5th Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force), also abbreviated as 5 GR(FF) is an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and m ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

of the

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four ...

comprising

Gurkha The Gurkhas or Gorkhas (), with endonym Gorkhali ), are soldiers native to the Indian subcontinent, Indian Subcontinent, chiefly residing within Nepal and some parts of Northeast India. The Gurkha units are composed of Nepalis and Indian Go ...

soldiers of

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is ma ...

ese origin. It was formed in 1858 as part of the British Indian Army. The regiment's battalions served in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...

(

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the F ...

) and

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

( Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran,

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on th ...

, Italian campaign, and in Burma). The regiment was known as the 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force) when it was one of the

regiments that was transferred to the Indian Army following independence of Indian and Pakistan in 1947 and given its current name in 1950. Since 1947, the regiment has served in a number of conflicts, including the

Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 or the Second Kashmir War was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between Pakistan and India. The conflict began following Pakistan's Operation Gibraltar, which was d ...

and the

Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military confrontation between India and Pakistan that occurred during the Bangladesh Liberation War in East Pakistan from 3 December 1971 until the Pakistani capitulation in Dhaka on 16 Dec ...

. It has also participated in peacekeeping operations in Sri Lanka.

History

19th century

The regiment was raised in 1858 as the 25th Native Punjab Infantry, also known as the "

Hazara Hazara may refer to: Ethnic groups * The Hazaras, a Persian-speaking people of Afghanistan and Pakistan * Aimaq Hazara, Aimaq's subtribe of Hazara origin * Hazarawals, a Hindko-speaking people of the Hazara region of northern Pakistan * Hazar ...

Goorkha Battalion". The soldiers of the regiment originated from the

Kingdom of Nepal The Kingdom of Nepal ( ne, नेपाल अधिराज्य), also known as the Gorkha Empire ( ne, गोरखा अधिराज्य) or Asal Hindustan ( ne, असल हिन्दुस्तान)(), was a Hindu kin ...

and in 1861 it was renamed the 5th Gurkha Regiment. The regiment's first major action was during the

Second Afghan War The Second Anglo-Afghan War (Dari: جنگ دوم افغان و انگلیس, ps, د افغان-انګرېز دويمه جګړه) was a military conflict fought between the British Raj and the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the l ...

, where they were awarded their first battle honour at Peiwar Kotal and Captain John Cook was awarded the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

.Gaylor, p.233 In 1891 the regiment was awarded the prestigious title of a Rifle regiment and became 5th Gurkha (Rifle) Regiment which was shortened to 5th Gurkha Rifles in 1901. The regiment spent most of its time up to the end of the 19th century based in the

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

as part of the Punjab Frontier Force ( PIF or PIFFER), and its regimental centre was at the frontier hill town of

Abbottabad Abbottabad (; Urdu, Punjabi language(HINDKO dialect) آباد, translit=aibṭabād, ) is the capital city of Abbottabad District in the Hazara region of eastern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is the 40th largest city in Pakistan and fourth ...

, in the

region of North-West Frontier Province (now

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

). This connection was reflected when in 1903, the regiment was renamed the 5th Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force).

First World War

Gurkha Rifles in bivouacs, Gallipoli, 1915

During the

, the regiment primarily saw service in the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

—the 1st Battalion saw extensive and hard service at Gallipoli in 1915 (where seven officers and 129 men were killed in the first few hours after the battalion landed). During the withdrawal, a company of the 5th Gurkhas were among the last troops to leave. The 2nd Battalion initially served in India with the

2nd (Rawalpindi) Division The 2nd (Rawalpindi) Division was a regular army division of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1903 after the Kitchener reforms of the Indian Army. During World War I it remained in India for local defence but it was mobilised for acti ...

before transferring to

in April 1916 and joining the

42nd Indian Brigade The 42nd Indian Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Indian Army that saw active service with the Indian Army during the First World War. It served in the Mesopotamian Campaign on the Euphrates Front throughout its existence. It w ...

15th Indian Division The 15th Indian Division was an infantry division of the British Indian Army that saw active service in the First World War. It served in the Mesopotamian Campaign on the Euphrates Front throughout its existence. It did not serve in the Second ...

