List of Brigade of Gurkhas recipients of the Victoria Cross

The Victoria Cross

The Victoria Cross (VC) is a military decoration that may be bestowed upon members of the British or Commonwealth armed forces for acts of valour or gallantry performed in the face of the enemy. Within the British honours system and those of many Commonwealth nations it is the highest award a soldier can receive for actions in combat. It was established in 1856 and since then has been awarded 1,356 times, including three service personnel who were awarded the VC twice.

The British Army's Brigade of Gurkhas, a group of units composed of Nepalese soldiers—although originally including British officers—has been a part of the Army since 1815. When raised it originally focused on conflicts in the Far East, but the transfer of Hong Kong from British to Chinese hands necessitated that the brigade move its base to the UK. A battalion is still maintained in Brunei and as of 2009, units serve in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Balkans.

Gurkha Soldiers (1896)

Since the VC was introduced it has been awarded to Gurkhas or British officers serving with Gurkha regiments 26 times. The first award was made in 1858 to a British officer of the Gurkhas, John Tytler, during the campaigns that followed the Indian Rebellion of 1857, while the first award to a native Gurkha, Kulbir Thapa, was in 1915 during the First World War. When the Victoria Cross was initially established, Gurkhas, along with all other native troops of the British East India Company Army or the British Indian Army, were not eligible for the decoration and as such, up until 1911, all of the Gurkha recipients of the award were British officers who were attached to Gurkha regiments. Until that time the highest award that Gurkhas were eligible for was the Indian Order of Merit. Since 1911 however, of the 16 VCs awarded to men serving with Gurkha regiments, 13 have been bestowed upon native Gurkhas. The most recent award was made in 1965 to Rambahadur Limbu, during the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation. Along with the Royal Green Jackets, the Gurkha Regiments are one of the most heavily decorated Commonwealth regiments.

In 1950, when India became a republic, Gurkhas serving in the Gurkha regiments of the Indian Army lost their eligibility for the Victoria Cross and they are now covered under the separate Indian honours system. Under this system the Param Vir Chakra (PVC), which is India's highest military decoration for valour, is considered to be equivalent to the Victoria Cross. As such only those serving in the Gurkha units of the British Army remain eligible for the Victoria Cross.

Recipients

      This along with the *, indicates that the Victoria Cross was awarded posthumously.

Name	Unit	Date of action	Conflict	Place of action
Tytler, JohnJohn Tytler	00166th Bengal Native Infantry later 1st King George V's Own Gurkha Rifles	1858	Indian Rebellion of 1857	IndiaChoorpoorah, India
Macintyre, DonaldDonald Macintyre	002Bengal Staff Corps attached to 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles	1872	Looshai Expedition	IndiaLalgnoora, India
Channer, GeorgeGeorge Channer	001Bengal Staff Corps attached to 1st King George V's Own Gurkha Rifles	1875	Perak War	MalayaPerak, Malaya
Cook, JohnJohn Cook	005Bengal Staff Corps attached to 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles	1878	Second Afghan War	AfghanistanPeiwar Kotal, Afghanistan
Ridgeway, RichardRichard Ridgeway	008Bengal Staff Corps attached to 8th Gurkha Rifles	1879	Basuto War	IndiaKonoma, India
Grant, CharlesCharles Grant	008Indian Staff Corps attached to 8th Gurkha Rifles	1891	Manipur Expedition	BurmaThobal, Burma
Boisragon, GuyGuy Boisragon	005Indian Staff Corps attached to 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles	1891	Hunza–Naga campaign	IndiaNilt Fort, India
Manners Smith, JohnJohn Manners Smith	005Indian Staff Corps attached to 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles	1891	Hunza–Naga campaign	IndiaNilt Fort, India
Walker, WilliamWilliam Walker	0044th Prince of Wales' Own Gurkha Rifles	1903	Third Somaliland Expedition	SomalilandDaratoleh, Somaliland
Grant, JohnJohn Grant	0088th Gurkha Rifles	1904	British expedition to Tibet	TibetGyantse Jong, Tibet
Thapa, KulbirKulbir Thapa	0033rd Queen Alexandra's Own Gurkha Rifles	1915	First World War	FranceFauquissart, France
Wheeler, GeorgeGeorge Wheeler	0099th Gurkha Rifles	1917	First World War	MesopotamiaShumran, Mesopotamia
Rana, KaranbahadurKaranbahadur Rana	0033rd Queen Alexandra's Own Gurkha Rifles	1918	First World War	EgyptEl Kefr, Egypt
Thapa, LalbahadurLalbahadur Thapa	0022nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles	1943	Second World War	TunisiaRass-es-Zouai, Tunisia
Ghale, GajeGaje Ghale	0055th Royal Gurkha Rifles	1943	Second World War	BurmaChin Hills, Burma
Allmand, MichaelMichael Allmand	006Indian Armoured Corps attached to 6th Gurkha Rifles	1944*	Second World War	BurmaPin Hmi Road Bridge, Burma
Pun, TulbahadurTulbahadur Pun	0066th Gurkha Rifles	1944	Second World War	BurmaMogaung, Burma
Thapa, NetrabahadurNetrabahadur Thapa	0055th Royal Gurkha Rifles	1944*	Second World War	BurmaBishenpur, Burma
Thapa, Sher BahadurSher Bahadur Thapa	0099th Gurkha Rifles	1944*	Second World War	ItalySan Marino, Italy
Rai, AgansingAgansing Rai	0055th Royal Gurkha Rifles	1944	Second World War	BurmaBishenpur, Burma
Gurung, ThamanThaman Gurung	0055th Royal Gurkha Rifles	1944*	Second World War	ItalyMonte San Bartolo, Italy
Blaker, FrankFrank Blaker	009Highland Light Infantry attached to 9th Gurkha Rifles	1944*	Second World War	BurmaTaunggyi, Burma
Lama, GanjuGanju Lama	0077th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles	1944	Second World War	BurmaNingthoukhong, Burma
Gurung, LachhimanLachhiman Gurung	0088th Gurkha Rifles	1945	Second World War	BurmaTaungdaw, Burma
Gurung, BhanbhagtaBhanbhagta Gurung	0022nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles	1945	Second World War	BurmaSnowdon East, Tamandu, Burma
Limbu, RambahadurRambahadur Limbu	01010th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles	1965	Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation	BorneoSarawak, Borneo

References

Specific

General

• Parker, John (2005). The Gurkhas: The Inside Story of the World's Most Feared Soldiers. Headline Book Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7553-1415-7. 

External links

• Ministry of Defence website, providing details on Gurkha Brigade