A Critical Book Review on The Gurkha Rifles
by
ANR
The Gurkha Rifles, written by J.B.R. Nicholson, is a short book published by Osprey Publishing Ltd. “The late Colonel Nicholson served in the Indian Army and was a founding member of the Sealed Knot Society, along with Brigadier P.D. Young.”[1] The book is about the history of the soldiers from Gurkha, Nepal, and is written with a slight bias that favors the Gurkhas. Information in the book is clear and concise, and topics including the Anglicized spelling of Nepali words, the fluctuating relationship between the Gurkhas and the British, as well as the many regimental changes that occured during World War II.
Nicholson starts the book with a short introduction on the meaning of the word “Gurkha”. The book explains the location of the Gurkhas and Nepal, and describes the relations between the Nepalese and the British colonizers and officers. The British were a crucial part of the officer body of the Gurkhas, since Britain was the ruler of the Asian subcontinent at the time. The author then closes the introduction with a note on spelling, which states that many of the words in the book are English transliterations. The spellings have changed over the years, and he has “tried to be consistently inconsistent, by following the spelling of the period in question.”[2]
The Gurkha Rifles is one of few books that have been written on the topic, and its uniqueness lies in the fact that it favors the Gurkhas over the British. However, Nicholson states that the Gurkhas were “unbeatable”[3] when talking about their early military history, and highlights their unity despite religious differences within the Rifles. The book also goes into a lot of detail about regimental changes and the different uniforms worn by the soldiers.
There are other sources that agree with the author’s point of view. One such source is the Popular Mechanics article “10 Stories That Prove Gurkhas Are the Fiercest Fighters on the Planet”.[4] The viewpoints in the articles correspond with the bias that the author has. These viewpoints portray the Gurkha Rifles as an unbeatable force. Although The Gurkha Rifles does not talk about individual stories, the general points of view in the book align with the opinions that the article holds.
An example of The Gurkha Rifles uniqueness is the use of uniforms. The pages that detail the uniforms that the Gurkhas wore take up approximately a third of the entire book. The colour plates were by Michael Roffe, and the uniforms do not lack any color. Nicholson accompanies each era of the Gurkha uniforms with a brief description of the clothing, as well as adding notes about what the soldiers carried with them. Nicholson also talks about what the British officers wore, and compared the British officer’s uniforms with the Gurkha soldiers uniforms.
The Gurkha Rifles also provides a chronological analysis on the evolution and history of the Gurkha Rifles. Nicholson mentions the partition of India and Pakistan, and how the split affected the regiments of the Gurkha rifles. The author also provides some opinion on the British Labour Government letting India obtain its freedom without providing adequate protection for minorities. He describes the decision of letting the Partition of India and Pakistan occur as “a gesture of unparalleled irresponsibility”[5], and he describes how the various Gurkha regiments were divided amongst India and Pakistan.
Another thing that sets The Gurkha Rifles apart from other books is the extensive coverage of the Great Mutiny. Nicholson talks about how the introduction of the Enfield rifle’s greased cartridge sparked rioting and mutiny among the Gurkha soldiers, as the animal fats used in the grease went against both Hindu and Muslim religious beliefs. The author again writes in a bias that favors the Gurkhas, describing the “great Bengal Army with its fine traditions”[6] dissolving “into chaos.”[7] The book also talks about mutineers gaining control of Delhi, and how the mutineers attack on the Hindoo Rao ridge led to a friendship being formed between the 2nd Gurkhas and the 60th King’s Royal Rifle Corps.
The Gurkha Rifles covers the Gurkha regiments from Nepal in a short, simple style with a plethora of images and photographs. Nicholson’s style of writing is not plain nor dry, and it gives analyses on the structure of the Gurkha rifles, as well as the uniforms that the soldiers in different ranks wore. The colors of the uniforms are especially eye-catching, due to the color plates by Michael Roffe. The author also adds some of his opinions of the politics that occurred during the time of Partition, but the bias is generally kept to a minimum for the majority of the book. The few biases that are in the book are against the British, mainly against British ignorance that stirred trouble within the ranks of the Gurkhas.
A topic that the book could have addressed is the stories of some notable soldiers from the Gurkha regiments. There is almost no mention of particularly heroic soldiers from the Gurkhas, even though the author describes the Gurkhas as an unstoppable force. Another topic that the author could have written more about was how the British dealt with the Mutiny, and the general relationship between the Gurkhas and the British. Due partly to its easy reading style and the topics covered, The Gurkha Rifles would be suited for an audience of high schoolers, Indian and Bengali Army enthusiasts, as well as amateur historians.
Sources
Footnotes
[1]“J.B.R. Nicholson,” Osprey Publishing. https://ospreypublishing.com/j-b-r-nicholson.
[2] J.B.R. Nicholson and Michael Roffe, The Gurkha Rifles, (Great Britain, Osprey Publishing Ltd., 1974), 3.
[3] Ibid., 4
[4] Jonathan Schifman, “10 Stories That Prove Gurkhas Are the Fiercest Fighters on the Planet”, Popular Mechanics, September 17, 2015, https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/research/g2173/10-amazing-gurkha-stories/.
[5] J.B.R. Nicholson and Michael Roffe, The Gurkha Rifles (Berkshire: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 1974), 21.
