The Gurkhas and The Malayan Emergency

Join Rupert Hague-Holmes for an engaging talk on The Gurkhas & the Malayan Emergency (1948–1960), one of Britain’s most important post-war counterinsurgency campaigns. Discover how Gurkha soldiers, drawing on their hard-won jungle warfare experience from the Second World War, became the backbone of the British campaign to defeat the Communist insurgency in Malaya.

The talk explores why preventing a Communist takeover of Malaya was strategically important, the key personalities on both sides of the conflict, and the tactics, weapons and challenges of fighting in dense jungle terrain. Particular focus is given to the extraordinary resilience, endurance and professionalism of the Gurkhas, whose contribution was instrumental to the campaign’s success.

Rupert Hague-Holmes is a military historian, regular speaker and the author of The Soldiers’ General (2025), a biography of Lieutenant General Sir George Lea, one of Britain’s leading post-war counterinsurgency specialists. With a lifelong interest in military history, Rupert specialises in Britain’s post-1945 counterinsurgency campaigns and brings this fascinating period to life with insight and expertise.

The event

The lecture will take place in the refurbished library at The Gurkha Museum. Guests will be welcomed with tea and coffee on arrival, enjoy a captivating talk, followed by a Q&A session.