. The 1st Battalion joined them in March 1917 from the 1st (Peshawar) Division and both battalions fought together at the

action of Khan Baghdadi The action of Khan Baghdadi was an engagement during the Mesopotamian campaign in World War I. Khan Baghdadi The 15th Indian Division had been at Ramadi since its capture of the town in September 1917. On 9 March 1918, it advanced and occupi ...

. A 3rd Battalion was raised for service on the North-West Frontier, before being disbanded in 1921.Gaylor, p.234

Inter-War period

In 1921, the regiment was given the title the 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles, in recognition of its service during the

. During the inter-war period, the regiment received three further battle honours, for the Third Afghan War in 1919, and two for service on the North West Frontier. The regiment together with the 13th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers were the only units awarded such honours.

Second World War

During the

, the 1st Battalion 5th Gurkhas as part of the 8th Indian Infantry Division's

17th Indian Infantry Brigade The 17th Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. History It was formed in November 1940, at the Delhi Cantonment in India and assigned to the 8th Indian Infantry Division. They were se ...

served in the Mediterranean and Middle East Theatre (including the Italian Campaign). Rifleman

Thaman Gurung Thaman Gurung VC (2 October 1924 – 10 November 1944) was a Nepalese 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 for ...

of the 1st Battalion won the

while serving in Italy. The 2nd Battalion served in the

Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The te ...

in the Burma Campaign as part of the 17th Indian Infantry Division and was involved in the retreat of the British Indian Army from

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

, they were one of four battalions chosen to fight as the rearguard at the Sittang River, which formed the border with India. When the bridge over the river was blown up, preventing the Japanese forces from entering India, many of the regiment were left on the wrong side. The regiment was involved in the re-entry into Burma in 1943 where three members of the regiment were awarded the

. After the war, the 2nd Battalion was re-issued with new uniforms, equipment and transport and posted to

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

in Japan as part of the

British Commonwealth Occupation Force The British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF) was the British Commonwealth taskforce consisting of Australian, British, Indian and New Zealand military forces in occupied Japan, from 1946 until the end of occupation in 1952. At its pea ...

. The 4th Battalion was raised in 1941 and also served in the Burma Campaign as part of the

7th Indian Infantry Division The 7th Infantry Division is a war-formed infantry division, part of the British Indian Army that saw service in the Burma Campaign. History The division was created on 1 October 1940 at Attock, under the command of Major General Arthur Wake ...

, fighting in five epic battles at North Arakan, Buthidaung ( Battle of the Admin Box), Kohima, Pakkoku (Irrawaddy), and Sittang. The battalion had the unique distinction of getting four Battle Honours for the five battles fought. Major I M Brown of the 4th Battalion was one of the few soldiers of the Second World War who was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

three times.

Post Independence

Yudh Abhyas 2013, 2nd Batallion, 5th Gurkha Rifles

On Independence, the 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force) was one of the six Gurkha regiments that remained part of the new Indian Army; they were renamed the 5th Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force) in 1950. The Regiment now has a total of six Battalions and has participated in virtually every major action the Indian Army has undertaken in its four wars with

, including the first heliborne operations undertaken by the army during the 1971 war. The regiment has participated in the following actions: * Indo-Pak War of 1947–48 *

* Battle of Topa (Jammu and Kashmir) * Battle of Atgram (East Pakistan) 1971 * Battle of Sylhet (East Pakistan) 1971 * Battle of Gazipur (East Pakistan—Bangladesh) 1971 The 1st and 4th Battalions were also a part of the

Indian Peace Keeping Force Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) was the Indian military contingent performing a peacekeeping operation in Sri Lanka between 1987 and 1990. It was formed under the mandate of the 1987 Indo-Sri Lankan Accord that aimed to end the Sri Lank ...

which served in Sri Lanka and fought against the LTTE. During this deployment, the 4th Battalion's commander, Lieutenant Colonel Bawa, was injured and later died, along with many of his officers and soldiers. The regiment's present headquarters are at

Shillong Shillong () is a hill station and the capital of Meghalaya, a state in northeastern India, which means "The Abode of Clouds". It is the headquarters of the East Khasi Hills district. Shillong is the 330th most populous city in India with a p ...

, in North-Eastern India.

Lineage

1858–1861: 25th Punjab Infantry
1861–1891: 5th Gurkha Regiment
1891–1901: 5th Gurkha (Rifle) Regiment
1901–1903: 5th Gurkha Rifles
1903–1921: 5th Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force)
1921–1950: 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles
1950–present: 5th Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force).

