Ganju Lama
Encyclopedia
Ganju Lama VC
MM
(22 July 1924 – 1 July 2000) was a Gurkha
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.
, India
on July 22, 1924. His parents were both Sikkimese and as such this made him unusual in so much as he was not an ethnic Gurkha, nor in fact was he a Nepalese subject. He enlisted in British Gurkha
Army in 1942 as a seventeen year old. At that time, Gurkha regiments were prepared to accept any potential recruit who closely resembled the Gurkha and lived near the border of Nepal
. Ganju Lama's tribe lived in the kingdom of Sikkim
. His real name was Gyamtso Shangderpa, but a clerk in the recruiting office wrote it down as Ganju, and the name stuck. After leaving the regimental centre in 1943, he joined the 1st Battalion, 7th Gurkha Rifles, in India
, near Imphal
.
in the 1st Battalion, 7th Gurkha Rifles, in the Indian Army during World War II when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross:
A month earlier, during operations on the Tiddim Road, Ganju Lama's regiment surprised a party of Japanese and killed several of them. He was awarded the Military Medal
for his part in the action. Strangely though, this award was actually announced in the London Gazette
after his Victoria Cross, appearing on 3 October 1944, almost a month later.
, retiring in 1968, when he became a farmer in Sikkim
. His Victoria Cross
is displayed at a museum in England along with other Gurkhas' VCs.
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....
MM
Military Medal
The Military Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land....
(22 July 1924 – 1 July 2000) was a Gurkha
Gurkha
Gurkha are people from Nepal who take their name from the Gorkha District. Gurkhas are best known for their history in the Indian Army's Gorkha regiments, the British Army's Brigade of Gurkhas and the Nepalese Army. Gurkha units are closely associated with the kukri, a forward-curving Nepalese knife...
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.
Enlistment
Ganju Lama was born in Sangmo, southern SikkimSikkim
Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
on July 22, 1924. His parents were both Sikkimese and as such this made him unusual in so much as he was not an ethnic Gurkha, nor in fact was he a Nepalese subject. He enlisted in British Gurkha
Gurkha
Gurkha are people from Nepal who take their name from the Gorkha District. Gurkhas are best known for their history in the Indian Army's Gorkha regiments, the British Army's Brigade of Gurkhas and the Nepalese Army. Gurkha units are closely associated with the kukri, a forward-curving Nepalese knife...
Army in 1942 as a seventeen year old. At that time, Gurkha regiments were prepared to accept any potential recruit who closely resembled the Gurkha and lived near the border of 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...
. Ganju Lama's tribe lived in the kingdom of Sikkim
Sikkim
Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...
. His real name was Gyamtso Shangderpa, but a clerk in the recruiting office wrote it down as Ganju, and the name stuck. After leaving the regimental centre in 1943, he joined the 1st Battalion, 7th Gurkha Rifles, in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, near Imphal
Imphal
Imphal is the capital of the Indian state of Manipur.In the heart of the town and surrounded by a moat, are ruins of the old Palace of Kangla. Kangla Fort used to be the home of the Assam Rifles, a paramilitary force and on November 2004 it was handed over to state of Manipur by Prime minister Dr....
.
Details
Ganju Lama was 19 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 1st Battalion, 7th Gurkha Rifles, in the Indian Army during World War II when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross:
- On 12 June 1944 at NingthoukhongNingthoukhongNingthoukhong is a town and a Municipal Council having 14 wards in Bishnupur district in the Indian state of Manipur.-Demographics: India census, Ningthoukhong had a population of 10,446. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Ningthoukhong has an average literacy rate of 67%,...
, IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, 'B' Company was attempting to stem the enemy's advance when it came under heavy machine-gun and tank machine-gun fire. Rifleman Ganju Lama, with complete disregard for his own safety, took his PIATPIATThe Projector, Infantry, Anti Tank was a British hand-held anti-tank weapon developed during the Second World War. The PIAT was designed in 1942 in response to the British Army's need for a more effective infantry anti-tank weapon, and entered service in 1943.The PIAT was based on the spigot...
gun and, crawling forward, succeeded in bringing the gun into action within 30 yards of the enemy tanks, knocking out two of them. Despite a broken wrist and two other serious wounds to his right and left hands he then moved forward and engaged the tank crew who were trying to escape. Not until he had accounted for all of them did he consent to have his wounds dressed.
A month earlier, during operations on the Tiddim Road, Ganju Lama's regiment surprised a party of Japanese and killed several of them. He was awarded the Military Medal
Military Medal
The Military Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land....
for his part in the action. Strangely though, this award was actually announced in the London Gazette
London Gazette
The London Gazette is one of the official journals of record of the British government, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, in which certain statutory notices are required to be published...
after his Victoria Cross, appearing on 3 October 1944, almost a month later.
Later life
After the Independence of India, he joined the Indian 11th Gorkha Rifles11th Gorkha Rifles
The 11 Gorkha Rifles is a Gorkha regiment of the Indian Army that was re-raised after independence. The regiment consists of primarily the Rais and Limbus of eastern Nepal...
, retiring in 1968, when he became a farmer in Sikkim
Sikkim
Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...
. 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....
is displayed at a museum in England along with other Gurkhas' VCs.