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Victoria Cross holder Gurkhas

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Of the total 1,356 Victoria Crosses, the highest military decoration given by the British monarch, awarded worldwide since its inception in 1856, 13 were given to the Gurkhas. Unfortunately, none of these bravery medals are in Nepal now.

Neither the government offices have any record where these medal are nor any private organisations and individuals fighting for rights of the Gurkha soldiers are aware of them. The British government also has not given adequate information regarding the VCs conferred to Gurkhas and a few that remained with the winners were later taken back to decorate the museums in Westminster and Winchester, United Kingdom.

Only two of the VC winning Gurkhas we have surviving today: Rifleman Tul Bahadur Pun and Lance Corporal Ram Bahadur Limbu. According to London Gazette dated November 1944, Pun was conferred this prestigious military award on June 23, 1944 for his bravery in Burma during the war against Japanese soldiers. Limbu was conferred the VC on November 21, 1965 for his service during the Indonesian confrontation in Borneo, which includes Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia. He later achieved the rank of honorary captain.

Little information say chief of the Paklihawa recruitment center has asked the Gurkha VCs to return their medal for safe keeping in London.

Ram Bahadur Limbu has lost his VC but Pun’s has been on display at Gurkha museum in Winchester along with others medals he won such as 1939-1945 Star, Burma Star, War Medal 1939-1945, India Service Medal, General Service Medal (1918), Coronation Medal 1953, Jubilee Medal 1977 and Golden Jubilee Medal 2002 among others.

GAESO advocates for re-conferring the coveted medal to Pun by Prince Charles. To bring it back to Nepal or not depend on willingness on pun.

According to Pun, he was ‘ordered’ to hand over his VC for just 40,000 Indian rupees - about 500 pounds today - in 1974 by the British Army which said it was taking it for safe-keeping. The British Ministry of Defence claimed that Pun’s VC displayed in the Gurkha Museum in Winchester, was purchased from him in 1974 for market value.

Pun had received a letter in March 1974 from the 6th Gurkha Rifles saying an officer would visit him to take back the medal. Pun quoted the official approaching him to take back the medal as saying, He was told that the medal was too valuable to be in his possession and the army would be withholding it for safekeeping. Some time later he received IRs 40,000 in return. His Victoria Cross was then taken to the Regimental Headquarters in Hong Kong. It was kept there for a number of years.

Agansing Rai’s family sold the VC in an auction on July 22, 2004, four years after Rai died, to open a Trust in his name ‘Trust for Education and Healthcare’ in Nepal. It was auctioned by Spink of London for the sum of £115,000.

The London gazettes decoratively praised the valour of the Gurkhas who were conferred the VCs with details about the war the Gurkha heroes fought. For instance, the London gazette dated November 7, 1944 inscribes following while conferring the VC to Pun:

"The KING has been graciously pleased to approve the award of the VICTORIA CROSS to:- No. 10119 Rifleman Tulbahadur (sic) Pun, 6th Gurkha Rifles, Indian Army. In Burma on June 23rd, 1944, a Battalion of the 6th Gurkha Rifles was ordered to attack the Railway Bridge at Mogaung. Immediately the attack developed the enemy opened concentrated and sustained cross fire at close range from a position known as the Red House and from a strong bunker position two hundred yards to the left of it. So intense was this cross fire that both the leading platoons of 'B' Company, one of which was Rifleman Tulbahadur (sic) Pun's, were pinned to the ground and the whole of his Section was wiped out with the exception of himself, the Section commander and one other man. The Section commander immediately led the remaining two men in a charge on the Red House but was at once badly wounded. Rifleman Tulbahadur (sic) Pun and his remaining companion continued the charge, but the latter too was immediately wounded. Rifleman Tulbahadur (sic) Pun then seized the Bren Gun, and firing from the hip as he went, continued the charge on this heavily bunkered position alone, in the face of the most shattering concentration of automatic fire, directed straight at him. With the dawn coming up behind him, he presented a perfect target to the Japanese. He had to move for thirty yards over open ground, ankle deep in mud, through shell holes and over fallen trees. Despite these overwhelming odds, he reached the Red House and closed with the Japanese occupants. He killed three and put five more to flight and captured two light machine guns and much ammunition. He then gave accurate supporting fire from the bunker to the remainder of his platoon which enabled them to reach their objective. His outstanding courage and superb gallantry in the face of odds which meant almost certain death were most inspiring to all ranks and beyond praise."

There hasn’t been any initiative to bring back these bravery medals. GAESO officials say it is up to Pun, on condition that he was re-conferred, whether he would want to bring back the medal.

While the fight for equal pension to retired Gurkhas goes on, an important aspect of the VC winners’ benefits remains under shadow. According to legal provisions, today holders of the Victoria Cross or George Cross are entitled to an annuity, the amount of which is determined by the awarding government. Since 2002, the annuity paid by the British government is 1,495 pounds per year. The Nepali VC winners, however, get 132 pounds a year.


List of VC holding Gurkhas 

  Agansing Rai
 Naik
 2 Battalion 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles, Indian Army
 26 June 1944
 Bishenpur, Burma
 1920 - 2000

Bhanbhagta Gurung
Rifleman
3 Battalion 2nd Gurkha Rifles, British Indian Army
5 March 1945
Tamandu, Burma
1921-


Ganju Lama
Rifleman
1 Battalion 7th Gurkha Rifles
12 June 1944
Ningthoukhong, Burma
22 July 1924 - 2000


 Thaman Gurung
Rifleman
1 Battalion 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles
10 November 1944
Monte San Bartolo, Italy
2 October 1924-10 November 1944

Lachhiman Gurung
Rifleman
4th Battalion of The 8th Gurkha Rifles, Indian Army
12 - 13 May 1945
Taungdaw, Burma
30 December 1917-

Ram Bahadur Limbu
Lance Corporal
2 Battalion 10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles
21 November 1965
Sarawak, Borneo
  
 Netra Bahadur Thapa
Acting Subidar
2 Battalion 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles, Indian Army
25 - 26 June 1944
Bishenpur, Burma
8 January 1916 -26 June 1944

 Sher Bahadur Thapa Chhetri
Rifleman
9th Gurkha Rifles, Indian Army
18 - 19 September 1944
San Marino, Italy
20 November 1921-19 September 1944

 Tul Bahadur Pun
Rifleman
3 Battalion 6th Gurkha Rifles, Indian Army
23 June 1944
Mogaung, Burma
23 March 1923-

Kul Bir Thapa Magar 
Rifleman
2nd Battalion, 3rd Gurkha Rifles, Indian Army
25/26 September 1915
Fauquissart, France
15 December 1889 - 

Karna Bahadur Rana Magar
Rifleman
2nd Battalion, 3rd Queen Alexandra's Own Gurkha Rifles, Indian Army
10 April 1918
El Kefr, Egypt
21 December 1898 - 

Lal Bahadur Thapa Magar
Subidar
1st Battalion, 2nd Gurkha Rifles, Indian Army
April 5/6 1943
Rass-es-Zouai, Tunisia
February 1906- 19 October 1968

Gaje Ghale
Havildar
Battalion of the 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles Regiment, Indian Army
24-27 May, 1943
Chin Hills, Burma
July 1, 1922 -March 28, 2000

Sources

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