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Auction: 22001 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 121

General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, S. E. Asia 1945-46 (31165 Rfn. Bombahadur Gurung, 4-2 G.R.), very fine

The 4th Battalion 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles) (4-2GR) was raised in March 1941 at the Regimental Centre at Dehra Dun . It subsequently served on the North West Frontier of India before deploying to Burma in March 1945. On 1st January 1948, it was re-designated 5th Battalion 8th Gurkha Rifles and remained as part of India's Army.
Following the end of hostilities with Japan, the 4th Battalion 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles) (4-2GR), as part of the 32nd Indian Brigade, 20th Indian Division, deployed to French Indo-China in early October 1945. Operating to the north of Saigon, the Battalion's day to day activities were described as being strenuous but did not make history. Battalion posts were sniped almost every day and patrols were continuously searching the countryside and houses for rebels and arms. The Viet Minh, or Annamites, employed guerrilla tactics against the Battalion in an area that was thick in vegetation and swampy and criss-crossed with drainage and irrigation channels. The Annamites nearly always managed to fire the first shots and then faded away into the countryside before a counter-attack could be mounted . Battalion casualties amounted to four killed-in-action (KiA) and twelve wounded-in-action (WiA).
By late November 1945, the arrival of French forces allowed the 4th Battalion to assume its primary task of disarming and repatriating Japanese prisoners-of-war (PoW), although it continued to conduct operations against the Annamite rebels until December 1945.

In late December 1945, 4-2GR sailed for Jesselton, British North Borneo where it relieved the Australian garrison and assumed responsibility for the repatriation of 12,000 Japanese PoW. It then moved to Labuan Island before returning to India in May 1946.

The General Service Medal 1918 clasp S.E.ASIA 1945-46 was awarded to those eligible in the 4th Battalion. The history of 4-2GR lists the award of the Military Medal to 6264 Havildar Man Sing Gurung for service in French Indo-China.

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Sold for
£65

Starting price
£40