The Goderich Signal-Star, 1970-10-29, Page 3BY G. MacLEQD ROSS
The recently deposed British
Labour Government,'which had
been retreating from the
remnants , of the Empire in the
Far East for some time, decided
it must reduce the number of
Gurkha soldiers it maintained.
After India gained her
independence in 1947, Britain
continued to recruitsoldiers
from Nepal, and since no
Gurkha Depots were available in
India, . a Brigade Centre was
established in Britain to which
wives and children were also
brought. It is. from .this Centre
that numbers of Gurkha soldiers
are to -be repatriated to Nepal in
• the next few months, and it is
for those who will be sent home,
some with, and some without"
any` pension; that an appeal is
naw being made in Britain.
It is an "interesting" social
situation, for had these men
• bee,�i immigrants from Kenya, or
• Uganda; had they been trade
union members; the 'government
would have ' assumed full
responsibility for their retraining
to enable them to make their
way in a standard of living' to
which the British government
had accustomed them. But the
loss . to Britain is much more
than as soldiers, for they have all
been edueated in the University
of the Army most-°have.seen
active service in several parts of
the world; Burma, Lore �4,nd
Malaya, and they would '`' hus'
make much more acceptable
citizens of the -British Isles than
• many . others from the East who
--have insinuated their -veray .into : _ Tagatn,- T ;pug =.... Q3 -_ eae - __....
e most
0
i
1 '
It is noteworthy that while
Gurkha droops trained and, led
by British officers have earned a
legendary place for themselves
over the 150 years since they
were 'first recruited, nevertheless
the men of the Nepalese army of
,8000 men. -are. "relatively poor
soldiers". This is the- opinion
advanced . Icy a` swiss writer,
Christian Muller, in the Swiss
Review of World Affairs, August
1970. It confirms an experience
in 1919 in Baluchistan, at a time
when the local militias and
tribesmen were mutinying in
favour of Afghanistan. A newly
raised battalion of rurkhas was
marching from ' Hindubragh to
Fort Sandeman, along the valley'
of the` Zhob river..It was
ambushed en route by tribesmen
and gave a very poor account of
itself. • It was reported ' that its, .
March' discipline had, been poor;
there had been no attempt to'
picket the road ahead of the
main body and the men had
been allowed to drink all their
'Water early on in the march. In
the result they fled in the face of
ari few Pathans. This apparent
paradox was explained by saying
that like all Indian troops, their
Achilles heel was that they must
have known their officers for
long enough to have gained
confidence in them; In
mitigation it may be added that
by the end of World War I, we
were getting to the bottom • of
the barrel . as regards both
Officers and men.
enough in all conscience. So it ' Cuiteral differences ' beeau a 6000. Those forced to retire will
comes about that the British eventually they were alleviated return to Nepal, Some will have
government will "wait and see" ,_ by the good sense of the earned a pension up to $600 per
until private enterprise, spurred • respective religious, leaders, who annum, but, they will all returp
`by remorse for the betrayal of gave their men dispensation in to the same .sort of hillside
loyal and valuable allies, has put the heat of battle, so that even- village where " terrace .farming'
its. contribution on the table. • fasting during the Moh rrani offers a mere -"subsistence, yet is
could be excused, if and where the only source of food'. Nepal -
duty . called. has fallen heir , tp galloping.
It was Kipling
a e urn
the century who introduced the • • But all these differences and inflation with its companion,
warlike races of India to the. peculiarities were forgotten rise in the cost of living, so that
)English boys of those days; boys when the Gurkha was many who fought for the Allied
Who became what has been ' encountered, for though he is cause in Burma, Italy, Korea and
called the "lost generation". But also y a Hindu, he is a Hindu more recently in Malaya,. are
when Indian troops first came to without any ifs, buts, or ands. ' living on- such charity as' their
Europe in the First World War lvie is prepared to do anything, villages voluntarily afford_ them.
and Fought alongside British and anywhere, any time, sustained We, who have been devotees of
the 'welfare state for so long are
apt to forget that there are ,still
places in the world where a man
can starve, since this complacent
writ is far from ubiquitous. °
The -end of 1971 then, will see
the repatriation ; of 16,000
ex -servicemen and 64,000
dependents, not counting those
ex -servicemen already ekeing out
a miserable existence in Nepal,
or spilling over into Sikkim,
Darjeeling , and Kalimpong in
North East India. Consequently
we are 't=alking about 400,000
people in all, out of a total
population of some 10.7 million,
(1968) .and a country about the
size of Arkansas of 54,362
square miles, most of which is
composed of what God had .left
over after he had created Earth.
