Meeting the gurkhas, nt, 1967

[Peter Laidler]

My meeting with the Gurkhas
NT; Auustralia1967

I always enjoyed our Military Training week every few months because it took you away from the workshops and usually meant a day on the ranges – which was my enjoyable bread and butter. On that basis the Armourers always got good reviews. This wasn’t such a week…….

There was a good reason why the non-Infantry ‘Corps troops’ were required to undertake fairly regular Infantry or Military training. This week, one small part was that each bloke in the mixed section off odds and ends ‘corps-types’ was required to act as a section leader for a few hours or so while he was assessed and advised by our regular RAR training Sergeant from one of the Military Training Teams scattered across the Country.

One day our task was to venture several miles into ‘bandit country’ up and well into Arnhem Land, to meet up with another patrol of regular infantry who had operated there and were working deep inside – and were to pass on to us a downed airman and some observation intelligence that they’d gleaned. Of course he wasn’t ‘downed’ but that was part of the realistic scenario that our section of 8 men were operating to.

We set off early, camouflaged-up, and armed with rifles and an L2 heavy rifle - and blanks of course to travel across deep vegetated and covered bush country, keeping silent and travelling carefully using our maps and identifiable tracks until we crossed into bandit country to an identifiable track junction where we were, hopefully, going to meet our opposites.

We carefully hooched-up, hidden and had a bit of a conflab while one of the others watched on guard. After about an hour or so, he reported back that about 50 yards further up this bush track there was movement and what sounded like a shrill bird screech. We stood-to making sure that our backs were covered of course. Even though it was a training exercise, things were getting twitchy.

It soon became apparent that ‘the movement’ and ‘bird screech’ could well be trying to surreptitiously make contact…….. While our sentry made himself known, so did the other bloke, further up the track. Clearly seeing that we were there by arrangement, the other bloke ‘appeared’ and made his way slowly and VERY stealthy down the track, but well into the bushy outer edges of it . To be honest, when whatever it was came into semi-clear view, it looked like nothing on earth…….

If you can imagine one of those Himalayan yetti’s…… he was camouflaged like one of those. Streams of shredded hessian, ribbons of light and dark green and yellow cloth covered him from head to toe and greasy camouflage paste over his face and arms. How he survived the heat up in those tropics, while the sun was well-up, heaven only knows. His rifle was held in an semi aiming way. I don’t know what he did to the others, but he scared the crap out of me………

He was beckoned over and gave a signal to his mates as a warning…..

Shortly after contact was made, we suddenly realised that he was a British Army Gurkha, in Australia for training. Checking our credentials and that we were in fact the good guys they were supposed to meet, he have a signal for the remainder of his section to stand and slowly make their way over. That was another shock. As they stood up and moved over the 30 or so yards towards us, they were all camouflaged like jungle yettis. It became clear that while we saw the leading scout, the rest of the Gurkha patrol were holed up virtually surrounding us. No flies on these boys.....

A couple of us also noticed that some of them had bayonets on their rifle – so CLEARLY some of them weren’t armed with blanks!!!!! It was nice to see a real machine gun again too, as they had an L4 7.62 Bren against our heavy automatic rifle. While they didn’t say too much, we think that they were a deep penetration patrol, living off the land to boot – with rifles to catch their food.

I spoke to one of the reasonable English speakers and told him that I was also in the British Army, which he and his Gurkha mates found quite amusing.

Like us, they also had a Training whatever-he-was with them. He didn’t say much at all except a couple of words to our training Sergeant. He didn’t discuss what he said or indeed, who he was but we suspect he was British, Australian or New Zealand SAS observer or instruuctor.

But there was more………

While we were sat pretty-well hidden with these Gurkha yettie look-a-likes we shared a mug of their foul tasting tea (no tea bags, just leaves!) and an equally foul tasting tepid boney ‘stew’. Quite what sort of ‘stew’ it was, was never established but I suspect that they’d shot some sort of Australian animal and did whatever they do.

I asked one of the Gurkhas how long they’d been at the location. He told me that they’d done a previous reccy visit, cleared the area and settled in soon after sundown the previous day. So they’d been holed-up and prepared overnight and into the morning. They must have thought we were a bunch of bumbling amateurs. Fed and watered, we quietly parted, took the bundle of ‘intelligence’ docs. We did pass over to them any spare clean water and rations. No word was spoken to the ‘downed pilot’ for security reasons and took advice by keeping him tethered and hooded. Loosely I hasten to add to imitate a real scenario. I never understood why as we’d achieved our aim and he was clearly Australian and one of ours. But those were the rules dictated by our Training Sgt.

We were not allowed to see the departure drills the Gurkha patrol took for reasons best known to them. We never saw the Gurkhas again who had come down from Borneo to Canungra, then up North.

