6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles
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The 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles was a regiment of the British Indian Army, before being transferred to the British Army following India's independence.
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[edit] The beginning
The regiment was initially raised in 1817 as the Cuttack Legion; this was a unit of Indian natives from the Orissa area, before moving to Northern Bengal in 1823 as the Rungpoor Light Infantry. As time continued, the regiment began recruiting Nepalese Gurkhas into its ranks - initially two companies of Gurkhas were formed, but, over time, more and more were recruited until it eventually became a pure Gurkha regiment, being numbered as the 42nd Regiment of Goorkha Light Infantry in 1886.
During the period before the First World War, the regiment was primarily involved in patrolling the north-east border of India; the regiment gained only a single battle honour up to 1914. In 1903, the regiment was also renumbered as the 6th Gurkha Rifles.
[edit] First World War
The 1st Battalion was the first unit of Gurkhas to arrive at Gallipoli. Their first major operation saw them attack a Turkish position that was doing significant damage to Allied forces with machine guns - this involved them going up a 300 ft vertical slope which had defeated both the Royal Marine Light Infantry and the Royal Dublin Fusiliers - however, the Gurkhas gained the position with ease. This area is now known as Gurkha Bluff. The 2nd Battalion meanwhile remained primarily in India.
[edit] Second World War
[edit] Post independence
Following the end of the Second World War, India gained its independence, and four regiments of the Brigade of Gurkhas were allocated to the British Army, the 6th Gurkhas amongst them (although the 3rd Battalion was transferred to the 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force)). In 1958, the regiment was renamed as the 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles in honour of Queen Elizabeth II. As with other Gurkha regiments, the 6th Gurkhas primarily saw service in the Far East until the British withdrawal from East of Suez. In 1969, the 6th Gurkhas was reduced to a single battalion, when the 1st and 2nd battalions were amalgamated as the 1st Battalion. The single battalion continued to rotate with the other Gurkha regiments between Hong Kong, Brunei and Church Crookham until 1994. At that point, while in Hong Kong, the 1st Battalion was amalgamated with the 1st Battalion, 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles) to form the 1st Battalion, Royal Gurkha Rifles.
[edit] Battle honours
- Burma 1885-87
- The Great War: Helles, Krithia, Suvla, Sari Bair, Gallipoli 1915, Suez Canal, Egypt 1915-16, Khan Baghdadi, Mesopotamia 1916-18, Persia 1918, North West Frontier India 1915
- Afghanistan 1919
- The Second World War: Coriano, Santarcangelo, Monte Chicco, Lamone Crossing, Senio Flood-bank, Medicina, Gaiana Crossing, Italy 1944-45, Shwebo, Kyaukmyaung Bridgehead, Mandalay, Fort Dufferin, Maymyo, Rangoon Road, Toungoo, Sittang 1945, Chindits 1944, Burma 1944-45
