Royal Gurkha Rifles Article Index for
Royal 		Website Links For
Royal 		 

Information About

Royal Gurkha Rifles
  CATEGORIES ABOUT ROYAL GURKHA RIFLES
   
1994 establishments
   
infantry regiments of the british army
   
rifle regiments
   
SHOPPER'S DELIGHT
 
Shop For:  
Department
Price Minimum:
Price Maximum:
      



  caption Cap badge of the Royal Gurkha Rifles
  dates 1 July 1994 -Present
  country United Kingdom
  branch Army
  type Rifles
  role Light role
  size Two battalions
  garrison Shorncliffe (1st Battalion) <br> Brunei (2nd Battalion)
  ceremonial Chief HRH The Prince Of Wales
  ceremonial Chief Label Colonel in Chief
  march ''Quick'': Bravest of the Brave<br> ''Double Past'': Keel Row <br> ''Slow'': God Bless the Prince of Wales
  anniversaries Meiktila ( 1 March ), Medicina ( 16 April ), Gallipoli ( 7 August ), Delhi Day ( 14 September )


The Royal Gurkha Rifles is a Regiment of the British Army , forming part of the Brigade Of Gurkhas . It is unique in that it recruits Gurkha s from Nepal , which is a nation independent of the United Kingdom . The regiment was formed in 1994 from the amalgamation of the four separate Gurkha regiments in the British Army:


The Royal Gurkha Rifles are considered to be some of the finest soldiers 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. Their standard of drill is considered to be on a par with that of the Foot Guards , so much so that on many occasions the regiment has Mounted The Guard at Buckingham Palace .

In December 1995 , Lieutenant-Colonel Bjaykumar 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 its transfer to Chinese control, and the battalion's relocation to Church Crookham , Hampshire in 1996 . Their motto is 'It's better to die than to be a coward'.


ORGANISATION

  • 1st Battalion, Royal Gurkha Rifles (1994- ); formed by the amalgamation of the 1st Bn, 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles and 1st Bn, 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles.

  • 2nd Battalion, Royal Gurkha Rifles (1994- ); formed by renaming the 1st Bn, 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles.

  • 3rd Battalion, Royal Gurkha Rifles (1994-1996); formed by renaming the 1st Bn, 10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles. Amalgamated with the 2nd Bn, Royal Gurkha Rifles in 1996 as part of run down of British forces in Hong Kong .


The two battalions of the RGR are formed as light role infantry; they are not equipped with either armoured or wheeled vehicles. One battalion is based at '''Shorncliffe''', near Folkestone in Kent as part of 2 Infantry Brigade , and is available for deployment to most areas in Europe and Africa . The other is based in Brunei as part of Britain's commitment to maintaining a military presence in SE Asia . The two battalions rotate in each role, usually for three years at a time.


AFFILIATIONS



SEE ALSO