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| Ram
Bahadur Limbu in action |
Both Battalions of the Regiment made truly
outstanding contributions to the success of
the Borneo ‘Confrontation’ campaign
in the mid-1960s, as did the Brigade of Gurkhas
as a whole. In terms of enemy accounted for,
gallantry awards won, and sheer professional
accomplishment, the regiment’s record
was second to none. It was therefore a fitting
climax to the campaign when it was announced
in April 1966 that LCpl Rambahadur Limbu of
2nd Battalion had been awarded the Victoria
Cross.
Rambahadur earned the award on 21st November
1965, when C Company 2nd Battalion, under Captain
‘Kit’ Maunsell, attacked a strong
Indonesian position on a Jungle hill across
the border near Serikin. Rambahadur was in the
forefront of the attack, killed the first enemy,
and constantly braved enemy fire to carry out
his duties as section second-in-command. Above
all, for twenty minutes he persisted in supremely
brave attempts to save two wounded men, and,
in spite of intense machine gun fire concentrated
on him personally, he finally succeeded in carrying
them to safety.
But Rambahadur’s achievement did not
end when the firing died down on that hill in
Sarawak. There followed trials of a different
kind which proved he was a man of many qualities.
Almost as the announcement was made Rambahadur
had to bear the loss of his first wife, and
to help his young children through that tragedy.
Then there was the protracted ordeal of the
countless press conferences, interviews and
public appearances. Of the many events in UK
when Rambahadur came to receive his Cross from
Her Majesty at Buckingham Palace, one in particular
serves to show both the British public’s
admiration for Rambahadur in particular, and
the special regard in which they hold Gurkhas
in general. This was when he was taken to visit
the Stock Exchange, that most hard-headed and
unsentimental of institutions. Standing in the
public gallery he was soon recognized and the
people working ‘on the Floor’ left
their tasks, gathered below and applauded him
for a full three minutes. Then they gave him
three cheers. The Chairman now asked to meet
Rambahadur, and led him onto the Floor, where
the workforce formed a path of honor and gave
him another standing ovation. Never before had
the Stock Exchange given such an honor spontaneously
to an unannounced visitor. Business with the
world’s markets stood still for the Gurkha
VC, in a unique tribute.
It can be no easy thing to bear the weight
of world publicity, but Rambahadur bore it with
all the quiet dignity and humanity of his noble
race. He continued to play his part as a true
gentleman through to his retirement in 1985,
\and continues it still. His eldest son is now
a Sergeant in the Battalion.
