Bhanbhagta Gurung
Encyclopedia
Havildar
Bhanbhagta Gurung VC
(Nepali
: भंभागता गुरुङ; September 1921 – 1 March 2008) (also known as Bhanbhakta Gurung) was a Nepal
ese recipient of the Victoria Cross
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British
and Commonwealth
forces, awarded for his actions while serving as a Rifleman with the 3rd Battalion of the 2nd Gurkha Rifles in Burma during the Second World War
.
in September 1921. He enlisted in the British Indian Army
during World War II, joining 3rd Battalion, 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles) at the age of eighteen.
Promoted to Lance Naik
(Lance Corporal
), he served in the Chindit expedition led by Brigadier Orde Wingate into northern Burma in March 1943. He was serving in Number 4 Column, deep behind Japanese
lines across the Chindwin, when the column was ambushed by the Japanese 33rd Division and ordered to disperse. His battalion was withdrawn from the line after the expedition for several months of training and refitting, and redeployed in March 1944 in Arakan
in the 25th Indian Division, fighting down the Mayu Range towards Akyab. Bhanbhagta was promoted to Naik
(Corporal).
Shortly before the action that won him the VC, he was reduced to the ranks for neglect of duty after being blamed for taking the wrong hill, to the ire of the battalion commander (although it later transpired that he had followed the orders of his platoon commander, who had given him the wrong target).
In February 1945, the 25th Indian Division landed at Ru-ywa, as a diversion from the offensive by General Sir William Slim's 14th Army towards Mandalay
, and advanced to the Irrawaddy through the An pass, held by the Japanese 54th Division from a number of hills. The Gurkhas held two hills, code-named "Snowden" and "Snowden East", but were attacked by the Japanese and pushed back. They were ordered to retake the hills.
in the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Gurkha Rifles
, British Indian Army
when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC:
His regiment gained the battle honour
"Tamandu" as a result of the engagement and he received his Victoria Cross
from King George VI at Buckingham Palace
.
and had been given the rank of Honorary Havildar
. In addition to his VC he was also awarded the Star of Nepal, 3rd Class, in 1945. In 2000 the Gurkha training company block at Catterick
(England
) was named after him.
His three sons also served in the 2nd Gurkhas. Bhanubhakta suffered from asthma for many years and for the last four years of his life was housebound at his youngest son's house at Gorkha.
He died on 1 March 2008, aged 86.
, Hampshire
in England.
Havildar
Havildar ) was the Military 'In Charge' of a Fort during the times of Maratha Empire. In the British Indian Army it was equivalent rank to Sergeant, next above Naik, and is still used in the modern Indian Army and Pakistan Army. The cavalry equivalent is Daffadar...
Bhanbhagta Gurung VC
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
(Nepali
Nepali language
Nepali or Nepalese is a language in the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family.It is the official language and de facto lingua franca of Nepal and is also spoken in Bhutan, parts of India and parts of Myanmar...
: भंभागता गुरुङ; September 1921 – 1 March 2008) (also known as Bhanbhakta Gurung) was a Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
ese recipient of the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
forces, awarded for his actions while serving as a Rifleman with the 3rd Battalion of the 2nd Gurkha Rifles in Burma during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Early life and service
Bhanbhagta Gurung was born in Phalpu, a small hill village in western Nepal in the district of GorkhaGorkha District
Gorkha District of 288,134. It is the location of the Manakamana Temple. Also, the temples of great sage Gorakh Nath and goddess Gorakh Kali temple is located in district, after which the district got its name. Four major rivers run within and along it, they are Chepe, Daraudi, Marsyangdi and...
in September 1921. He enlisted in the British Indian Army
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...
during World War II, joining 3rd Battalion, 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles) at the age of eighteen.
Promoted to Lance Naik
Lance Naik
Lance Naik is the equivalent rank to Lance Corporal in the Pakistan and Indian Armies and before 1947, in the British Indian Army, ranking below Naik. In cavalry units the equivalent is Acting Lance Daffadar. Like a British Lance Corporal, he wore a single rank chevron....
(Lance Corporal
Lance Corporal
Lance corporal is a military rank, used by many armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organizations. It is below the rank of corporal, and is typically the lowest non-commissioned officer, usually equivalent to the NATO Rank Grade OR-3.- Etymology :The presumed...
), he served in the Chindit expedition led by Brigadier Orde Wingate into northern Burma in March 1943. He was serving in Number 4 Column, deep behind Japanese
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
lines across the Chindwin, when the column was ambushed by the Japanese 33rd Division and ordered to disperse. His battalion was withdrawn from the line after the expedition for several months of training and refitting, and redeployed in March 1944 in Arakan
Rakhine State
Rakhine State is a Burmese state. Situated on the western coast, it is bordered by Chin State in the north, Magway Region, Bago Region and Ayeyarwady Region in the east, the Bay of Bengal to the west, and the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh to the northwest. It is located approximately between...
in the 25th Indian Division, fighting down the Mayu Range towards Akyab. Bhanbhagta was promoted to Naik
Naik
Naik is an administrative title and surname derived from the Sanskrit word "vash" means to control. Naik is a surname attributed to the Anavil Brahmin caste.Naik may refer to:...
(Corporal).
