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Entertain the Kids During the School Holidays

With a wide range of events and entertainment specifically curated for children the Gurkha Museum offers the perfect day out for all the family.

September 23rd marks the anniversary of the cap-ba

September 23rd marks the anniversary of the cap-badging ceremony of Queen's Gurkha Signals (then known as Gurkha Royal Signals). The ceremony, held at Lamjung Camp in Malaya in 1954, was presided over by then-Major-General of the Brigade of Gurkhas, Lancelot Perowne who said:

'This is a proud day. And one long to be remembered. For, this day, detachments representing all the units and sub-units of Gurkha Royal Signals are assembled here to take into use your own Regimental badge, which has been approved by Her Majesty The Queen, to establish for all time the intimate association between the Royal Corps of Signals and the Brigade of Gurkhas. [...] By your badge men shall know you. By your loyalty, by your behaviour, and by your technical skill, they will judge you as men, and measure your efficiency as soldiers'. #Gurkhas #gurkhahistory #onthisday #otd #onthisdayinhistory

The Battle of Assaye took place on September 23rd

The Battle of Assaye took place on September 23rd 1803 against the Maratha Confederacy in northern India. The British and Indian troops under Arthur Wellesley (later Duke of Wellington) scored a decisive victory. Due to the presence of the Queen Victoria's Own Madras Sappers and Miners, antecedent units for The Queen’s Gurkha Engineers at the battle, September 23rd is celebrated as a Regimental Day by QGE. The ‘ASSAYE’ Battle Honour Is also held by The Royal Gurkha Rifles, due to members of their own antecedent units also being present at the battle. #Gurkhas #gurkhahistory #onthisday #otd #onthisdayinhistory

Friends play a vital and rewarding role in support

Friends play a vital and rewarding role in supporting the Museum in the maintenance and enhancement of its collections and its vision to ensure the future of Gurkha Heritage.

The Friends of The Gurkha Museum aim to give support to the Museum in every possible way by offering voluntary assistance, by promoting events and by making financial grants for specific projects and acquisitions.

Join up now to receive excellent benefits and help us to promote and preserve the heritage of the Gurkha Soldier long into the future. Link in Bio. #Gurkhas #GurkhaHeritage #GurkhaHistory #GurkhaMuseum #MilitaryMuseum

Gurkhas at Megiddo, September 1918. By 1918 the F

Gurkhas at Megiddo, September 1918.

By 1918 the First World War in the Middle East had swung decisively in the Allies’ favour, with the Ottoman Turkish armies being forced back on all fronts. The final Allied offensive in Palestine occurred between the 19th and 25th of September 1918 at what came to be known as the Battle of Megiddo or in Turkish as the ‘Rout of Nablus’.

Guerrilla campaigns run by Arab rebels (which included those managed by Lawrence of Arabia and a small number of Gurkha camel raiders) had seriously hampered the Ottoman war effort in the region and the decision was taken for by the Ottoman commanders to dig in in Palestine in order to prevent a disorderly retreat and the further spread of the Arab revolt. In response, Allied Forces under General Edmund Allenby aimed to break the Ottoman line in the west and attempt to encircle large portions of the Ottoman forces in one fell swoop.

The initial assaults began on September 16th, with Colonel Lawrence leading Arab raiding parties to further disrupt the Ottoman rail lines in the region, followed up by full attacks on the morning of the 19th, breaking through the Ottoman lines and beginning the process of encircling and capturing the Ottoman 7th Army, who were described as being routed in less than an hour. Troops of 2nd Battalion 7th Gurkha Rifles took part in this battle and were awarded the Battle Honours ‘Sharon’ and ‘Megiddo’ as a result. #Gurkhas #gurkhahistory #onthisday #otd #onthisdayinhistory

Gurkha Victoria Cross at San Marino, Italy – Rif

Gurkha Victoria Cross at San Marino, Italy – Rifleman Sherbahadur Thapa

Born in Ghalechap in the Tanhu District of Nepal in 1921, Sherbahadur Thapa enlisted with 9th Gurkha Rifles in November 1942 and joined 1st Battalion 9th Gurkha Rifles in Italy as part of a draft replacing heavy casualties suffered during the battalion’s attacks at Monte Cassino.
By September 1944 German troops in Italy had pinned their hopes on the line of fortifications in the north of the country known as the Gothic Line. Breaking this line was considered essential to reaching the ‘underbelly’ of Europe for the Allies and 1/9GR were detailed as part of the 4th Indian Division to take a region of the line near the small Italian town of San Marino.

On the night of 18th/19 September 1944 Sherbahadur Thapa and his section commander, stormed an enemy strongpoint in San Marino. Having overcome a machine gun post, he continued to engage the enemy and despite suggestions to seek cover, he lay in the open under a hail of bullets firing his gun, silencing further enemy machine guns and keeping the Germans from advancing. After two hours of severe fighting he was ordered to retire with his Company. He covered their withdrawal alone until his ammunition was exhausted. Then, before retiring, he ran out in the face of accurate small arms and mortar fire to rescue two wounded comrades who were between him and the Germans.

His citation for the Victoria Cross ends “While returning the second time he paid the price of his heroism and fell riddled by machine gun bullets fired at point blank range….His name will live in the history of his Regiment as a very gallant soldier”.
Sadly there is no known photograph of Rfn Sherbahadur but his memory is immortalised in a monument erected in San Marino where there are maintained close links with those Second World War members of his Regiment who still survive. #Gurkhas #gurkhahistory #VictoriaCross #ForValor #onthisday #otd #onthisdayinhistory

Gurkhas from Malaya to Malaysia – September 16th

Gurkhas from Malaya to Malaysia – September 16th 1963.

From 1948 to 1960 British and Malayan government troops fought against a vicious low-level communist insurgency in the country. The conflict had its root in (amongst many other factors) the desires of different groups to forcibly change the direction of the country and disapproval over perceived British interference. Even after this conflict was concluded in 1960 tensions remained high and flared up again in 1962 with an attempted communist coup in Brunei. Despite these issues by 1963 a new constitution and plan for the regions of Malaya had been agreed and so on September 16th 1963 the new state of Malaysia came into being, including territories on the island of Borneo such as Sarawak. This inclusion of Bornean states angered other nations in the region such as the Philippines and Indonesia, the latter of which would use the 1962 coup attempt as a pretext for what became known as the Borneo ‘Confrontation’, in which Indonesian forces attempted to gain control of the new Malaysian territories in Borneo. Gurkha troops, given their skills in close combat and their jungle experience in Burma during the Second World War, were vital to the successful conclusion of both conflicts, the latter of which was not finally concluded until 1966. #Gurkhas #GurkhaHeritage #gurkhahistory #onthisday #otd #onthisdayinhistory

© The Gurkha Museum Trust Winchester - Registered Charity Number 1169920 (formerly 272426)