Posted on 10/01/2008 4:41:40 PM PDT by milestogo
The debt we owe the Gurkhas
Lance Corporal Ram Bahadur Limbu won his Victoria Cross in a mostly forgotten war, the Indonesian Confrontation, in Borneo in 1965.
First, he charged a machine-gun nest, knocking it out with a hand grenade. Then he made two forays into open ground to rescue wounded comrades, and another to retrieve a Bren gun. He used it to charge down and kill what was left of the enemy.
When I decided to look up Lance Corporal Limbu a few years ago, it was a simple matter to find him – I just went to his hometown in eastern Nepal and asked for "VC".
Naik (the equivalent of "corporal") Agansing Rai won his VC fighting the Japanese near the India-Burma border in 1944. "Under withering fire the naik and his party charged a machine gun, he himself killing three of the crew," his citation reads." The first position having been taken, he then led a dash on a machine-gun firing from the jungle, where he killed three of the crew, his men accounting for the rest. He subsequently tackled an isolated bunker single-handed, killing all four occupants. The enemy were now so demoralised that they fled and the second post was recaptured."
Such tales of valour have spawned a whole genre of military histories, often written by retired British officers. They have also been used as propaganda: during the Falklands War, a photo of Gurkhas queuing at a grindstone to sharpen their khukuris was released to the Chilean media. As hoped, it found its way to Argentina.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
I believe I heard that they served the UK as somewhat elite combat troops, but ended up with paltry, third world pensions.
However, I have only the foggiest notion of the details.
I do recall that the Gurkha's routed the Argentines in the Falkland Is. war, however. The S. American troops were quite terrified of them.
Havildar Bhanbhagta Gurung, VC
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article3477202.ece
Gurkha who was decorated for his courage and skill in capturing a Japanese position in fierce hand-to-hand fighting
Bhanbhagta Gurung won his Victoria Cross in Burma in 1945. His action was the culmination of a series of extraordinarily gallant actions by this soldier of quite exceptional courage, yet it occurred while he was in disgrace, albeit unjustly.
Born in the hill village of Phalbu in western Nepal, he was recruited into the old Indian Army soon after the outbreak of the Second World War, and joined 3rd Battalion 2nd King Edward VII’s Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles). He first saw action with Brigadier Orde Wingate’s Chindit expedition into Upper Burma in March 1943, having received early promotion to Lance-Naik (Lance-Corporal).
He was with Wingate’s Number 4 Column, which had crossed the Chindwin and was on its deep penetration march behind the Japanese lines, when it was ambushed by elements of the very experienced Japanese 33rd Division and forced to disperse. Wingate had ordered his columns to do this when faced with overwhelming numerical superiority, but Bhanbhagta survived that day to be given further promotion to Naik (Corporal).
By the end of the first Chindit operation Bhanbhagta’s battalion had been very badly damaged and needed months of training and refitting. It was not until March 1944 that it was sent to Arakan to take part in the 25th Indian Division’s thrust down the Mayu Range, running parallel with the coast and leading to the strategically important port and airfield of Akyab. In the costly but ultimately successful fighting for what was known as the “Tiger” feature in September 1944, he did well while commanding a rifle section but then his luck changed and he was faced with disgrace
His platoon commander, a Gurkha officer, sent him with his section to establish a picquet position on what turned out to be the wrong hill. The battalion commander was furious when reports reached him that the correct hill had not been secured as he intended. Bhanbhagta was charged with neglect of duty but all he would say in his defence was that he was certain he was on the hill he had been ordered to hold. His platoon commander remained silent and Bhanbhagta was reduced to the ranks and transferred to another company under a cloud.
In a subsequent action when a fellow rifleman was badly wounded, Bhanbhagta demonstrated his physical as well as moral strength by carrying him on his back for three miles over difficult jungle tracks to the company base.
The action for which he was awarded the VC followed 25th Indian Division’s landing at Ru-ywa on the Burma coast, an operation designed to divert Japanese attention away from General Sir William Slim’s main offensive towards Mandalay in February 1945. 25th Division’s advance to the Irrawaddy through the An pass was fiercely opposed by part of the Japanese 54th Division holding a series of hill features, including one code-named “Snowdon East”, near the village of Tamandu. 3rd/2nd Gurkha Rifles fought for two days to take and hold Snowdon but might have been denied their victory had it not been for Bhanbhagta.
