264 lines
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264 lines
11 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
news
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obituaries
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military-obituaries
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gurkha-obituaries
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5250930
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-----
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# Captain Gaje Ghale, VC
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## Captain Gaje Ghale, who has died aged 81 in Delhi, was awarded a Victoria
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Cross, as a Havildar (sergeant) when leading a platoon of young soldiers of
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the 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles in Burma in May 1943.
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![Gaje Ghale][1]
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Gaje Ghale (left)
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12:01AM BST 30 Mar 2000
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[Comments][2]
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On May 24 a large force of Japanese were attempting to make an advance into
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the Chin Hills, where the 2nd/5th Gurkhas were part of the defence force. The
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Japanese occupied a vital tactical point, the key to the position, on Basha
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East Hill, the approach to which was a long bare knife-edge ridge which in
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some places was as little as 15ft wide.
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Two attempts to capture this point had been attempted and both had failed, for
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the Japanese were able to rake the position with fire from a dozen machine
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guns, as well as artillery and mortars, from concealed positions in the
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surrounding jungle.
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On May 25, Gaje Ghale was given the task of taking the position. Although it
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was his first time under fire, he showed from the beginning outstanding
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courage. Shouting the Gurkha battle cry, he led assault after assault along
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the ridge onto the entrenched Japanese.
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A Japanese grenade wounded Gaje Ghale in the chest, arm and leg. Though
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covered with blood, he ignored his injuries and continued to throw grenades
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with his other arm.
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After prolonged hand-to-hand fighting the position was captured. The Gurkhas
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succeeded in holding it in the face of heavy fire from the Japanese trying to
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retake it.
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In spite of his wounds, Gaje Ghale refused to go back to the regimental aid
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post until certain that the position was consolidated and secure, and then
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only when eventually ordered to by an officer.
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Gaje Ghale, a Gurung of the Ghale tribe, was born in Barpak village in the
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Gorkha district of Nepal on August 1 1918 (though he also admitted to being
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born on July 1 1922).
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In 1934 he enlisted as a boy recruit, and on completing his training joined
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the 2nd Battalion, 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force). He served in
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Waziristan, and from 1939 to 1942 was an Instructor at the Regimental Centre
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in Abbotabad.
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In 1943 when it was proposed to present Gaje Ghale with the Victoria Cross
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medal at the regimental centre in Abbotabad, the regimental Bahun (the near
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equivalent of a chaplain in a British regiment, who holds no rank and wears no
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uniform but is a respected religious adviser) announced that the date was
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inauspicious and should be postponed. Soon afterwards a signal giving official
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confirmation of the postponement was received.
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Gaje Ghale later received the VC from Field Marshal Lord Wavell in Delhi at a
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parade beneath the walls of the Red Fort in the presence of a crowd of 5,000.
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He was later decorated with the Star of Nepal in Kathmandu by the Prime
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Minister of Nepal.
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In 1946 Gaje Ghale attended the victory parade in London, and after
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Independence in 1947 remained with the Battalion, now serving the Government
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of India. He was promoted to Subedar Major (Senior Indian Officer).
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In 1963 he served in the Congo with the United Nations Force, along with
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Subedar Agansing Rai, a fellow VC who had won his award in 1944. Before
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retiring he was granted the honorary rank of captain.
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A regular attender of VC reunions, in 1990 Gaje Ghale joined four of the seven
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Gurkha VC-holders then surviving at the opening of the Gurkha Museum at the
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Peninsula Barracks, Winchester, Hampshire.
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Five years later he was one of a gathering of 21 VCs at the Royal Tournament
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as part of the 50th anniversary of V-J Day.
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Gaje Ghale was married; he leaves four sons and four daughters.
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* Share: [Share][3] [ ][5] [ ][6]
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[Tweet][7]
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/military-obituaries/gurkha-
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obituaries/5250930/Captain-Gaje-Ghale-VC.html
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Telegraph
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## [Gurkha Obituaries][8]
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* ### [Obituaries »][9]
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* ### [Military Obituaries »][10]
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In news
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[![Lachhiman Gurung ][11] ][12]
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### [Havildar Lachhiman Gurung, VC][12]
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[![Bhanubhakta VC][13] ][14]
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### [Bhanubhakta Gurung, VC][14]
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[![Agansing Rai][15] ][16]
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### [Agansing Rai, VC][16]
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[![Gaje Ghale][17] ][18]
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### [Captain Gaje Ghale, VC][18]
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[![Ganju Lama][19] ][20]
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### [Ganju Lama, VC][20]
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[X][3] Share & bookmark
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Share:
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* [ ][3]
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* [Tweet][7]
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![][21]
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