Rambahadur Limbu
Encyclopedia
Captain Rambahadur Limbu, VC
, MVO
(born 8 July 1939) is a Nepalese
recipient of the Victoria Cross
, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British
and Commonwealth
forces. Rambahadur Limbu belongs to the Begha Clan of Limbu
Nationality of Nepal
. He retired with the honorary rank of Captain. Limbu was born in Chyangthapu village, Yangrop Thum, Limbuwan
, in East Nepal
, and now lives in Damak
.
, British Army
during the Indonesian Confrontation when, on 21 November 1965 in Sarawak
, Borneo
, Lance-Corporal Rambahadur Limbu was in an advance party of 16 Gurkhas when they encountered about 30 Indonesians holding a position on the top of a jungle-covered hill. The lance-corporal went forward with two men, but when they were only 10 yards from the enemy machine-gun position, the sentry opened fire on them, whereupon Limbu rushed forward and killed him with a grenade. The remaining enemy combatants then opened fire on the small party, wounding the two men with the lance-corporal who, under heavy fire, made three journeys into the open, two to drag his comrades to safety and one to retrieve their Bren gun, with which he charged down and killed many of the enemy.
His original Victoria Cross was stolen, along with all his other possessions, while he was asleep during a train journey in India to his native Nepal in 1967. It has never been found, and he was issued with a replacement.
Limbu is a living recipient of the VC. He reached the rank of Captain, as a Queen's Gurkha Officer (QGO), and was appointed Member of the Royal Victorian Order
(MVO) in 1984 for his service as Queen's Gurkha Orderly Officer.
Victoria Cross Heroes
which also included archive footage and dramatisations of his actions.
"...Leading his support group in the van of the attack he could see the nearest trench and in it a sentry manning a machine gun. Determined to gain first blood he inched himself forward until... he was seen and the sentry opened fire, immediately wounding a man to his right. Rushing forward he reached the enemy trench... and killed the sentry, thereby gaining for the attacking force a foothold on the objective ...with a complete disregard for the hail of fire he got together and led his fire group to a better fire position...
...he saw both men of his own group seriously wounded... and... immediately commenced... to rescue his comrades ...he crawled forward, in full view of at least two enemy machine gun posts who concentrated their fire on him... but... was driven back by the accurate and intense...fire...After a pause he started again...
Rushing forward he hurled himself on the ground beside one of the wounded and calling for support from two light machine guns...he picked up the man and carried him to safety... Without hesitation he immediately returned... (for the other) wounded man (and) carried him back... through the hail of enemy bullets. It had taken twenty minutes to complete this gallant action and the events leading up to it. For all but a few seconds this Non-Commissioned Officer had been moving alone in full view of the enemy and under the continuous aimed fire of their automatic weapons. ...His outstanding personal bravery, selfless conduct, complete contempt of the enemy and determination to save the lives of the men of his fire group set an incomparable example and inspired all who saw him
Finally... Lance Corporal Rambahadur was... responsible for killing four more enemy as they attempted to escape...".
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....
, MVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
(born 8 July 1939) is a Nepalese
Nepali people
Nepali people can refer to:*People of Nepal*Ethnic Nepalis of Indian citizenry residing in Gorkhaland area of West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and other parts of India.* Indian Gorkhas*Lhotshampas of Bhutan.*Nepali diaspora the world over....
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 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. Rambahadur Limbu belongs to the Begha Clan of Limbu
Limbu people
The Yakthung or Limbu tribes and clans belong to the Kirati nation or to the Kirat confederation.They are indigenous to the hill and mountainous regions of east Nepal between the Arun and Mechi rivers to as far as Southern Tibet, Bhutan and Sikkim....
Nationality 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...
. He retired with the honorary rank of Captain. Limbu was born in Chyangthapu village, Yangrop Thum, Limbuwan
Limbuwan
Limbuwan is an area of the Himalaya historically made up of 10 Limbu kingdoms, all now part of Nepal. Limbuwan means "abode of the Limbus" or "Land of the Limbus". Limbus themselves call Limbuwan "Yakthung Laaje" or "the country of the Yakthungs"...
, in East 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...
, and now lives in Damak
Damak
Damak is a town and municipality in Jhapa District in the Mechi Zone of south-eastern Nepal. It is situated between the Ratuwa River in the east and the Mawa River in the west. As of 2001 census total population of city is 35,009...
.
Details
Limbu was approximately 26 years old, and was a Lance-Corporal in the 2nd Battalion, 10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles10th 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...
, British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
during the Indonesian Confrontation when, on 21 November 1965 in 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...
, Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
, Lance-Corporal Rambahadur Limbu was in an advance party of 16 Gurkhas when they encountered about 30 Indonesians holding a position on the top of a jungle-covered hill. The lance-corporal went forward with two men, but when they were only 10 yards from the enemy machine-gun position, the sentry opened fire on them, whereupon Limbu rushed forward and killed him with a grenade. The remaining enemy combatants then opened fire on the small party, wounding the two men with the lance-corporal who, under heavy fire, made three journeys into the open, two to drag his comrades to safety and one to retrieve their Bren gun, with which he charged down and killed many of the enemy.
His original Victoria Cross was stolen, along with all his other possessions, while he was asleep during a train journey in India to his native Nepal in 1967. It has never been found, and he was issued with a replacement.
Limbu is a living recipient of the VC. He reached the rank of Captain, as a Queen's Gurkha Officer (QGO), and was appointed Member of the Royal Victorian Order
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
(MVO) in 1984 for his service as Queen's Gurkha Orderly Officer.
In the media
Limbu was interviewed for the 2006 television docudramaDocudrama
In film, television programming and staged theatre, docudrama is a documentary-style genre that features dramatized re-enactments of actual historical events. As a neologism, the term is often confused with docufiction....
Victoria Cross Heroes
Victoria Cross Heroes
Victoria Cross Heroes is a three-part television docudrama recipients first broadcast by Five in 2006 that tells the stories of some of the recipients of the Victoria Cross.-Production:...
which also included archive footage and dramatisations of his actions.
Extracts from London Gazette 22 April 1966
Lance Corporal Rambahadur Limbu, 10th Gurkha Rifles, Borneo — 21 November 1965"...Leading his support group in the van of the attack he could see the nearest trench and in it a sentry manning a machine gun. Determined to gain first blood he inched himself forward until... he was seen and the sentry opened fire, immediately wounding a man to his right. Rushing forward he reached the enemy trench... and killed the sentry, thereby gaining for the attacking force a foothold on the objective ...with a complete disregard for the hail of fire he got together and led his fire group to a better fire position...
...he saw both men of his own group seriously wounded... and... immediately commenced... to rescue his comrades ...he crawled forward, in full view of at least two enemy machine gun posts who concentrated their fire on him... but... was driven back by the accurate and intense...fire...After a pause he started again...
Rushing forward he hurled himself on the ground beside one of the wounded and calling for support from two light machine guns...he picked up the man and carried him to safety... Without hesitation he immediately returned... (for the other) wounded man (and) carried him back... through the hail of enemy bullets. It had taken twenty minutes to complete this gallant action and the events leading up to it. For all but a few seconds this Non-Commissioned Officer had been moving alone in full view of the enemy and under the continuous aimed fire of their automatic weapons. ...His outstanding personal bravery, selfless conduct, complete contempt of the enemy and determination to save the lives of the men of his fire group set an incomparable example and inspired all who saw him
Finally... Lance Corporal Rambahadur was... responsible for killing four more enemy as they attempted to escape...".
External links
- The Jungle War - Borneo, Brunei and Sarawak (including background to VC action)