#gurkhas

Felt "Terai" Hat of the 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles) from the British Empire dated to the 1940s on display at the Gurkha Museum in Winchester, England

Felt "Terai" hats like this were popular amongst the Gurkha regiments in the British Empire during the mid 20th century. They offered protection from the sun and would have been practical for the places the 2nd Gurkha Rifles were fighting during the Second World War. They fought the fascists in Cyprus, the North African campaign, the invasion of Italy and many took part in the Chindit operations in Burma as well against the Empire of Japan.

The last remaining Gurkha recipient of Britain’s Victoria Cross has died in Nepal at the age of 83.

Rambahadur Limbu was awarded Britain’s highest military decoration by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in 1966 for gallantry during an attack on Indonesian troops on the island of Borneo during which he rescued two fellow soldiers.

Limbu, then a lance corporal, carried out the mission in November 1965, part of the three-year “konfrotasi” conflict known as the Battle of Bau triggered by Indonesia’s opposition to the formation of Malaysia.

In a statement, the Gurkha Brigade Association said: “He has been a figurehead and exemplar of Gurkha bravery for generations of Gurkha recruits and soldiers. His loss will be felt profoundly by all those he has inspired.”

Limbu was a member of the Brigade of Gurkhas, made up of Nepalese soldiers who have been recruited to the British army since a peace treaty between the two countries was signed in 1815.

Nepali Gurkhas and the families in Singapore

(1) Portrait of Shivraj Thapa wearing the Nepali topi at Paya Lebar. Date: 1968. Photo Collection: Shivraj Thapa / SGPM.

(2) Studio portrait at a Paya Lebar studio. Arun Kumar Tamang with his wife, Meena Tamang and son – just 7 days old when this portrait was taken. By then, Arun has been in the Singapore Gurkha Contingent for close to eight years. Date: Sep 1972. Photo Collection: Aswin Tamang / SGPM.

Jul 24 1915 OTD At Le Sart, France, photographer Charles Hilton DeWitt Girdwood takes these photos of British Indian Army Gurkhas wrestling on the regimental transport mules.