Osprey - Men-at-Arms 041 The Gurkhas(ocr) [Osprey MaA 041].pdf

(2554 KB) Pobierz
MEN-AT-ARMS SERIES
EDITOR: MARTIN WINDROW
ALBAN BOOK SERVICES
The
Gurkha Rifles
Text by
J. B. R. N I C H O L S O N
Color plates by
M I C H A E L R O F F E
HIPPOCRENE
BOOKS, INC.
© Copyright 1974 Osprey Publishing Ltd
All rights reserved. No part of this publication
may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted, in any form or by
any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise, without the prior
information of the publisher. For information
write to:
Hippocrene Books, Inc.
171 Madison Avenue
New York, N.Y. 10016
First published in the United States 1974
First published in Great Britain in 1974 by
Osprey Publishing Ltd, P . O . Box 25,
707 Oxford Road, Reading, Berkshire
I am grateful to all those who have helped me
compile this brief and inadequate account of some
outstanding soldiers. It is not possible to mention
them all - they range from the unknown artist
of our first illustration to the men who compiled
regimental histories, from those who took or
carefully kept old photographs to the compilers of
dress regulations. Amongst the living I would like
to thank the National Army Museum for their
patient assistance, notably Mr W. Y. C a r m a n for
his book
Indian Army Uniforms;
Messrs R. J.
Marrion a n d D. S. V. Fosten who, in their special
number of the magazine
Tradition,
blazed a p a t h ;
Mr A. Caton for invaluable assistance in ferreting
in general; Mr J o h n Gaylor of the Military
Historical Society, who brought useful material to
my notice, and of course those who have permitted
the use of illustrative material. My greatest debt
is to the officers and men of those Gurkha regiments
alongside w h o m I had the honour to serve, whose
kindness I remember with gratitude and whose
efficiency and invariable cheerfulness I recollect
with admiration.
Printed in Great Britain
The Gurkha Rifles
Introduction
In present-day language the term 'Gurkha' is
applied indiscriminately and inaccurately to the
entire population of Nepal, although ethnographi-
cally the name should be applied only to the
members of the old state of Goorkha which forms
only a small part of the kingdom of Nepal. The
Nepalese are divided into various clans and reli-
gions, as varied as any European country in their
variety of accents and local dialects. There are In northern India the plains at the foot of the
the Aryan and Rajput clans which spread to Nepal mountains between the Rivers Teesta and Sutlej
during the fighting to suppress the Mongolians, had been occupied by a number of petty rulers
bringing with them the Hinduism which sup- who, during the course of the eighteenth century
planted Buddhism. Of the Mongolian tribes became nominal tributaries of the Mogul Emperor
remaining in Nepal, the two major clans, the and received an equally nominal protection from
Magar and the Gurung, were both subdivided aggression. From time immemorial it has been
into many subclans or sects. In eastern Nepal two the custom for hill tribes to raid the peoples of the
further tribes of Mongolian origin resided, the plains, and this area was no exception. Many of
Limbos and the Rais. Those Nepalese of Aryan the hill tribes had managed to retain their in-
stock claiming Rajput descent are generally known dependence both during and after the great
as Khas Gurkhas, and include the Khas and expansion of the Mogul Empire, and the ruler of
T h a k u r tribes.
one of these tribes was the first to take note of and
Nepal itself is an independent kingdom sand- apply the lessons of the early British victories in
wiched between the north-eastern border of India Bengal. Prithi Narayan Sah was ruler of a small
and the mountains of Tibet. It occupies some 5,500 state situated to the north-west of Nepal, and,
square miles along the Himalayas - a mountainous impressed by British success, he raised and disci-
country with few roads. This terrain has affected plined a body of troops after the European fashion.
the physical characteristics of the people, giving T h e name of his little principality was Goorka.
them the sturdy build and muscular legs developed
When his troops were ready for action he
by all hill peoples; and the Mongolian cast of proceeded to wage war upon his neighbours with
features is unmistakable.
remarkable success, and in 1762 had the satis-
The Gurkhas have always got on extremely well faction of trouncing the Nabob of Moorshedabad,
with British troops and especially with Scottish Mir Cossim Ali, who had taken up the cudgels on
Highlanders, with whom they seem to have a behalf of some of the weaker local chiefs. An
natural affinity. Their good humour is proverbial; expedition mounted by the government of Bengal
and it is not without significance that it is said to assist the Rajah of Nepal was no more successful.
Prithi Narayan Sah died in 1771, but his policies
there are no locks in a Gurkha village.
(A note on spelling:
many words which crop up and methods were continued with equal success
repeatedly in this text are English transliterations by his successors. The Gogra River was crossed
from languages which are purely phonetic. Spell-
ings have changed over the years, as English usage
has changed - e.g. kukri, kukerie, khukri, Gurkha,
Goorkha, etc. I have tried to be consistently
inconsistent, by following the spelling of the period
in question.)
Early History
3
Group of Gurkhas in native dress, 1815; they are dressed
a l m o s t entirely in white. The m a i n interest lies in the
variety of headgear, s o m e of which appear a shade
bizarre. The kukri is prominent among the weapons; note
also the shield, which appeared as late as 1858 in the newly
raised Hazara Battalion, later the 5th Gurkha Rifles.
(India Office Library)
and the state of Kumaon seized, and attempts were
even made to occupy Kashmir. When the king-
dom of Oude finally came under British control,
minor chieftains were left in undisturbed possession
of their domains on payment of a fixed tribute.
The method of the Gurkhas was slightly different.
As each state was conquered the ruling family was
exterminated and the Gurkhas usurped all rights
and claims of the former rulers. It was inevitable
that sooner or later they should come into contact
with rulers who were in point of fact subjects of
the British or under their protection. Thus endless
complaints were made to the government, com-
plaints treated with some degree of circumspection,
since it was considered desirable to conciliate the
Gurkhas. Their ruler was at this time a minor and
the power of the state was in the hands of a
powerful military clique of which the core was a
family called Thappa. One member of the family,
Bheem Sein, held the office of Prime Minister,
while his brother, U m u r Sing, was Commander-
in-Chief of the army.
The Gurkhas were supremely self-confident.
They themselves were unbeatable and their
mountain fastnesses impregnable. T h e British
presence caused them no qualms, and they saw no
reason to abate their policy of expansion.
The Nepal War
It was during the second administration of Lord
Cornwallis that the Gurkha tribes achieved well-
nigh complete dominance over the territories
bordering the frontiers of Nepal. Many of the local
chiefs had, for a variety of reasons, become feuda-
tories of the British, while the pacific attitude of
the British virtually encouraged aggression. The
Gurkhas raided at will and seized Bhootwal, an
area on the borders of the kingdom of Oude. In
1813 the lion roared - the British demanded the
immediate restoration of all occupied territories.
The reply was a flat refusal. The new Governor-
4

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika:

Zgłoś jeśli naruszono regulamin