An End to the Gurkhas?

[third eye]

August 30th, 2010 in Current Events by Frank Chadwick

Britain faces daunting budget challenges. It currently runs a budget deficit worse than that of Greece and Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne has ordered the Ministry of Defense to cut its budget by between ten and twenty percent. Britain’s 69 billion dollar defense budget in 2009 is the third largest in the world, after second-place China (99 billion) and of course first-place United States (663 billion).

The most likely place for the axe to fall is an elimination of the Brigade of Gurkhas. The Gurkhas are an odd part of the British armed forces in any case. The recruits are Nepalese, not British subjects, and one reason (aside from tradition) for maintaining the Gurkas in the face of budget problems in the past was their lower cost. Retiring Gurkha soldiers returning to their homeland were paid a pension only about one third that paid retiring British nationals. A second reason was a shortage of British nationals willing to volunteer for the armed forces.

The cost differential changed last year when British actress Joanna Lumley spearheaded a public drive to allow retired Gurkhas to settle in the United Kingdom with a full pension. Fair’s fair, and in my view the reform was long overdue and is one more thing to like about Lumley, not that one is needed. It did make the Gurkha’s a bit less of a bargain, and the upsurge in British recruiting for the last few years has all but sealed their fate.

Even if Britain eliminates its Gurkha battalions, the tradition will continue. When India gained its independence, the British and Indian armies split the Gurkha regiments between them. Since then the British contingent has contracted while the Indians added a seventh regiment and numerous battalions to each of the parent units. The Indians currently have 42,000 Gurkhas (”Gorkhas” in Indian service) under arms in forty-six battalions, a strength which dwarfs the approximately 3,500 men still in British service.

 

[Capt.Popeye]

The British Govt. and Army is entitled to do as it deems fit. While the Indian Army is likely to raise more Gorkha units to man the new corps being inducted. But they will comprise indigenous Gorkhas, not from Nepal who go into the Gurkha Brigade of the British Army. The Indian Army is also likely to raise more units from Nagaland, Assam and Ladakh.

 

[akash57]

So am I to assume that the British army and the Indian army still believes in the theory of Martial Races?

 

[RobbieS]

So am I to assume that the British army and the Indian army still believes in the theory of Martial Races?

Gurkhas are good fighters. But not necessarily better than other recruits of the Indian or the British Army. If the Indian or the British Army were selectively recruiting the Gurkhas and neglecting others, then maybe you had a reason. But right now, I dont think so.

 

[Capt.Popeye]

^^^
Martial Races as a theory is debunked already. Just that some people are more willing to sign up and serve as soldiers. While some people are happier running a grocery store. That's the way it is.

 

[Jackdaws]

Britain's loss really. As Maneckshaw once said, "If a man says he has never been afraid in his life - he is either lying or he is a Gurkha."

 

[JanjaWeed]

if this is true, then the reson to call off the ghurka brigade is not to cut the defence costs but to save themselves from looking after these soldiers once they have retired. Ghurkhas are the most honest & brave soldiers around. But the subsequent british govts have been very unfair to these guys. it's only recently joanna lumley lead fight for their rights has yielded the reults. now that government knows they have to look after ghurkhas even after their retirement by providing them with health care, social security & the right to stay in britain, they have come out with this. till now it's just been the case of 'use & abuse'.

 

[akash57]

Britain's loss really. As Maneckshaw once said, "If a man says he has never been afraid in his life - he is either lying or he is a Gurkha."

Has it every been proved whether these Gurkha soldiers (or any Martial Race for that matter) are really the skilled fighters that they are said to be? I'm not trying to criticize these men, just curious.

 

[Capt.Popeye]

Originally Posted by akash57
Has it every been proved whether these Gurkha soldiers (or any Martial Race for that matter) are really the skilled fighters that they are said to be? I'm not trying to criticize these men, just curious.

Can't give you the precise answer to that since i've never had to face the business end of a Gorkha charge on the battlefield with their Khukris.
Since you are curious:
There is a great deal of documented history on what kind of soldiers, the Gorkhas were in battle.
One source is "The Gurkhas" by Byron Farwell; Penguin ISBN 0-14-007569-0.
If you read the book; you will get an insight into the Gorkha psyche, their society and social mores apart from their history as soldiers right from the 1800s through the two World Wars to the Argentine conflict. Including accounts of the soldiers who faced them. And if that experience was pleasant or not.
Please go forth and do your google/search on this subject; you may be able to form a clearer picture.

 

[Jackdaws]

The whole Martial Race theory was utter nonsense right from the get-go. The areas where the First War of Independence of 1857 did not spread and the feels of anti-British angst were not as high as the rest of the country - the troops from those areas were termed "Martial Races". Nepal was never part of British India - so Gurkhas fought for British as did troops from the Punjab and NWFP. The Bengalis were not considered a martial race after 1857 - some ethnicities - I forget their names were dubbed "Criminal Tribes/Races" and not allowed to join the Armed Forces. Racist b.s. basically.

