Britain first came into contact with the men who established modern Nepal in the second half of the 18th Century. In 1757 Clive's victory at the battle of Plassey established British supremacy in India and opened the door for the expansion of the Honourable East India Company. Ten years after the battle of Plassey the British started to come into contact with King Prithvi's armies on the northern boundaries of its newly won territories of Bihar and Bengal. Eventually as a result of boundary disputes and repeated raids by Gurkha columns into British territory the Governor General of India declared war on Nepal in 1814. After two long and bloody campaigns a peace treaty was eventually signed at Segauli in 1816.

During the campaign a deep mutual respect and admiration developed between the British and their Gurkha adversaries. Under the terms of the peace treaty Gurkhas were permitted to volunteer for service in the East India Company's army. The Regiments formed from these volunteers first fought for Britain in the Pindaree war of 1817 and earned their first battle honour at Bhurtpore in 1826. In the second Sikh war of 1848, six regiments of the Nepalese army were offered to assist Britain.

However, it was during the Indian Mutiny of 1857-58 that the Gurkhas proved their loyalty beyond all doubt. The Second Goorkhas (now part of 1 RGR) and the 60th Rifles (now the Royal Green Jackets) defended the key British position at Delhi where the Gurkhas suffered 327 casualties out of a strength of 490 (including 8 out of their 9 British Officers). Also 12 Nepalese Army regiments, under the leadership of the Prime Minister of Nepal took part in the relief of Lucknow.

After the Mutiny the East India Company's army became the British Indian Army and its Gurkha Regiments saw service in Burma, Afghanistan, the North East and North West Frontiers of India, Malta, Cyprus, Malaya, China (the Boxer Rebellion of 1900) and Tibet (Younghusband's Expedition of 1904). At the outbreak of the First World War the whole Nepalese army was placed at the disposal of the British Crown. As well as the 16,000 Nepalese troops who served in the Indian theatre, 200,000 Gurkhas served with the Brigade in Europe and the Middle East. After the First World War, in 1919, the Brigade returned to fighting in Afghanistan and the North West Frontier.

During the Second World War 45 Battalions and other units of Gurkha troops saw service. Almost a quarter of a million men fought alongside their British and Indian counterparts all over the globe. Again the whole Nepalese Army was placed at the disposal of the British Crown. Eight Nepalese regiments served in India and a Nepalese brigade fought with distinction at the Battle of Imphal in Burma. In addition the government of Nepal donated money for the purchase of arms and equipment and for relief for the sufferers of the Blitz. At the end of the war there were ten Gurkha regiments in the Indian Army. With the partition of India four regiments were transferred to the British Army to form the Brigade of Gurkhas. Following partition Gurkha Engineer, Signals, Transport, Parachute and Police units were also raised. The remainder of the regiments stayed in the Indian Army where they still serve today.

The period after the Second World War again saw the Brigade of Gurkhas in operations almost wherever the British Army served. The Brigade played a major part in the Malayan Emergency and in Borneo, and was involved in operations in Cyprus, the Falklands War and the Gulf War. The Brigade was based in Malaya until the British withdrawal in 1971, when it moved to Hong Kong to assist with internal security after disturbances relating to China's "Cultural Revolution". The police and parachute units were disbanded when the Brigade departed from Malaya. 1 RGR were the first British Unit to enter Kosovo in 1999.

Source: NEPAL & THE GURKHAS

Hundreds of Gurkhas celebrated on the steps of the High Court today after winning an historic legal battle for the right to settle in Britain.

Celebrating alongside them was the actress Joanna Lumley, whose father served with the Brigade of Gurkhas during the Second World War and who has become the public face of the campaign to deliver them justice.

The Gurkhas, recruited in Nepal, have fought alongside British troops since 1815 after being designated as a "martial race" of the British Empire. In that time they have become renowned for their courage and loyalty.

Six claimants brought a test case against the Government, challenging what has now been declared an unlawful immigration policy which excluded veteran Gurkhas who retired before 1997 from the United Kingdom.

The six, including a wounded Falklands War veteran, a Gulf War veteran and a Gurkha widow, represented approximately 2,000 others who were refused entry to the UK because the Government said they had failed to demonstrate "strong ties" to the UK.

The judge, Mr Justice Blake, made clear that the long military service of the five men, their wounds sustained in battle, their conspicuous acts of bravery, their acts of gallantry and their commitment and loyalty to the Crown all point to an unquestionable historic "moral debt of honour" and gratitude which the ordinary people of Britain embrace and celebrate.

Welcoming the decision, Lumley said: "It gives our country a chance to right a great wrong and to wipe out a national shame that has stained us all.

She added: "Today means that we can at last have this unlawful ruling overturned - but it's not over yet ... until the laws are rewritten."

The campaign will now focus on pushing for legislation to give all Gurkha veterans the same settlement rights as any other British soldiers.

Lumley said that she wanted to take "a million or two million signatures" to Downing Street to press for that and urged supporters to sign up on the gurkhajustice.org.uk website.

The case heard last month was brought to challenge the lawfulness of the government policy that 2,000 Gurkhas who retired prior to July 1997 – the date that the Brigade of Gurkhas moved its base from Hong Kong to the UK – did not have the necessary "strong ties" to be allowed entry.

They were represented by the five soldiers, including Lance Corporal Gyanendra Rai, 52, a Falklands veteran, and Birendra Man Shrestha, 46, who fought in the Gulf War.

All had applied to come to settle in UK, but were refused entry by British Entry Clearance officers at the British Embassy in Kathmandu and the British High Commissions in Hong Kong and Macau.

The Gurkhas directly affected by this decision fought for Britain in all conflicts since the Second World War, including the jungles of Malaya, the Falklands and the Gulf.

Mr Justice Blake ruled that the Home Office policy on settlement applications by Gurkhas who were discharged prior to 1997 was unlawful. He quashed the decisions of the Entry Clearance Officers in each of the claims and ordered the Home Secretary to reconsider the policy so as to permit new decisions by the ECOs.

In a statement, Ms Smith said: "I have always been clear that where there is a compelling case, soldiers and their families should be considered for settlement.

"The judge has agreed that our cut-off date of 1997 is fair. However, in light of the court's ruling we will revise and publish new guidance. We will honour our commitment to the Gurkhas by reviewing all cases by the end of the year."

Source: Philippe Naughton September 30, 2008 Times Online

www.gurkhajustice.org.uk