The battalion’s supporting artillery had to cease firing when the leading rifle platoons began to incur casualties from supporting rounds falling short, because of crest clearance difficulties. The section of which Bhanbhagta was a member was then pinned down by machinegun fire, and a Japanese sniper in a tree added to the menace.
Unable to get the required rifle elevation from the prone position, Bhanbhagta stood up and shot the sniper dead. After that the section advanced until, 20 yards from the objective, it was held up again. Without waiting for orders and shouting for the rest of the section to follow, Bhanbhagta charged towards the top of the hill. He threw two grenades into an enemy fox hole directly above him, killing the two occupants before rushing to the next enemy trench which he cleared with the bayonet.
Savage hand-to-hand fighting then ensued with no quarter given. Bhanbhagta cleared two more foxholes single-handed. For a fifth time he went forward alone and leapt on the roof of a bunker to throw two phosphorous grenades into the slit. Two burning and partially blinded Japanese ran out and he killed them both with his kukri.
Crawling into it, he crushed the surviving machine gunner’s head with a rock, as there was insufficient room to swing his kukri. He then organised a Bren light machinegun to fire from the bunker, and his leadership of this small party was largely responsible for repelling the subsequent enemy counter-attack.
Snowdon East was taken but Bhanbhagta’s company lost half its men dead and wounded; 66 Japanese dead were counted. Bhanbhagta was awarded the Victoria Cross and the 2nd Gurkha Rifles the battle honour “Tamandu” to add to their many others.
After the war, Bhanbhagta’s company commander tried to persuade him to stay in the regiment, but having only a frail mother and young wife to care for his land and stock at Phalbu, he decided that he must return home. He left the Army in 1946, having regained the rank of Naik, but within a few years his regiment honoured him with the title of Havildar (Sergeant). The King of Nepal awarded him the Medal of the Order of the Star of Nepal. His three sons followed him into the 2nd Gurkha Rifles and are now pensioners.
Bhanbhagta Gurung, VC was a smiling, hard-swearing, gallant and indomitable peasant soldier who, in a battalion of very brave men, was one of the bravest.
The young wife whom he left the service to rejoin died before him. He is survived by his three sons.
His death leaves 11 surviving holders of the Victoria Cross.
Havildar Bhanbhagta Gurung, VC, 2nd King Edward VII’s Own Gurkha Rifles, was born in September 1921. He died on March 1, 2008, aged 86
Have your say:
My gosh, we are often told that the Gurkhas are not an enemy one would wish to face but i think this really brings the point home! What a brave, gutsy man - may he rest in peace!
Jay, London,
A brave man. Thanks for your loyal service to this country.
Paul , uxbridge, UK
Rest in Peace
Geoff, Lichfield,
Lucy, London
You sound like someone who would not fight Nazism. Or let someone else do it for you. Coward. It’s all very well being a hippy until the jackboots are kicking your door in.
Phil, Manama,
Living in the home town where the Gurkas are based it is diabolical that they do not get the same pension rights as the rest of the British Army. These soldiers and their families are a pleasure to have in Folkestone. There is never any trouble from them at all and they are polite and friendly people.
When you consider the amount of Eastern Europeans over here, scrounging of state benefits and being given everything it is deplorable, but so are the Labour party !!!!
david , Folkestone, Kent
Simple fact, this brave guy and many others ‘from the colonies(?)’ fought and died for Britain when we needed it most. We owe a huge debt of honour to them and as such they have the same rights as any other British soldier. To not give them these rights is an embarrassment to Britain.
James, Lincoln , UK
He sounds like a psychopath to me.
lucy, london, uk
Yes it is very sad indeed!!! The British system of Govermnent today in the changing face of democracy is one which derserves accolades but this is no way to treat your ‘subjects’. Our community has served the British loyally for close to two centuries. Is this what we deserve? Don’t you think it is discrimination to the limit. Citizens of London ‘Awake, Arise and fight the Injustice’ that is being meted out. The sacrifices that our people made for the British bears testimony to our sincerity and loyality.
