them being very small men and “jolly”. With a “this is GREAT fun” attitude towards war. Also very fierce fighters and coming from a member of the FSSF that is high praise.

[ccmay]

That way, you can send him overseas, because he'll be surrounded by guys who can whip any raghead's ass.

I wouldn't be surprised if he had come to some arrangment where he'd do a tour of duty in Afghanistan with the Ghurkas or some other elite regiment, but it wouldn't be announced to the world until he'd returned safely home. Hell, he may be there right now. He REALLY wants to see some combat and I say good for him.

-ccm

[Lexington Green]

I am Gurkha - Fear me

[Chode]

good for him... but, only 4 days is not joining the Gurkhas, nor does it a Gurkha make.

[tet68]

I remember reading a story from WW 1 about a Ghurka
returning from patrol with a German’s FACE in his hand.
Also a story about a Ghurka who really liked plum jam
or “pozzy” as it was known then.
A british cook told him he’d give him some if he brought back the head of a hun, the next morning there was a sandbag
with the head of a german in it. “You got Pozzy for Tommy now?”

[tet68]

Actually I would suppose this cements the relationship of the royal family and the Ghurkas even tighter, a great honor for both.

[Ecliptic]

I was thinking more along the lines that maybe Prince ‘arry is already in the war zone and all this training is a cover...??

[design engineer]

Kipling and those pompous white colonialists could never look beyond the fact that non-white races who opposed British colonialism were merely trying to protect their cultures from foreign invaders. They thought it was a moral obligation for his superior race to civilize the rest of the world that they deemed “inferior”. His arrogance is reflected in his insulting references to each and every non-servile, non-white people.

Kipling expects an ideal “colored man” to be in the service of the “white man”, which borrowed heavily from the concept of Aryan/Anglo-saxon supremacy or latter Nazi concept of Ubermenschen. Its a pity that the Gurkhas never realized what kind of tools they had become in forging a Brutal empire over the graves of millions of innocents.

While Gurkhas are a fierce warrior group, their mindless obsequiousness to the British empire resulted in such heinous atrocities like Jalianwala Bagh in colonial India. Savage, cold blooded killers like Gen. Dyer were atleast as scummy as Osama bin laden and yet colonialists like Kipling eulogize them while a bunch of morally bankrupt Gurkhas followed him goaded on by their slavish mindset. The Gurkhas slaughtered over a 1000 innocent sikh men, women and children as young as 3 who were peacefully gathered following Gandhi’s non-violent movement. They demonstrated that they lacked a soul to even be quantified as human beings as they simply did what Dyer told them to, in tune with their glorious heritage of slavishness to the white man.

Being a soldier doesnt imply relinquishing your sense of conscience, just like being a doctor shouldnt let you treat abortion as a “mere medical procedure”.

The Gurkhas might make fine soldiers, but such people wouldnt qualify as good human beings. In the end all of us are gonna be judged by God almighty alone and whether he is a fine soldier, engineer or doctor wouldnt matter if we have the blood of innocents on their hands. What would you tell God on judgement day ? “I was following orders ?”

[MinorityRepublican]

Prince Harry should resign from the army.

[SJSAMPLE]

I think he’s an honorable guy, so that might just make the statement that needs to be made.

“Play me or trade me.”