Karanbahadur Rana VC (1898 – 25 July 1973) was a Nepalese 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.
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He was 19 years old, and a Rifleman in the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Gurkha Rifles, Indian Army during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 10 April 1918 at El Kefr, Egypt, during an attack, Rifleman Karanbahadur Rana and a few other men crept forward with a Lewis gun under intense fire to engage an enemy machine-gun. No. 1 of the Lewis gun team opened fire but was shot almost immediately, whereupon the rifleman pushed the dead man off the gun, opened fire, knocked out the enemy gun crew and then silenced the fire of the enemy bombers and riflemen in front of him. During the remainder of the day he did magnificent work and finally assisted with covering fire in the withdrawal, until the enemy were close on him.[1]
His Victoria Cross is displayed at The Gurkha Museum (Winchester, Hampshire, England).