Famous Fights of Indian Native RegimentsHodder, Reginald
History
Famous Fights of Indian Native Regiments
Hodder, Reginald
India -- History, Military; India. Army
modified in the Gurkha by his association with the humanity of the West.
The Gurkhas were in the famous march of General Roberts on Kandahar,
which immediately followed the battle of Sijazabad. It was towards the
end of this march that the Gurkhas and the 92nd Gordon Highlanders
made an attack on the little village of Gundi-Moolah-Sahibdad. In this
memorable assault the Gurkhas and the Gordons almost strove with one
another for the _kudos_ of the victory. But the _kudos_ may easily be
said to belong to them jointly. And in recognition of this the Gordon
loves to talk about his little comrade-in-arms, while the Gurkha
worships the Gordon to such a degree that he would lay down his life
for him.
The Afghan strife closed--let us hope for ever--with the battle
of Kandahar. This conclusive fight stands in history as a signal
tribute to the tenacity of the British soldier in general, and to the
generalship, since tried and proved and never found wanting, of Lord
Roberts. Says a historian, "It was remarkable for the generalship and
cool judgment Roberts had shown, and also for the courage displayed by
his troops.... On every occasion we were far outnumbered by the enemy,
who were equal to our men in physical strength, and armed with nearly
the same weapons; but Roberts trusted to the courage of his slender
army and to its perfect discipline, which were conspicuous alike in
the savage defiles of the Kurram Valley, on the rocky heights of the
Peiwar Kotal and the Spingawi Pass, in the lines of Sherpur, and on the
splintered bluffs of Asmai."
The Kandahar Field Force was disbanded in September, 1880, and
Roberts' last act before returning to India was to distribute
distinguished-service medals to the 72nd and 92nd Highlanders and
the 5th Gurkhas. These are his words on that occasion, and no doubt
every Gurkha at the front to-day has them, or their translation,
in his memory, for they have, more than anything else, confirmed
and ratified a brotherhood-in-arms between the Gurkhas and the
Highlanders:--"Soldiers of the Kandahar Field Force, I am glad to have
this opportunity of giving medals for distinguished conduct to the
men of the 72nd and 92nd Highlanders and the 5th Gurkhas. They have
deservedly won them. I say from my experience as a soldier that no men
with whom I have served can have better deserved these rewards; and
it is an additional pleasure to me to have seen the other day of what
material my Highlanders and Gurkhas are made. I can but hope it may
be my good fortune to have such good soldiers at my side when next I
go into action.... You may be assured that the very last troops the
Afghans ever wish to meet in the field are the Scottish Highlanders and
the Gurkhas."
After this, from one who is now a veteran of England, who can doubt
that, as the Gurkhas marched towards the front, their hearts went
before them to their big brothers of former frays, with the hope that
they would be in close touch in the battle line?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account