The British Government, has
allotted $120,000 a year for a
retraining scheme at centres in
t were introduced to Nepal where agriculture and
Canadian troops in France and
Belgium, first-hand • information
was obtained 'about them. • The
Press of ' those days, not to
mention the artists who drew for
the Illustrated London News rild✓
Graphic [Matania and Stanley L.
Wood etc] respectively gave us
lurid accounts and pictures of
what sort of thing a Gurkha did
to a German when he
unsheathed his kukri. Night raids
were the Gurkha long suit and
we lapped it up and embellished
it in our minds.
It was during those early
winters of , the war that
rumblings were heard about the
difficulties presented by ,trying
to satisfy the several religious,
requirements . for feeding
Brahim, Hindu, Sikh and
.Muslim, more especially in the
trenches.. In the mud of Flanders
on -any form of food at all. He is
u n iversally adaptable and
arnenable,and you cannot phase
him Whatever you propose next.
He is responsive to discipline; he -
is loyal, very loyal, and he loves
a fight: He possesses ,all the
natural military characteristics:
courage, great physical strength,
(he is short and almost square
with ,a very low centre of
gravity): stamina, endurance, a
born hillman from which. his
sense of fun and humour derives
naturally. As Field Marhsal Slim,
himself a former Gurkha officer, •
says of him: "The Gurkha has
the most attractive grin in Asia".
In a word he is a very gpod
comrade.
Add to this that like most
men of the ,hills, he plays a wind
instrument with a reed, but
without a bag. It was therefore
not long before Gurkha
how were „you supposed to get regiments
ghee (clarified butter) up to the the bagpipe by . the Highland carpentry will be taught. • While- the writer - has never
troops untouched by the • hand regiments with which they Meanwhile a'capital sum is being ' served in a Gurkha regiment, its is
i r o n , of some felt that Canada must conceal
idiocyncrasies reared their heads Soon. they became affiliated, $2'/2 million which will be
th h th had all been h •battalion to iiigbland invested to yield, hopefully, a
Britain. amply satisfied as long as Indian regiment, whose tartan their further $f20,000 p.a. This fund
of man? All manner of religious fought on the Front e f I dia raised by private effort
• troops remained in India. The pipers wore. Thus it happens
« . ' From the time of the Crimean feeding of an Indian division that youwill meet Gurkhas
war onwards the politician - has ' became something of a sporting the Blac,Watch, . the
always taken advantage of the nightmare; In- fact it presented MacLeod and - Stuart among
fealty, of thesoldier sworn to his almost as many difficulties as other tartans.
Sovereign, to ignore his rights. .would have been 'encountered All in all it is not surprising
Now the government has limited had the division been armed that their offieers become so
its assistance to some $120,000 with hand guns requiring ten lyrical about their Gurkha men.
1*
is progressing. well and is
supported by eight. Field
Marshals.
It was recently suggested that
the United States might recruit
some of these redundant soldiers
and form them into battalions
for service in Vietnam, while_ a
per annum, which , is not the different sizes .of ammunition. They are so adaptable: that it is a _ military historian went on to say
same - thing as caring for every Men, little acquainted ,with matter of surprise that the word
man retired to Nepal. For their India, looked over their' "gurkha" has not found- its way
part the Nepalese government shoulders and recalled tales of into Funk and Wagnall as
to accep any . 1 57, when cartridges Mgreas�e Xrieaning anyone who wi act
refuses t $ d h 11
responsibility; a decision with with cow ' fat offended HThdu without the slightest prejudice.
which no one can quarrel, for troops, while the same greased It is this conformity to the will'
they simply gave permission for with pig fat made the Muslims of their leaders which makes
the British to recruit in Nepal, a livid. There is no reason to them such adaptable instruments
untry whit i is 0Yropoolabour the N xeligioes. •and; a battle... . h , „.
SUNDAY SCHOOL
CHANGES
At St. George's Church
ALL CLASSES - NURSERY TO GRADE 6
at 11 a.m.
A Complete Rborganization And Full Staff
Of Teachers .
Grades 7 and Bat 10 a.m. with the Rector
— MEMBERS OF ST. GEORGE'S PARISH PLEASE NOTE —
GODERICH MINOR
HOCKEY ASSOCIATION
All Boys Playing
Hockey Please Report
To The Arena On
The Following Dates
MON. NOV.2 " � 7:00 BANTAMS
— 9:00 JUVENILES
TUES., NOV. 3 -- 6:00 PEE WEES
THURS., NOV. 5 --- 7:00 MIDGETS
SAT., NOV,. ,7
8:00 SQUIRTS
-- 10:00 MITES
USE SIDE DOORS '
TO DRESSING . ROOMS ONLY
At. Ahe a moment , the British.
