Description
General Service Medal 1918, bar Brunei, General Service Medal 1962, bar Borneo, 21150396 Rifleman Rambahadur Gurung, 1/2 Gurkha Rifles.
Both officially impressed: “21150396 Rfn Rambahadur Gurung 1/2 GR”
Scarce pair to one of the key units of the campaign, being the very first to deploy and were the one to personally rescue the Sultan in his hour of need.
The 2nd Gurkha Rifles, known as the 2nd King Edward VII’s Own Gurkha Rifles, original raised back in 1815 as “The Sirmoor Battalion.” took part in both the Brunei Revolt and the Borneo Campaign during the 1960s.
You can read about these two campaigns on the Gurkha Museum Website below
https://thegurkhamuseum.co.uk/blog/the-brunei-revolt-and-the-borneo-confrontation/
Of note is that when the rebels made their attempt to capture the Sultan of Brunei sparking the conflict, British Far East Command received the Sultan’s message for help and immediately dispatched two Companies of the 1st Battalion 2nd Gurkha Rifles who were immediately place don notice to be airlifted in from Singapore, 900 miles away.
After only 9 Hours they landed in the area at Labuan and that same night they advanced against the rebels taking minimal casualties in the fighting.
A group of Gurkhas led by Captain Digby Willoughby also managed to secure the safety of the Sultan.
Also of interest was that the Sultan of Brunei was particularly thankful to his saviours the 1/2 Gurkha Rifles when he saved the battalion during a downsizing of the Military, ever since a Gurkha Battalion has been stationed in Brunei.
In 1973, the Sultan formed his so-called “Praetorian Guard” the Gurkha Reserve Unit as his elite special protection unit manned only by Gurkhas who were ex British Army and Singapore Police.
