Formation

This unit was formed from volunteers from all eight regiments and corps units of the Brigade of Gurkhas

Brigade of Gurkhas

The Brigade of Gurkhas is the collective term for units of the current British Army that are composed of Nepalese soldiers. The brigade, which is 3,640 strong, draws its heritage from Gurkha units that originally served in the British Indian Army prior to Indian independence, and prior to that of...

 on 1 January 1963, with the original role of airfield seizure for 17th Gurkha Division

17th Gurkha Division

The 17th Gurkha Division was a British military formation that saw active service during Malayan Emergency.-History:The Division was formed in 1952 in response to the Malayan Emergency. It pepetuated the traditions of the former 17th Indian Infantry Division which had used a Black Cat as its emblem...

, with an all ranks strength of 128 men. Parachute training was conducted in Malaya, with selection carried out at Johore Baru under Captain Bruce Niven of the 10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles

10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles

The 10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles, , was originally an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment was first formed in 1890, taking its lineage from a police unit and over the course of its existence it had a number of changes in designation and composition...

.

Operations

Under the command of Major Peter Quantrill, 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles

6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles

The 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles was a regiment of the British Indian Army, before being transferred to the British Army following India's independence. Originally raised in 1817 as part of the army of the British East India Company, the regiment has been known by a number of names...

, the company was initially employed in an infantry role. The Company was deployed to Sarawak

Sarawak

Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Known as Bumi Kenyalang , Sarawak is situated on the north-west of the island. It is the largest state in Malaysia followed by Sabah, the second largest state located to the North- East.The administrative capital is Kuching, which...

 and split up into groups of two or three with the mission of training and commanding the Border Scouts (Iban natives). This was less than successful, due to the inadequacies of the Iban and morale suffered accordingly. After a debacle at the kampong of Long Jawi, the Border Scouts were disarmed and restricted to an information gathering role, which released the Company for other duties. It was at this time, Major L.M. 'Phil' Phillips, 10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles

10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles

The 10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles, , was originally an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment was first formed in 1890, taking its lineage from a police unit and over the course of its existence it had a number of changes in designation and composition...

 took command.

The Company was concentrated together at Kuching

Kuching

Kuching , officially the City of Kuching, and formerly the City of Sarawak, is the capital and most populous city of the East Malaysian state of Sarawak. It is the largest city on the island of Borneo, and the fourth largest city in Malaysia....

, and operated in the "Fire Brigade" role, moving to wherever it was needed at short notice. It carried out a number of such operations in support of 3 Commando Brigade

3 Commando Brigade

3 Commando Brigade is a commando formation of the British Armed Forces and the main manoeuvre formation of the Royal Marines. Its personnel are predominantly Royal Marines, supported by units of Royal Engineers, Royal Artillery, The Rifles, and the Fleet Air Arm, together with other Commando...

 in the Lundu area.

Change of role

In 1964, the Company returned to the mainland, and was based at the Kota Tinggi Jungle Warfare School in Johore Bahru. Shortly after Major Phillips was informed by the Director of Operations, Borneo that the Company would return to Borneo to operate in the SAS role. Lt. Col. John Woodhouse

John Woodhouse (British Army officer)

Lieutenant-Colonel John Michael Woodhouse MBE, MC was a British soldier credited with helping to reform the Special Air Service.-Early years:...

, Commanding Officer of 22 SAS assisted Major Phillips in planning the conversion of the Company. The Company reorganised from three platoons into 16 five-man patrols (commander, medical orderly, two assault pioneers and a signaller). The reasons behind the adoption of the five man patrol were that company's primary role was still airfield assault, and its strength of 128 all ranks was based on that role.

The company underwent a short period of training and weeding out, assisted by 2 members of 22 SAS. The Signallers were provided by Queen's Gurkha Signals

Queen's Gurkha Signals

The Queen's Gurkha Signals is a regular unit of Royal Corps of Signals, one of the combat support arms of British Army. Together with the Queen's Gurkha Engineers, the Queen's Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment and the Royal Gurkha Rifles they form part of the Brigade of Gurkhas...

 and the patrol medics were trained at the British Military Hospital, Singapore.

Second tour

By August 1964, training was complete, and the attempted invasion of the mainland by Indonesian troops provided a good 'shake down' for the Company. In October 1964, the Company returned to Borneo, where it relieved No.1 (Guards) Independent Company at Sibu

Sibu

Sibu may refer to:*Sibu, Sarawak in Eastern Malaysia*Sibu Division*Sibu , an impact crater on Mars*Pulau Sibu, an island off the eastern coast of peninsular Malaysia*Sibu , name of a goddess in the Bribri tribe, in Costa Rica...

. During the next 6 months, the Company patrolled constantly, patrols being rotated to allow them to rest and recuperate at the company base. There were no contacts with the enemy, although a number of unauthorised forays across the Indonesian border were carried out.

In April 1965, the Company returned to the mainland, to a new base at Kluang

Kluang

Kluang is a town and district located roughly in the middle of the state of Johor in Malaysia. Kluang lies about 110 km north of Johor Bahru, east-southeast of Batu Pahat, west of Mersing and south of Segamat...

. Major John Cross assumed command and the company spent the next five months retraining and recruiting new members. In September, the Company returned to Borneo, taking part in Operation Claret

Operation Claret

Claret was the code name given to operations conducted from about July 1964 until July 1966 from East Malaysia across the border in Indonesian Kalimantan during the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation. They were instigated by the Director of Borneo Operations Major General Walter Walker with the...

, a series of cross-border operations.

In June 1966, the Company was formally affiliated to the Parachute Regiment and its members wore the maroon beret and badge of the regiment, the latter worn on a rifle green backing bearing the colours of the Brigade of Gurkhas

Brigade of Gurkhas

The Brigade of Gurkhas is the collective term for units of the current British Army that are composed of Nepalese soldiers. The brigade, which is 3,640 strong, draws its heritage from Gurkha units that originally served in the British Indian Army prior to Indian independence, and prior to that of...

.

The end

In 1968, the company reverted to the organization of a conventional rifle company, and its original role of airfield seizure. It was based once more at Kota Tinggi, where it acted as the demonstration company. In 1971 the Brigade of Gurkhas

Brigade of Gurkhas

The Brigade of Gurkhas is the collective term for units of the current British Army that are composed of Nepalese soldiers. The brigade, which is 3,640 strong, draws its heritage from Gurkha units that originally served in the British Indian Army prior to Indian independence, and prior to that of...

moved to Hong Kong, where no role was envisioned for an airborne unit. Consequently, on 31 October, the Gurkha Independent Parachute Company was disbanded.

Sources

• Harclerode, Peter: PARA! 50 years of the Parachute Regiment; pp254–261; ISBN 0-75280-395-6