Pratap Chhetri, Aizawl, , India
My father fought in the WW2 and told me that the Gurkhas were the bravest fighting force he ever fought with. I hopethis present Govt realises the debt this country owes this brave bunch of sdiers. The sooner they are awarded the full rights of “NORMAL” British soldiers and allowed the same Pension and residence rights the better.
Chris, Bristol, England
I am in awe from Virginia USA! I feel a debt to this great ordinary? man.
Harris, Waynesboro, Virginia/USA
Havaldar Bhanubhakta Gurung was a Nepali national who fought on behalf of the British army against the Japanese invasion. This extraordinarily brave man and his countless countrymen fought in a war where many of his brothers in arms lost their lives and limbs. As the saying goes, it is a noble act of gallantry to fight for your country, but what do you say to a man who fought for a country that was not his and died fifty years later still wondering if the country that he fought for even cares about his sacrifices?
Saj, Philadelphia, USA
I agree with Pazz the Govt of the United Kingdom should honor our war heroes and we should have a museum for them and show what they did for freedom.
Raj, London, UK
God bless your soul Havildar Bhanbhagta Gurung VC. Rest in peace. We are all indebted to you, for your service and bravery.You will always live through your actions in the hearts of people who understand your selfless duty to your regiment and your family.
Abdul Salam, London, Great Britain
Thank God we had men like this on our side fighting the Japanese. God Bless that man , may his sons always be proud of their ‘VC ‘ dad
lighty,widnes
mike, widnes,
Superb life story...and I hope that somewhere out there, someone in his family realises that there are people in London reading this and thinking “Wow. This guy was amazing.”
Andy, London,
What a guy!
We ought to have a hall of fame for these heroes as a reminder to the selfless acts these people did on behalf of freedom.
pazz, London, UK
The guys are some of the best fighters to ever put of a uniform of any colour! They now have what they have for far too long been denied! GOOD!
/johnny
The Gurkhas are a fierce and proud lot. I would be careful blaming Britain for how they were treated as we have Montagnards just as fierce and as loyal to us sitting in Cambodia refugee camps while the UNHC for refugees seeks to send them back to Vietnam.
having served along side them they are a great set of soldiers and should have been given the same treatment as we received off the Govt
Actually we should have all got more off our Govt, we get no VA loans no VA hospitals no free college Nada we get
I remember a dispatch from the Falkland War:
A large group of Argentinians , ready to surrender, saw a see of green advancing. They moved forward to ‘meet them halfway.’ When they found out they were surrendering to brown men (the Gurkhas) not white men, they ran to the opposite direction. (This group of Argentines were later ‘rescued’ by regular British troops).
It’s disgraceful that it took legal intervention to force the government to do the right thing...
btt
Like the Brits, we still have a powerful segment of our population that would treat all our veterans like lepers. Over thirty years ago, we were promised free medical care at no cost to us, and that promise was never fulfilled. The Supreme Court said that Congress would have to pass a law to fund it, which, of course, they never got around to doing. But I expect you know that as well as I do. We skunked quite a few of our allies and friends. The Kurds in Iraq, for instance, considerably more recently.
Gurkhas have been in Iraq for the duration, guarding many of the coalition bases and manning checkpoints. They are considered the best of the best here.
I would fight next to any Gurkha any time any where. They are truly honorable soldiers.
I agree. I just do not think all Vets after about 54-55 were promised VA health care for life unlesss wounded in action, injured in service, or service connected.
I know that the recruiters in my hometown certainly were, not VA, but free medical care. That was in 1973. I ever meet TSgt Clifton T. Angel, Jr. in a dark alley, one of us isn't walking out.
Despite his lies, I stayed in for 24, and enjoyed nearly every minute of it.
He lied, and; you retired. You have Tricare. I would agree that retired, even if CAT 7 or 8, should get VA care. I just do not like the 2-4 year types expecting VA care for life without any SC condition. I am sending my DAV life membership back over their sponsoring this plan.
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