Regimental Battalions and Affiliations

Stamp of India - 1990 - Colnect 164153 - Gorkha Soldier

* 1st Battalion: 'FASFIF' & 'Jethi' is affiliated to 56 Field Regiment (JITRA) of The Indian Army. * 2nd Battalion: 'SEKINFIF' (Victoria Cross Paltan) * 3rd Battalion: 'THREEFIF' * 4th Battalion: 'FOFIFF' & 'KANCHI',is affiliated to 110 Helicopter Unit, Indian Air Force. * 5th Battalion: 'FIVFIV' &' CHINDITS' ( Ashok Chakra Paltan) * 6th Battalion: * 33 Rashtriya Rifles (58 GR) *INS Khukri (P49): A 'Khukri'-class corvette of the Indian Navy

Battle honours

* 19th century: Peiwar Kotal,

Charasiah Persian: چهار آسیاب ''Chahār Aasiāb'' Char Asiab, Chahar Asiab, Charasiab, Charasiah or Charasia is a town, ca. 7 miles south of Kabul in the Char Asiab District. It was the site of the Battle of Charasiab in 1879 and the Second Ba ...

Kabul 1879 Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

Kandahar 1880 Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118. It is the ...

, Afghanistan 1878–80,

Punjab Frontier Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

; * First World War: Suez Canal, Egypt 1915–16, Khan Baghdadi, Mesopotamia 1916–18,

Helles Helles or hell is a traditional German pale lager beer, produced chiefly in Southern Germany, particularly Munich. The German word '' hell'' can be translated as "bright", "light", or "pale". Flavour profile Helles-style beers typically are ...

, Krithia, Suvla, Sari Bair,

Gallipoli 1915 The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles st ...

, North West Frontier 1917; * Inter War Years:

Afghanistan 1919 Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

, North West Frontier 1930, North West Frontier 1936–39; * Second World War:

The Sangro ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

, Caldari,

Cassino Cassino () is a ''comune'' in the province of Frosinone, Southern Italy, at the southern end of the region of Lazio, the last city of the Latin Valley. Cassino is located at the foot of Monte Cairo near the confluence of the Gari and Liri ri ...

II, San Angelo in Teodice, Rocca d'Arce,

Ripa Ridge Ripa or RIPA may refer to: Places * Ripa (rione of Rome), a ''rione'' of the City of Rome, Italy * Ripa, Nepal, a village and municipality People * Albert de Rippe (c. 1500–1551), Italian lutenist and composer, also known as Alberto da Ripa * C ...

, Femmina Morta,

Monte San Bartolo Monte San Bartolo is a mountain located in the Marche region of Italy. The mountain forms part of the Parco naturale regionale del Monte San Bartolo, a regional park of Italy. The mountain forms the beginning of the coastal hill system in the c ...

The Senio ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

, Italy 1943–45, Sittang 1942,

Yenangyaung Yenangyaung ( my, ရေနံချောင်း; literally "stream of oil") is a city in the Magway Region of central Myanmar, located on the Irrawaddy River and 363 miles from Yangon. Until 1974, it remained the capital city of both Minbu Div ...

1942, Buthidaung,

Stockades A stockade is an enclosure of palisades and tall walls, made of logs placed side by side vertically, with the tops sharpened as a defensive wall. Etymology ''Stockade'' is derived from the French word ''estocade''. The French word was derived f ...

, North Arakan, Chindits 1944,

Mogaung Mogaung ( my, မိုးကောင်း ; ( Shan: မိူင်းၵွင်း) is a town in Kachin State, Myanmar. It is situated on the Mandalay- Myitkyina railway line. History Mogaung or Möngkawng was the name and capital (ro ...

Imphal Imphal ( Meitei pronunciation: /im.pʰal/; English pronunciation: ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Manipur. The metropolitan centre of the city contains the ruins of Kangla Palace (also known as Kangla Fort), the royal seat of the ...

, Sakawng, Shenam Pass, Bishenpur,

The Irrawaddy ''The Irrawaddy'' () is a news website by the Irrawaddy Publishing Group (IPG), founded in 1990 by Burmese exiles living in Thailand. From its inception, ''The Irrawaddy'' has taken an independent stance on Burmese politics. As a publication p ...