[6] Nicholson and Roffe, The Gurkha, 9.
[7] Ibid.
Nicholson starts the book with a short introduction on the meaning of the word “Gurkha”. The book explains the location of the Gurkhas and Nepal, and describes the relations between the Nepalese and the British colonizers and officers. The British were a crucial part of the officer body of the Gurkhas, since Britain was the ruler of the Asian subcontinent at the time. The author then closes the introduction with a note on spelling, which states that many of the words in the book are English transliterations. The spellings have changed over the years, and he has “tried to be consistently inconsistent, by following the spelling of the period in question.”[2]
The Gurkha Rifles is one of few books that have been written on the topic, and its uniqueness lies in the fact that it favors the Gurkhas over the British. However, Nicholson states that the Gurkhas were “unbeatable”[3] when talking about their early military history, and highlights their unity despite religious differences within the Rifles. The book also goes into a lot of detail about regimental changes and the different uniforms worn by the soldiers.
There are other sources that agree with the author’s point of view. One such source is the Popular Mechanics article “10 Stories That Prove Gurkhas Are the Fiercest Fighters on the Planet”.[4] The viewpoints in the articles correspond with the bias that the author has. These viewpoints portray the Gurkha Rifles as an unbeatable force. Although The Gurkha Rifles does not talk about individual stories, the general points of view in the book align with the opinions that the article holds.
An example of The Gurkha Rifles uniqueness is the use of uniforms. The pages that detail the uniforms that the Gurkhas wore take up approximately a third of the entire book. The colour plates were by Michael Roffe, and the uniforms do not lack any color. Nicholson accompanies each era of the Gurkha uniforms with a brief description of the clothing, as well as adding notes about what the soldiers carried with them. Nicholson also talks about what the British officers wore, and compared the British officer’s uniforms with the Gurkha soldiers uniforms.
The Gurkha Rifles also provides a chronological analysis on the evolution and history of the Gurkha Rifles. Nicholson mentions the partition of India and Pakistan, and how the split affected the regiments of the Gurkha rifles. The author also provides some opinion on the British Labour Government letting India obtain its freedom without providing adequate protection for minorities. He describes the decision of letting the Partition of India and Pakistan occur as “a gesture of unparalleled irresponsibility”[5], and he describes how the various Gurkha regiments were divided amongst India and Pakistan.
Another thing that sets The Gurkha Rifles apart from other books is the extensive coverage of the Great Mutiny. Nicholson talks about how the introduction of the Enfield rifle’s greased cartridge sparked rioting and mutiny among the Gurkha soldiers, as the animal fats used in the grease went against both Hindu and Muslim religious beliefs. The author again writes in a bias that favors the Gurkhas, describing the “great Bengal Army with its fine traditions”[6] dissolving “into chaos.”[7] The book also talks about mutineers gaining control of Delhi, and how the mutineers attack on the Hindoo Rao ridge led to a friendship being formed between the 2nd Gurkhas and the 60th King’s Royal Rifle Corps.
The Gurkha Rifles covers the Gurkha regiments from Nepal in a short, simple style with a plethora of images and photographs. Nicholson’s style of writing is not plain nor dry, and it gives analyses on the structure of the Gurkha rifles, as well as the uniforms that the soldiers in different ranks wore. The colors of the uniforms are especially eye-catching, due to the color plates by Michael Roffe. The author also adds some of his opinions of the politics that occurred during the time of Partition, but the bias is generally kept to a minimum for the majority of the book. The few biases that are in the book are against the British, mainly against British ignorance that stirred trouble within the ranks of the Gurkhas.
A topic that the book could have addressed is the stories of some notable soldiers from the Gurkha regiments. There is almost no mention of particularly heroic soldiers from the Gurkhas, even though the author describes the Gurkhas as an unstoppable force. Another topic that the author could have written more about was how the British dealt with the Mutiny, and the general relationship between the Gurkhas and the British. Due partly to its easy reading style and the topics covered, The Gurkha Rifles would be suited for an audience of high schoolers, Indian and Bengali Army enthusiasts, as well as amateur historians.
Sources
- J. B. R. Nicholson and Michael Roffe. The Gurkha Rifles. Reading: Osprey Pub., 1974.
- Popular Mechanics. “10 Stories That Prove Gurkhas Are the Fiercest Fighters on the Planet.” Last modified September 17, 2015. https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/research/g2173/10-amazing-gurkha-stories/
Footnotes
[1]“J.B.R. Nicholson,” Osprey Publishing. https://ospreypublishing.com/j-b-r-nicholson.
[2] J.B.R. Nicholson and Michael Roffe, The Gurkha Rifles, (Great Britain, Osprey Publishing Ltd., 1974), 3.
[3] Ibid., 4
[4] Jonathan Schifman, “10 Stories That Prove Gurkhas Are the Fiercest Fighters on the Planet”, Popular Mechanics, September 17, 2015, https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/research/g2173/10-amazing-gurkha-stories/.
[5] J.B.R. Nicholson and Michael Roffe, The Gurkha Rifles (Berkshire: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 1974), 21.
[6] Nicholson and Roffe, The Gurkha, 9.
[7] Ibid.