Agansing Rai

Agansing Rai
VC MM
Born 24 April 1920
Amsara, in the Okhaldhunga district of Nepal
Died 27 May 2000 (aged 80)
Kathmandu
Service/branch Indian Army
Rank Hon. Captain
Unit 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles
Awards

Agansing Rai VC MM (24 April 1920 – 27 May 2000) was a Nepalese Gurkha recipient of the Victoria Cross. He was born in the village of Amsara, in the Okhaldhunga district of Nepal[1]

Details

Agansing Rai was a 24 year old Naik in the 2nd Battalion, 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles, in the Indian Army during World War II, when he led his section in an attack on one of two posts which had been taken by the enemy and were threatening the British forces' communications on 26 June 1944 near the town of Bishenpur in the state of Manipur, India.

Under withering fire Agansing Rai and his party charged a machine-gun. Agansing Rai himself killed three of the crew. When the first position had been taken, he then led a dash on a machine-gun firing from the jungle, where he killed three of the crew, his men accounting for the rest. He subsequently tackled an isolated bunker single-handed, killing all four occupants. The enemy were now so demoralised that they fled and the second post was recaptured.[2]

Further information

He later achieved the rank of Hon. Captain, and died in Kathmandu.

The medal

Agansing Rai's VC group was later sold at auction (see External Link below).

Notes

  1. ↑ "Telegraph Obituary". The Daily Telegraph (London). 30 May 2000. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
  2. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 36730. p. 4569. 3 October 1944. Retrieved 29 May 2009.

See also

External links