11th Gurkha Rifles

the current regiment of the Indian Army 11 Gorkha Rifles June 2015 May 2026 11th Gurkha Rifles 18 May 1918 – 12 April 1922 British India 23px British Crown British India 23px Infantry Four battalions 1st (Peshawar) Division53rd (Welsh) Division First World War Sinai and Palestine Campaign Battle of Nablus (1918) Third Anglo-Afghan War Afghanistan 1919Gaylor 1996 246 Battle Honours The 11th Gurkha Rifles was a Gurkha regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in Mesopotamia and Palestine in May 1918, saw active service in the First World War and the Third Anglo-Afghan War, and was disbanded in April 1922. History Background Heavy losses suffered by the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front following the German spring offensive in March 1918 resulted in a major reorganization of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force: two divisions52nd (Lowland)Becke 1936 115 and 74th (Yeomanry)Becke 1937 121 were transferred to France in April; they were replaced by the 3rd (Lahore)Perry 1993 54 and 7th (Meerut) DivisionsPerry 1993 90 from Mesopotamia; nine yeomanry regiments were dismounted, converted to machine gunners and sent to France at the end of the same month; the 4thPerry 1993 21–24 and 5th Cavalry DivisionsPerry 1993 25–28 were reformed with Indian cavalry regiments withdrawn from France and the 15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade already in Egypt; the 10th (Irish),Becke 1938 15–16 53rd (Welsh),Becke 1936 120–121 60th (2/2nd London),Becke 1937 29–30 and 75th DivisionsBecke 1937 126–128 were reduced to a single British battalion per brigade. They were reformed with nine Indian infantry battalions and an Indian pioneer battalion each.The remaining infantry division in the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in March 1918the 54th (East Anglian) Divisionremained unaffected by these changes.Becke 1936 128–129 In fact, the 75th Division already had four Indian battalions assigned,In March 1917, the Egyptian Expeditionary Force started forming the 75th Division, originally to be made up of Territorial Force battalions arriving from India. In May 1917, to speed up the formation of the division, it was decided to incorporate Indian battalions.Becke 1937 129 To this end, the independent 29th Indian Brigade was broken up in June 1917 and its battalions posted to 75th Division.Perry 1993 167 so of the 36 battalions needed to reform the divisions, 22 were improvisedPerry 1993 174 by taking whole companies from existing units already on active service in Mesopotamia and Palestine to form the 150th Infantry (3 battalions), 151st Sikh Infantry (3), 152nd Punjabis (3), 153rd Punjabis (3), 154th Infantry (3), 155th Pioneers (2), 156th Infantry (1) and the 11th Gurkha Rifles (4).Perry 1993 177–178 The donor units were then brought back up to strength by drafts. In the event, just 13 of the battalions were assigned to the divisionshttp://orbat.com/site/history/open4/uk_eygptianexpeditionaryforce1918.pdf Order of Battle of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force, September 1918 Hanafin James orbat.com PDF 11 November 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20150109153754/http://orbat.com/site/history/open4/uk_eygptianexpeditionaryforce1918.pdf 9 January 2015 and the remaining nine were transferred from Mesopotamia to India in June 1918.Perry 1993 44,64,81,103,155 Formation The regiment formed four battalions. The first three were formed in Mesopotamia in May 1918 with companies posted from Gurkha battalions (and the 39th Garhwal Rifles) serving in the 14th, 15th, 17th, and 18th Indian Divisions.Perry 1993 128,134,144,148 They were transferred to Bombay (Mumbai) in June 1918.Perry 1993 80 All three later took part in the Third Anglo-Afghan War in 1919 as part of the 1st (Peshawar) Division.Perry 1993 38 They were disbanded in India in 1921 and 1922 with personnel transferred to various regular Gurkha battalions. In contrast, the fourth battalion was formed in Palestine with three companies and two half-companies posted from Gurkha battalions serving in the 3rd (Lahore), 7th (Meerut), and British 75th Divisions. It remained in Palestine until the end of the war, before returning to India.Becke 1936 121 It was disbanded in 1920 with personnel transferred to the other three battalions of the regiment. The badge of the 11th Gurkha Rifles was crossed kukris, points upwards, cutting edge inwards, with "XI" above the intersection. The 11 Gorkha Rifles, formed by the Indian Army in 1948 after the Partition of India, uses the same badge. It does not claim any connection with the First World War regiment.Gaylor 1996 297 Battalions 1st Battalion The 1st Battalion was formed at Kut-al-Amara on 18 May 1918 by the transfer of complete companies from:Perry 1993 178 1st Battalion, 5th Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force) 2nd Battalion, 5th Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force) 1st Battalion, 6th Gurkha Rifles 2nd Battalion, 6th Gurkha Rifles In June 1918, the battalion arrived at Bombay Brigade, 6th Poona Divisional Area and in December was transferred to the 2nd (Nowshera) Brigade, 1st (Peshawar) Division. It served with the brigade and division in the Third Anglo-Afghan War in 1919. The battalion was disbanded on 20 August 1921Gaylor 1996 347 at Abbottabad with the personnel transferring to 2nd Battalion, 5th Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force). 