 

[akash57]

The whole Martial Race theory was utter nonsense right from the get-go. The areas where the First War of Independence of 1857 did not spread and the feels of anti-British angst were not as high as the rest of the country - the troops from those areas were termed "Martial Races". Nepal was never part of British India - so Gurkhas fought for British as did troops from the Punjab and NWFP. The Bengalis were not considered a martial race after 1857 - some ethnicities - I forget their names were dubbed "Criminal Tribes/Races" and not allowed to join the Armed Forces. Racist b.s. basically.

Exactly! If you were with them, you were all kinds of great things; loyal, trustworthy, brave. If you weren't with them (or if you were Bengali) you were: weak, disloyal, not lively.

And like you said, it's racist b.s. If you check Wikipedia, you will find that Bengalis were actually a martial race, until they rebelled. After that, we were labelled as "disloyal" and crap like that. Goes to show how valid this theory really is. Now I'm not sure if the part about Bengalis ever being a Martial Race is true or not (would appreciate someone shedding some light on this for me), but knowing the British, I'd believe it.

Martial Race - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Jackdaws]

Exactly! If you were with them, you were all kinds of great things; loyal, trustworthy, brave. If you weren't with them (or if you were Bengali) you were: weak, disloyal, not lively.

And like you said, it's racist b.s. If you check Wikipedia, you will find that Bengalis were actually a martial race, until they rebelled. After that, we were labelled as "disloyal" and crap like that. Goes to show how valid this theory really is. Now I'm not sure if the part about Bengalis ever being a Martial Race is true or not (would appreciate someone shedding some light on this for me), but knowing the British, I'd believe it.

Martial Race - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Both the Bengalis as well as the Marathas were removed from the list of Martial Races - the likes of Mangal Pandey were from the Bengal Regiment if you remember and his incident took place in Barrackpore, West Bengal. The likes of Tatya Tope and Rani of Jhansi were once part of Maratha Empire. Anyhow, I guess the whole martial race was discarded by India in 1950 when the new constitution came about - am unsure if Pakistan scrapped it - but they did look down upon the Banglas - erstwhile East Pakistanis as being non-martial. I read in a book - when the first troops arrived in East Pakistan in '71 they marveled at the fertile soil and said, "Imagine what would happen to Punjab if the soil was so fertile"; to which his superior replied, "You would become effeminate like the Bengalis."

 

[LaBong]

Just want add to the discussion; It's wrong to say Punjubis and Pashtuns were loyal to British and disloyal to country during 1857. Things don't work in that way in military where troops and their commanding officer share an unique relationship. An British officer would have killed his own tribe upon a racial insult to his gurkha soldier.

WRT martial race, it has been royally debunked after BD's victory over so-called martial race. I don't think Bengalis are less brave than any other race, I heard during 65's war, Bengali regiment of East Pakistan strapped anti-tank mine with their body and jumped in front of advancing Indians tanks. That's not quite out of Pakistani war doctrine.

 

[Capt.Popeye]

Originally Posted by akash57 View Post
"Exactly! If you were with them, you were all kinds of great things; loyal, trustworthy, brave. If you weren't with them (or if you were Bengali) you were: weak, disloyal, not lively."

@ akash57
Your assessment of the 'British definition' of the Martial Races is somewhat correct. It was a theory propounded by them to confine, curtail and even 'punish' the (so-called) creators/culprits of 1857. i've used the expression 'British definition' with a reason. Some classes/communities took to soldiering more easily/ naturally than others. It would be hard to disagree with the fact. Whether that had something to do with the "Varna" system or simply because those people lacked other skills can be a matter of some discussion. Of course there was a 'economic' angle as well.

Let us consider the case of the Gorkhas; they were/are a hardy people accustomed to physical deprivation and discomfort, undemanding by nature and fiercely loyal. Fine qualities for soldiers. But another very important ingredient in the recipe was the fact that they had very few employment opportunities. So soldiering was an opportunity to be gainfully employed. And it helped that they were employed by the British Crown; which gave both financial stability and social status in some measure.
Other classes/communities also were also inclined to soldiering, partly due to their heritage and partly due to economic and social reasons.

About the other question that you raised- Bengalis being a Martial Race. It can be definitely be a matter of some debate. But arguably they fitted well in to the role of small (and later bigger) administrators. Actually they were one of the biggest beneficiaries of Macaulay's educational system. The British understood that and used it to work for them in setting up the Indian Civil Services. However their (Bengali) presence in the (British) Indian Armed Forces did not disappear or abate. The Bengalis simply moved up the chain: where they remained in important/skilled positions, but not necessarily in large numbers; especially among the Sepoy level. This remained so until the transfer of power in 1947 and beyond.

But the inherent fear that the British had of Bengali personnel in the forces to create problems remained and was even realised on a few occasions like the RIN mutiny for example.

It seems to be a funny relationship.

 

[hillman32]

This is a sad news.

Many ancestors of mine had been fighting side by side with Gurkhas in Tribal Region of NWFP, Afghanistan and in World Wars. They praise abilities of Gurkhas as fighter and soldiers.

One of my close friend and Major in Pak Army fought against a Gurkha Battalion in Kargil. Most of them were heavily drunk while climbing towards the peak where he was holding a peak with handful of his men. In his opinion, Gurkha soldiers are good but not as good as it is generally believed or narrated.

I think Indian Army should get that UK Brigade and amalgamate this to Indian Army.