•Government has 15,000 oftthem
under arms, but by the end of
1971 they will reduce them to
that hostilities in
been protracted
United. States did
Gurkhas to hel
p
Vietnam had
because the
not have any
them. Having
regard to Nepal's present
independence from India there is
no „ reason why the Americans
should .nbt approach Nepal for
permission. British .recruittrient
of Gurkhas does not preclude .
other nations hiring them,
though they are all volunteers to
the British Army.
numerous men who have so
served; and who would hate to
of the Muslim year and a fast
'from sunrise to sunset.
Robertson
School
NEWS
Our school reporter,,this year
of news picked up this week. •
Miss Perdue's grade three class
did a school -to -school projeet
with some pupils in Trinidad and
just got an answer tA-. their
letters.
Mrs. Norman's grade four
class planted some plants and
some o the pupils in her class
takes theSe plants home
sometimes and takes care of
them. Also about three weeks
ago Mrs. Norman's class had
miniature volcano blow up. for
them. Then they did stitchery
and, weaving on paper.
Mr. Currie's grade five class
made Hallowe'en masks 'out of
In the library,, run by Mrs.
Hazlitt, we have some new
books including "The Black
Stallion Revolts." The bbrary
aLso has books on Animals,
Weather, Transportation,
MyStery Stories, etc.
-nviscouNr
RECORD
BAR
LATEST HITS
Aiso Tape Cartridges
And Cassettes
JEWELL BROS.
The Square •
`v•
77
PalA gpicno
1177
clAVERN-
FRIDAY, AND, .iATURPAY'
OqQ.BER '30- 84..31.
. SILVER .DOLLARS -
DWI( EARLY FOR YOUR CHRISTMAS _PARTY
524-7711
DINING
Ara
LOCAL INSTRUCTORS WILL BE
PRESENT FROM 8 to 10 p.m.
Announces
the
appointment
of
GRANT
AS A
Sunoco DistAutor
SERVING G DERICH & AREA
Grant has many years in the Petroleum rlusiness and would be pleased
to serve your Heating "OiC"d'asoline and Lubricant requirements.
FREE 24 HOUR BURNER
GRANT
SERVICE
CHISHQLM FUELS 524-7681
158 VICTORIA ST.
GOD ER IC1:1
PAR
e. L
.Fredric
30 THE SQUARE
e• iii, es b 4111 An ItalbraZroindguaareiollni
March . •
. , ''' !COLUMBIA PICTURES Pinanti In
i,.: 4 BERNARD MILES
.
,
13CAA31111.
isoctim
IS YEARS Of AG,
:
..,,.
11. A, 1111,Clir.. ..:-::FA, ..,_._ .......,,,, .0,.....:...
..... ...
„::
, „....
,—One Showing 'nighty at a p.m.
pUR NEXT ATTRACTION
,. "2 MULES..- . .
FOR SIISTER SARA"'
of the Muslim year and a fast
'from sunrise to sunset.
Robertson
School
NEWS
Our school reporter,,this year
of news picked up this week. •
Miss Perdue's grade three class
did a school -to -school projeet
with some pupils in Trinidad and
just got an answer tA-. their
letters.
Mrs. Norman's grade four
class planted some plants and
some o the pupils in her class
takes theSe plants home
sometimes and takes care of
them. Also about three weeks
ago Mrs. Norman's class had
miniature volcano blow up. for
them. Then they did stitchery
and, weaving on paper.
Mr. Currie's grade five class
made Hallowe'en masks 'out of
In the library,, run by Mrs.
Hazlitt, we have some new
books including "The Black
Stallion Revolts." The bbrary
aLso has books on Animals,
Weather, Transportation,
MyStery Stories, etc.
-nviscouNr
RECORD
BAR
LATEST HITS
Aiso Tape Cartridges
And Cassettes
JEWELL BROS.
The Square •
`v•
77
PalA gpicno
1177
clAVERN-
FRIDAY, AND, .iATURPAY'
OqQ.BER '30- 84..31.
. SILVER .DOLLARS -
DWI( EARLY FOR YOUR CHRISTMAS _PARTY
524-7711
DINING
Ara
LOCAL INSTRUCTORS WILL BE
PRESENT FROM 8 to 10 p.m.
Announces
the
appointment
of
GRANT
AS A
Sunoco DistAutor
SERVING G DERICH & AREA
Grant has many years in the Petroleum rlusiness and would be pleased
to serve your Heating "OiC"d'asoline and Lubricant requirements.
FREE 24 HOUR BURNER
GRANT
SERVICE
CHISHQLM FUELS 524-7681
158 VICTORIA ST.
GOD ER IC1:1