The remaining Military Training days were a bit run-of-the-mill after that. Lots of range days, jungle ambush trails and plenty of live ammunition. To be honest, for us corps troops and some of the Nasho’s, they could be a bit of a chore, especially if you were being run ragged but being fit I just made a point of enjoying it

My only meeting with the Gurkhas – and far from where you’d expect to see them!

Information

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[mrclark303]

Great story Peter, ever consider writing a book?!

[Surpmil]

Countrymen make better soldiers and rural Nepal is about as "country" as one can get in the 21st Century.

Grow up there and you'll be fit, inured to cold and wet, used to steep hills, hard work and simple food, attuned to nature, skilled at finding or making shelter etc. etc.

All the things most of us aren't!

[browningautorifle]

We had the Gurkha's come to Wainwright or Suffield regularly enough to practice conventional warfare. Lots of large live fire range templates too. One year after they departed and we did a level one range clearance two knives were found. I have one still today and one was in possession of one of my troops until he lost track of it. Their serial number was a simple alphanumeric done with a chisel. They numbered two apart. Wonder what retribution took place there...? Also found one of their very large bulbous BFAs, of course would have been lost out of a pouch during fire and movement on a live range. I can only find Australian reference to the BFA. L6A1? The one I found was ED marked.

[CINDERS]

A long time ago @1982 I was being naughty hunting pigs in the Commonwealth Govt owned forest having rec'ed the place on foot a few weeks before finding their runs and where they crossed a small stream that ran through a reasonably steep section of terrain.
Anyway I parked myself in the dark in a spot that afforded a reasonable arc of fire with the sun coming up behind me so I was pretty confident of a porker, its funny how hunting goes sometimes plenty of fresh dug up ground and spore, breeze was perfect, clear morning no bl**dy pigs!
I was quite well hidden only in cammo'ed gear as a ghillie suit trying to move around in bullrush and low scrub was a hinderance I had a sucker tree just the right size to secrete oneself in so I am just about to leave as the sun has been up for a bit and well no pigs!!!!!

But I hear something coming through the scrub and by the noise it was what I thought may have been the biggest boar out there so I stayed put but left my 444 Marlin on half cock and with the lever just ajar so the rifle could be readied very quickly, but goodness the noise of breaking scrub I was fairly waiting for the moment.
And what the hell appears before me traipsing through the brush, what appeared to be an army reservist on some sort of exercise he was alone so not sure on what mission he had but I watched him from my hiding spot, anyway it was getting late the elephant had scared all before it so lets have some fun.
I let him get within @15m gave a low whistle and stood up man the look on his face was priceless like I was an alien from space as he was focused on the terrain and crossing the small stream and did not expect to see a camm'oed up civilian hunter.

I ejected the live rounds and left the action open hoping his weapon was unloaded as well I think he had a Steyr or may have been an SLR I just remember his shocked face we had a quick chat and I beat a very hasty retreat as to be found where I was well very hefty penalties applied for being naughty..........

[Gil Boyd]

So sad when I interviewed a Gurkha Sniper Private Aita SING RAI, and the CO of the 1/7th Duke of Edinburghs Own Gurkhas after the Falklands War about the use of the L42A1 for my book, Brigadier David Morgan OBE was still upset that the Gurkhas had not been used to thier true potential................very sad indeed, when coupled with the fact that the British treatment of their service and pensions are so badly handled even today.

Brigadier Morgans words still ring true today " So the lesson has been learned, and hopefully, the frustration experienced by us in the Falklands will never occur again. Indeed the Brigade is still, in my biased opinion, the JEWEL of the British Army- a JEWEL that must never be wasted again"

LEST WE FORGET

[browningautorifle]

It made us wonder at the time too. We all asked "If they had been allowed to operate as designed, would UK casualties have been less?" If they did their normal infiltration, there may have been mass surrenders before action.

[SailDesign]

I only "met" Gurkhas once - at Bisley in 1972 for the school matches. They were the security.

They were armed with their Kukris, and a pick-axe handle - I wouldn't have wanted to get on their bad side.

[Gil Boyd]

Nothing worse than a mad Gurkha wielding a pick axe handle

[CINDERS]

"If they had been allowed to operate as designed

All the corps of the armies allied to the cause should have been under direct command of their own soldiers this was made blatantly clear in WWI with the Australians they did far better in action under Australian command as they knew how to handle the Aussie digger, one point is they never saluted an English officer.

A story I have from that conflict a digger was walking down a street and a Lieutenant General passed him the digger did not salute, peeved the Lieut Gen pulled the digger up and rebuked him severely for not saluting and pointing to the insignia on his epaulettes asked the digger what these meant.
The digger laconically replied, " I thought with that crossed sword there that you may have been a butcher or something." the Lieutenant Gen stalked off apparently!

I dare say from the stories in my library of the Ghurka that they are a formidable soldier this I read in a book on the Falklands where the Argie's dug in on a hill when they learnt the Ghurka's were coming they all up and fled their positions retreating without firing a shot.