19th century The regiment was raised by Major HFM Boisragon in 1858 as the
25th Native Punjab Infantry, also known as the "
Hazara Goorkha Battalion". The soldiers of the regiment originated from the
Kingdom of Nepal and in 1861 it was renamed the 5th Gurkha Regiment. The regiment's first major action was during the
Second Afghan War, where they were awarded their first battle honour at
Peiwar Kotal and Captain
John Cook was awarded the
Victoria Cross. In this conflict, soldier
Kishanbir Nagarkoti won the
Indian Order of Merit thrice, and a fourth time in the Hazara conflict of 1888. In 1891 the regiment was awarded the prestigious title of a Rifle regiment and became
5th Gurkha (Rifle) Regiment which was shortened to
5th Gurkha Rifles in 1901.
First World War , 1915 During the
First World War, the regiment primarily saw service in the
Middle East—the 1st Battalion saw extensive and hard service at
Gallipoli in 1915 During the withdrawal, ‘C’
company of the 1st Battalion, 5th Gurkhas were among the last troops to leave. The 2nd Battalion initially served in India with the
2nd (Rawalpindi) Division before transferring to
Mesopotamia in April 1916 and joining the
42nd Indian Brigade,
15th Indian Division. The 1st Battalion joined them in March 1917 from the
1st (Peshawar) Division and both battalions fought together at the
action of Khan Baghdadi. A 3rd Battalion was raised for service on the
North-West Frontier at
Ferozepore on 28 November 1916, before being disbanded in 1921.
Inter-War period In 1921, the regiment was given the title the
5th Royal Gurkha Rifles, in recognition of its service during the
First World War. The
2nd Battalion served in the
Far East in the
Burma Campaign as part of the
17th Indian Infantry Division and was involved in the retreat of the
British Indian Army from
Burma; they were also one of four battalions chosen to fight as the rearguard at the
Sittang River, which formed the border with India. When the bridge over the river was blown up, preventing the
Japanese forces from entering India, many of the regiment were left on the wrong side. The regiment was involved in the re-entry into Burma in 1943 where three members of the regiment were awarded the
Victoria Cross. After the war, the 2nd Battalion was issued with new uniforms, equipment and transport and posted to
Tokyo in Japan as part of the
British Commonwealth Occupation Force. The
3rd Battalion was re-raised at Abbotabad on 1 October 1940 and served as part of the
37th Indian Infantry Brigade and was involved in the
Battle of Imphal although understrength. The
5th battalion was raised on 1 October 1940 as Third Battalion of the
6th Gurkha Rifles at Abbotabad. On 1 January 1948, the battalion was re-designated as Fifth Battalion of the 5th Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force). The battalion took part in the Chindit operations in Burma as part of 77 Independent Infantry Brigade. The battalion demonstrated extraordinary bravery in the capture of Mogaung on 23 June 1944, earning two Victoria Crosses in a single day—a rare feat in a single battle. ==Lineage==