THE GURKHA RIFLES @ MALAYA

The Gurkha regiments had already fought and been largely destroyed in Malaya during World War II from Dec 1941 - Feb 1942.

In 1941, Malaya was defended by Malaya Command and three Indian Divisions full of Gurkhas:

The 28th (Gurkha) Infantry Brigade was the core:

• 2nd Battalion, 1st Gurkha Rifles
• 2nd Battalion, 2nd Gurkha Rifles
• 2nd Battalion, 9th Gurkha Rifles

What happened:

1. Battle of Jitra, 11-12 Dec 1941 - The first major battle. Major General Murray-Lyon ordered the 1/14th Punjab and the 2/1st Gurkha Rifles to positions on the Trunk Road north of Jitra, in an attempt to delay the Japanese advance. They were hit by Japanese tanks and overwhelming infantry. The 2nd Battalion, part of the 28th Brigade, saw heavy fighting at Jitra where it was forced to hastily retreat after taking part in the initial resistance.
2. Battle of Kampar, Dec 1941-Jan 1942 - The 2nd Battalion was in action a few weeks later at Kampar where they successfully held off superior forces. This was one of the few British tactical successes in the campaign.
3. Battle of Slim River, 5-7 Jan 1942 - A disaster. Japanese tanks broke through and machine-gunned troops of the 2/1st Gurkhas marching along both sides of the road. The brigade lost its CO, Lt Col Jack Fulton, killed at Slim River on 8 Jan 1942.
4. Singapore, Feb 1942 - Survivors retreated to Johore and then Singapore Island. Their battle honours still carry it today: North Malaya; JITRA; Central Malaya; Kampar; SLIM RIVER; Johore, Singapore Island; Malaya 1941-42.

Many were killed or became POWs on the Death Railway. You can find graves of 1 Gorkha Rifles in the military cemetery, Singapore.

After WW2, in January 1948 four regiments - 2nd, 6th, 7th and 10th - transferred to the British Army and were stationed in Malaya. That's the force in your 1947-48 picture, now fighting a completely different enemy - the Communist insurgents in the jungle, not the Japanese Army.

MALAYAN EMERGENCY (1948-1960)

This photo is from the start of the Malayan Emergency (1948-1960) - you can see the jungle kit, the slouch hats, and the classic 1940s British officer inspecting the line. The caption says 1947 but the Emergency officially started in June 1948. That's exactly when the Gurkhas became central to British operations in Malaya.

The Gurkhas in Malaya

After India's independence in 1947, four Gurkha regiments transferred to the British Army: the 2nd, 6th, 7th and 10th Gurkha Rifles. All of them saw action in Malaya.

They were involved from the outset and were continually on active service throughout the next twelve years.

Why them? The British had just fought with Gurkhas in Burma, and they were already renowned jungle soldiers.

Their job was:

• Long-range jungle patrolling - often dropped by helicopter into remote jungle and spending weeks tracking Communist Terrorists (CTs)
• Ferret Force operations - small hand-picked teams of British, Malayan, Gurkha and Chinese personnel living deep in jungle for months to observe the Communist organization
• Training hub - The Brigade of Gurkhas Training Depot was established at Sungai Petani, Kedah on 15 August 1951

One of the most famous commanders was Walter Walker - in 1950 he was appointed to command 1/6 Gurkha Rifles and created a very effective jungle fighting battalion with many notable successes, including killing high ranking communists.

Then came Konfrontasi (1963-1966)

Right after Malaya, the same battalions were sent to Borneo. From the late 1940s till early 1970s, British Gurkhas were actively involved in the Malayan Emergency, Brunei Rebellion (1962) and Konfrontasi (1963-1966).

Both battalions of the 6th, 7th and 10th Gurkha Rifles saw service in Borneo during the Confrontation. It was characterised by extensive jungle patrolling and cross border clandestine raids against the Indonesian Army.

In Sarawak, footage from 1963 shows 1st Battalion 7th Gurkha Rifles patrolling by river launch, being dropped by Wessex helicopter into jungle clearings, and bringing in captured TNKU infiltrators.

By the end of that era, in 1994 the four regiments were amalgamated to form The Royal Gurkha Rifles.

That photo you have is iconic because it captures the transition - British officers who had fought in Burma now leading Gurkhas into a new kind of war: not conventional battles, but 12 years of deep-jungle counter-insurgency that would become the textbook for modern jungle warfare.

MEDAL OF COURAGE

In Malaya the Gurkhas earned medals in 3 different wars - so there are 2 types of medals: Campaign Medals (for everyone who served) and Gallantry Medals (for bravery).

1. The ONLY Victoria Cross in Malaya / Borneo post-war

Lance-Corporal Rambahadur Limbu, 2nd Battalion, 10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles - the only recipient of the Victoria Cross during the three post-war campaigns - Emergency, Brunei Revolt and Confrontation.

• Date:21 November 1965, Bau District, Sarawak
• Action: Battle of Bau. He was in an advance party of 16 Gurkhas against 30 Indonesians on a hilltop. He killed a sentry with a grenade, then under heavy fire made 3 journeys into the open - two to drag his wounded comrades to safety and one to retrieve their Bren gun, then charged and killed many of the enemy. He later received the VC at Buckingham Palace in 1966.

He died in Nepal on 22 April 2023, the last living Gurkha VC.

The Gurkhas overall suffered 367 deaths during the twelve years of the Malayan Emergency, and 43 killed and 83 wounded during the Confrontation.

2. Malayan Emergency Gallantry - Example from 6th Gurkha Rifles

For just the 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles alone, the Regiment gained the following decorations during the Malayan Emergency:

• Officers: 4 DSOs, 5 OBEs, 17 MBEs, 12 MCs
• Other Ranks: 8 DCMs, 26 MMs, 2 BEMs

Individual examples from across the Brigade that are well documented:

• Lieutenant (QGO) Dilman Rai, 1/7th Gurkha Rifles - Military Medal, Malayan Emergency
• Rifleman Dhonte Roka, D Company 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles - Military Medal, Malayan Emergency
• Acting Lance Corporal Nardhol Gimbu, 2/10th Gurkha Rifles - Military Medal for an ambush of Foo Ah Kwong, had also served in WW2
• Captain Peter Duffell, 2nd Gurkha Rifles - Military Cross in Borneo for covert ops against Indonesia during Confrontation

3. Confrontation Gallantry (Borneo)

• Corporal Bombahadur Limbu, 1/7th Gurkha Rifles - Military Medal pair for gallantry as leading scout in a 3-man patrol in Bau District, Sarawak, 18 March 1965
• Rifleman Harkaman Limbu, 2/10 Gurkha Rifles - General Service Medal 1962 with bar Borneo, part of the VC Battalion that undertook 2 tours in 1964 and 1965

4. Campaign Medals Everyone Got

If a Gurkha served in Malaya, he would have:

1. General Service Medal (1918) with clasp MALAYA - for Emergency 1948-60

2. General Service Medal (1962) with clasps BORNEO and MALAY PENINSULA** - for Confrontation 1962-66

3. Pingat Jasa Malaysia (PJM) - Malaysian government medal awarded in 2005 to all Commonwealth veterans of Emergency and Confrontation

So for WW2 Malaya 1941-42, there was no VC, but the battle honours Jitra, Kampar, Slim River, Johore, Singapore Island, Malaya 1941-42 were awarded. The gallantry system then was the same - MC, MM, DCM etc.

Hj Zulheimy Maamor

4 September 2026: 4.23 a.m