Active 1 July 1994 – present Branch British Army Size Two battalions | Allegiance United Kingdom Type Rifles | |
Role 1st Battalion: Light Infantry
2nd Battalion: Air Assault Infantry | ||
The Royal Gurkha Rifles (RGR) is a rifle regiment of the British Army, forming part of the Brigade of Gurkhas. Unlike other regiments in the British army, soldiers are recruited from Nepal, which is neither a dependent territory of the United Kingdom nor a member of the Commonwealth. Their motto is: Better to die than live a coward.
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History
The regiment was formed as the sole Gurkha infantry regiment of the British Army following the amalgamation of the four separate Gurkha regiments in 1994:
The amalgamations took place as follows:
The 3rd Battalion was amalgamated with the 2nd Battalion in 1996 as part of run down of British forces in Hong Kong.
The Gurkhas in general and the direct predecessors of the Royal Gurkha Rifles in particular are considered by some to be among the finest infantrymen in the world, as is evidenced by the high regard they are held in for both their fighting skill, and their smartness of turnout on parade.
In December 1995, Lieutenant-Colonel Bijaykumar Rawat became the commanding officer of the 1st Battalion, the first Nepalese to become a battalion commander in the RGR. He oversaw the departure of the battalion from Hong Kong just before that city's transfer to Chinese control, and the battalion's relocation to Church Crookham, Hampshire in 1996.
Twice during its most recent Brunei posting the 2nd Battalion was deployed as the Afghanistan Roulement Infantry Battalion, while the 1st Battalion deployed as part of 52 Infantry Brigade in late 2007. During this tour, Cornet Harry Wales (Prince Harry) was attached for a period to the 1st Battalion as a Forward Air Controller.
Under Army 2020, the regiment was intended to provide two light role battalions, rotating between Brunei and the UK, with their higher unit as 11th Infantry Brigade. However, in June 2015, the 2nd Battalion, then based in the UK, was reassigned to form part of 16 Air Assault Brigade, in the air assault infantry role.
Organisation
The two battalions of the RGR are formed as light role infantry.
The first battalion (1 RGR) is based at the British garrison in Brunei as part of Britain's commitment to maintaining a military presence in Southeast Asia.
The second battalion (2 RGR) is based at Shorncliffe, near Folkestone in Kent as part of 16 Air Assault Brigade, and is available for deployment to most areas in Europe and Africa.
A post on the Gurkha Brigade website in August 2016 noted that the RGR will grow in personnel size in the future.
Notable soldiers
Corporal Dip Prasad Pun of the 1st battalion (1 RGR) was awarded Conspicuous Gallantry Cross for an act of bravery during the War in Afghanistan in 2010. He alone defended his outpost against a force of up to 30 Taliban fighters. He fired more than 400 rounds, 17 grenades, and one mine. He even resorted to fighting with his machine gun tripod after his ammunition had run out.
Battle honours
The battle honours of the Royal Gurkha Rifles are as follows: