Ghurkas

Owen sayeth:

Concerning the Ghurkas; it may be worth considering that the Ghurka's
as
"Ghurka's" have been so, predominantly due to the tradition of their
service
with the British Army.	I think you may find that though 'posted' to
Brunei
that all the unit officers are still British.

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Possibly. However I don't believe this is true of the huge number of
Ghurkas serving in the ESU at present (India) and I'm not sure about
Singaporian Ghurkas.
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If a percentage go to the ESU
then I would be inclined to suggest that they would be Nepalese troops
rather than the traditional Ghurka as such.

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Unlikely. Ghurka is (if I read my Nepalese history right) a reference
to Ghorka, which was an ancient Nepalese empire during their expansive
period. And more specifically, it refers to Eastern and Western
hill-bred youths recruited by galla wallas. I suspect that the Ghurkas
the British forces get are the pick of the litter, as it is kind of
what everyone wants, but I suspect their are Ghurkas (though they may
be called Nepalese troops... I'm not sure how the Indian Army would
name them) serving in other places.
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 The traditions would likely not
be appreciated by the new 'masters' and although they may retain a
fierce
reputation it would likely change from what we have come to know as
Ghurka.

===================
I doubt it. If I just read my stats right, the British forces
currently have a far smaller contingent than do the Indian forces, and
I get the impression many of the same traditions exist. Of course, I
could be wrong, but the book I am wading through does seem based on
something... and undoubtedly it will point me to others.

I am sure traditions vary slightly, because any unit tends to take on
some of the flavor of the forces it is working with and the army
doctrines and traditions it is working under, but I think you'd still
find them recognizable.
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But that's my opinion....
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And of course, this is just my opinion....
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