2nd Battalion The 2nd Battalion was formed at Baghdad on 24 May 1918 by the transfer of complete companies from: 1st Battalion, 2nd King Edward's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles) 1st Battalion, 3rd Queen Alexandra's Own Gurkha Rifles 2nd Battalion, 4th Gurkha Rifles 1st Battalion, 7th Gurkha Rifles In June 1918, the battalion arrived at Bombay Brigade, 6th Poona Divisional Area and in December was transferred to the 2nd (Nowshera) Brigade, 1st (Peshawar) Division. It served with the brigade and division in the Third Anglo-Afghan War in 1919. The battalion was disbanded on 15 August 1921 at Abbottabad with the personnel transferring to 2nd Battalion, 4th Gurkha Rifles and 1st Battalion, 7th Gurkha Rifles. 3rd Battalion The 3rd Battalion was formed at Baghdad on 25 May 1918 by the transfer of complete companies from: 1st Battalion, 39th Garhwal Rifles 2nd Battalion, 39th Garhwal Rifles 2nd Battalion, 9th Gurkha Rifles 1st Battalion, 10th Gurkha Rifles In June 1918, the battalion arrived at Bombay Brigade, 6th Poona Divisional Area. In October, the Garhwal companies went to 4th Battalion, 39th Garhwal Rifles and were replaced by drafts from 1st Battalion, 7th Gurkha Rifles, 1st Battalion, 9th Gurkha Rifles and 2nd Battalion, 10th Gurkha Rifles In December, it was transferred to the Presidency Brigade, 8th (Lucknow) Division.Perry 1993 103 It served with the 3rd Indian Brigade, 1st (Peshawar) Division in the Third Anglo-Afghan War in 1919. The battalion was disbanded on 12 April 1922 at Abbottabad with the personnel transferring to 2nd Battalion, 5th Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force), 1st Battalion, 7th Gurhka Rifles and 1st Battalion, 10th Gurkha Rifles. 4th Battalion The 4th Battalion was formed at Sarafand (now Tzrifin) on 24 May 1918 by the transfer of complete companies from: 1st Battalion, 1st King George's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Malaun Regiment) 2nd Battalion, 7th Gurkha Rifles 1st Battalion, 8th Gurkha Rifles and half companies of 2nd Battalion, 3rd Queen Alexandra's Own Gurkha Rifles 3rd Battalion, 3rd Queen Alexandra's Own Gurkha Rifles The battalion joined the 158th Brigade, 53rd (Welsh) Division on 4 June 1918 near Ram Allah. It remained with the division for the rest of the Sinai and Palestine Campaign, taking part in the Battle of Nablus (18–21 September 1918). At the end of the battle, the division was employed on salvage work and working on the Nablus road.Becke 1936 123 On 27 October, the division started moving to Alexandria even before the Armistice of Mudros came into effect on 31 October, thereby ending the war against the Ottoman Empire. It completed its concentration at Alexandria on 15 November. The division received demobilization instructions on 20 December 1918. The Indian infantry battalions returned to India as transports became available and the division was reduced to cadre by 7 June 1919. The battalion was disbanded on 1 August 1920 in India with the personnel transferring to 1st, 2nd and 3rd battalions of the regiment. See also Indian Army during World War I Notes References 2 Bibliography Gaylor John 1996 2nd Sons of John Company: The Indian and Pakistan Armies 1903–1991 Parapress Tunbridge Wells 1-898594-41-4 Perry F.W. 1993 Order of Battle of Divisions Part 5B. Indian Army Divisions Ray Westlake Military Books Newport 1-871167-23-X External links http://www.1914-1918.net/53div.htm The 53rd (Welsh) Division in 1914-1918 The Long, Long Trail Chris Baker 24 June 2015 16 August 2001 https://web.archive.org/web/20010816092354/http://www.1914-1918.net/53div.htm dead http://orbat.com/site/history/open4/uk_eygptianexpeditionaryforce1918.pdf Order of Battle of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force, September 1918 Hanafin James orbat.com PDF 11 November 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20150109153754/http://orbat.com/site/history/open4/uk_eygptianexpeditionaryforce1918.pdf 9 January 2015 Category:British Indian Army infantry regiments Category:Military units and formations established in 1918 Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1922