Shortly before the action that won him the VC, he was reduced to the ranks for neglect of duty after being blamed for taking the wrong hill, to the ire of the battalion commander (although it later transpired that he had followed the orders of his platoon commander, who had given him the wrong target).
In February 1945, the 25th Indian Division landed at Ru-ywa, as a diversion from the offensive by General Sir William Slim's 14th Army towards Mandalay
Mandalay
Mandalay is the second-largest city and the last royal capital of Burma. Located north of Yangon on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, the city has a population of one million, and is the capital of Mandalay Region ....
, and advanced to the Irrawaddy through the An pass, held by the Japanese 54th Division from a number of hills. The Gurkhas held two hills, code-named "Snowden" and "Snowden East", but were attacked by the Japanese and pushed back. They were ordered to retake the hills.
Details
Bhanbhagta Gurung was about 24 years old, and a RiflemanRifleman
Although ultimately originating with the 16th century handgunners and the 17th century musketeers and streltsy, the term rifleman originated from the 18th century. It would later become the term for the archetypal common soldier.-History:...
in the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Gurkha Rifles
2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles)
The 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army before being transferred to the British Army on India's independence in 1947. The 4th Battalion joined the Indian Army as the 5th Battalion, 8th Gurkha Rifles , where it exists to this day...
, British Indian Army
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...
when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC:
- On 5 March 1945 at Snowdon-East, near TamanduTamanduTamandu was a village in Ann Township, Kyaukpyu District, in northern Rakhine State in the westernmost part of Burma . Tamandu was located on the southside of the Dalet River just after it passes through the Kolonzin Range of hills and on the edge of the delta...
, Burma (now MyanmarMyanmarBurma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
), Gurung and his unit were approaching Snowdon-East. His company became pinned down by an enemy sniper and were suffering casualties. As the sniper was inflicting casualties on the section, Rifleman Bhanbhagta Gurung, being unable to fire from the lying position, stood up fully exposed to the heavy fire and calmly killed the enemy sniper with his rifle, thus saving his section from suffering further casualties.
- The section advanced again but came under heavy fire once again. Without waiting for orders, Gurung dashed out to attack the first enemy fox-hole. Throwing two grenades, he killed the two occupants and without any hesitation rushed on to the next enemy fox-hole and killed the Japanese in it with his bayonet. He cleared two further fox-holes with bayonet and grenades. "During his single-handed attacks on these four enemy fox-holes, Rifleman Bhanbhagta Gurung was subjected to almost continuous and point-blank Light Machine GunLight machine gunA light machine gun is a machine gun designed to be employed by an individual soldier, with or without an assistant, as an infantry support weapon. Light machine guns are often used as squad automatic weapons.-Characteristics:...
fire from a bunker on the North tip of the objective." For the fifth time, Gurung "went forward alone in the face of heavy enemy fire to knock out this position. He doubled forward and leapt on to the roof of the bunker from where, his hand grenades being finished, he flung two No. 77 smoke grenades into the bunker slit." Gurung killed two Japanese soldiers who ran out of the bunker with his KukriKukriThe kukri is a curved Nepalese Knife, similar to the machete, used as both a tool and as a weapon...
, and then advanced into the cramped bunker and killed the remaining Japanese soldier.
- Gurung ordered three others to take up positions in the bunker. "The enemy counter-attack followed soon after, but under Rifleman Bhanbhagta Gurung's command the small party inside the bunker repelled it with heavy loss to the enemy. Rifleman Bhanbhagta Gurung showed outstanding bravery and a complete disregard for his own safety. His courageous clearing of five enemy positions single-handed was in itself decisive in capturing the objective and his inspiring example to the rest of the Company contributed to the speedy consolidation of this success."
His regiment gained the battle honour
Battle honour
A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags , uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible....
"Tamandu" as a result of the engagement and he received his Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
from King George VI at Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
.
Later life
Soon after the war ended, Gurung's company commander tried to persuade him to continue serving, but he declined as he had a frail widowed mother as well as a young wife and children to take care of in Nepal. When he quit the regiment in January 1946 he had regained his former rank of NaikNaik (military rank)
Naik is the equivalent rank to Corporal in the Indian Army and Pakistan Army, and previously in the British Indian Army and the Camel Corps, ranking between Lance Naik and Havildar. In cavalry units the equivalent is Lance Daffadar. Like a British Corporal, a Naik wears two rank chevrons....
and had been given the rank of Honorary Havildar
Havildar
Havildar ) was the Military 'In Charge' of a Fort during the times of Maratha Empire. In the British Indian Army it was equivalent rank to Sergeant, next above Naik, and is still used in the modern Indian Army and Pakistan Army. The cavalry equivalent is Daffadar...
. In addition to his VC he was also awarded the Star of Nepal, 3rd Class, in 1945. In 2000 the Gurkha training company block at Catterick
Catterick, North Yorkshire
Catterick , sometimes Catterick Village, to distinguish it from the nearby Catterick Garrison, is a village and civil parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England...
(England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) was named after him.
His three sons also served in the 2nd Gurkhas. Bhanubhakta suffered from asthma for many years and for the last four years of his life was housebound at his youngest son's house at Gorkha.
He died on 1 March 2008, aged 86.
The medal
His Victoria Cross is displayed at The Gurkha Museum at WinchesterWinchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
in England.