Battle Honours

Gorkhas from Nepal had extended their empire into Kumaon, Garhwal and Kangra hills by the mid-18th Century . The Gorkha War of 1815 was the result of the interface between the Gorkhas and the British at the time. Always on the look out for reliable soldiers, the British started a Gorkha (Nusseree) battalion in the Shimla hills. Before long, this battalion had made its mark in the battle for Bharatpur in 1826. In 1850, the battalion was termed 66th GORKHA LIGHT INFANTRY and later the FIRST GORKHA LIGHT INFANTRY. It became the First King George's Own Gorkha Rifles in 1910 (MALAUN REGIMENT). After independence, the designation changed to the present one. The regiment's other battalions were raised after 1959. 1 GORKHA RIFLES has a proud combat record and has always lived up to its reputation.

The regiment draws its manpower from the Gurung and Magar clans of the Gorkhas. The regimental insignia is a pair of crossed khukris with the numeral 1 above. The Regimental Centre is at Subathu, Himachal Pradesh, where the First Battalion was raised in 1815. The motto of the regiment is 'Kayar Hunu Bhanda Marnu Ramro' (It is better to die than to be a coward).

Pre-Independence

Bharatpur, Aliwal, sobraon, Afghanistan 1878, Punjab Frontier, Tirah, Givenchy, Neuve Chapelle, Ypres, St julien, Festubert, Loos, Megiddo, Sharon, Palestine, Tigris, Kut-al-Amara, Baghdad, Mesopotamia, France and Flanders 1914-15, NW Frontier, Afghanistan 1919, Jitra, Kampar, Shenam Pass, Bishenpur, Myinmu Bridge Ukhrul and Kyaukse.

Post-lndependence

Kalidhar and Darsana