1942–45, Sittang 1945, Burma 1942–45;Parker 2005, p. 387. * Post Independence: Zoji La, Kargil, Jammu and Kashmir 1947–48, Charwa, Punjab 1965,

Sylhet Sylhet ( bn, সিলেট) is a metropolitan city in northeastern Bangladesh. It is the administrative seat of the Sylhet Division. Located on the north bank of the Surma River at the eastern tip of Bengal, Sylhet has a subtropical climat ...

, East Pakistan 1971, Jammu and Kashmir 1971,

Sehjra Sehjra ( ur, ) is a town and Union Council of Kasur District in the Punjab province of Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of c ...

, Punjab 1971.

Victoria Cross recipients

There were seven Victoria Crosses awarded to British officers and Gurkhas serving with the regiment prior to 1947:Parker 2005, pp. 391–393. * Captain John Cook (1st Battalion): Afghanistan, 2 December 1878 (posthumously) * Lieutenant Guy Boisragon (1st Battalion): Hunza, 2 December 1891 * Lieutenant John Manners-Smith (1st Battalion): Hunza, 20 December 1891 *

Havildar Havildar or havaldar (Hindustani: or (Devanagari), ( Perso-Arabic)) is a rank in the Indian, Pakistani and Nepalese armies, equivalent to sergeant. It is not used in cavalry units, where the equivalent is daffadar. Like a British sergeant ...

Gaje Ghale Gaje Ghale ( ne, गजे घले) VC (1 August 1918 – 28 March 2000) was a Nepalese 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 a ...

(2nd Battalion): Burma, 27 May 1943 * Naik

Agansing Rai Agansing Rai (24 April 1920 – 27 May 2000) was a Nepalese 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. Backgroun ...

(2nd Battalion): Burma, 26 June 1944 *

Jemadar Jemadar or jamadar is a title used for various military and other officials in the Indian subcontinent. Etymology The word stems from Urdu (), which derives through Persian ''jam'dar'' from Arabic ''jamā‘a(t)'' 'muster' + Persian ''-dār' ...

Netrabahadur Thapa Netrabahadur Thapa Magar VC ( ne, नेत्रबहादुर थापामगर 8 January 1916 – 26 June 1944) was a Nepalese Gurkha recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the fac ...

(2nd Battalion): Burma, 26 June 1944 (posthumously) * Rifleman

(1st Battalion): Italy, 10 November 1944 (posthumously)

Maha Vir Chakra recipients

The following members of the regiment have received the Maha Vir Chakra: * Lieutenant Colonel Anant Singh Pathania, MC (1st Battalion) * L/Havildar Ram Prasad Gurung (1st Battalion) * Major General H K Sibal *

Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...

(Later Lt. Gen.) Zoravar Chand Bakshi * Brigadier

Mohindar Lal Whig Brigadier Mohindar Lal Whig, MVC (born 10 December 1925) was an Indian Army officer. He served with the 5th Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force) regiment. He was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra, India's second-highest award for his role in the Indo-Pak ...

* Lieutenant Colonel (Later Brigadier) Arun Bhimrao Harolikar (4th Battalion) * Rifleman (Later Havildar) Dil Bahadur Chettri (4th Battalion) * Lieutenant Colonel Inder Bal Singh Bawa (4th Battalion)

Notes

References

* Anon. (1956). ''History of the 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force), 1858–1947'' (2 vols.), Aldershot, UK: Gale & Polden. * Gaylor, John (1992). ''Sons of John Company: A History of the Indian and Pakistan Armies''. London, UK: Spellmount Press. * Palsokar, Col. R. D. (1990). ''History of the 5th Gorkha Rifles''. Shillong: 9 Regt Centre. * Parker, John (2005). ''The Gurkhas: The Inside Story of the World's Most Feared Soldiers''. Headline Book Publishing. . * Roberts, M.R. (1952). ''Golden Arrow'', Aldershot, Gale & Polden.

External links

* {{Indian Army Infantry Regiments 1858 establishments in India British Indian Army infantry regiments Gurkhas Infantry regiments of the Indian Army from 1947 Military units and formations established in 1858 Rifle regiments R Units of the Indian Peace Keeping Force