Royal Gurkha Rifles

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 Gurkhas 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:

2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles)
6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles
7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles
10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles

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, Britain in 1996.

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.

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 committment to maintaining a military presence in SE Asia. The two battalions rotate in each role, usually for three years at a time.

Affiliations

King's Royal Hussars

Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment)

The Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons)

Royal Green Jackets

Queen's Own Rifles of Canada