Exemplary soldier (1921-2008)
Havaldar Bhanubhagta Gurung was born in September 1921 in village Phalpu in western Nepal, and joined the Indian Army in 1939. He was posted to the 3rd Battalion 2nd Gurkha Rifles (3/2 GR, known as the Seymur Rifles). The Japanese Army captured Rangoon in March 1942 and the British decided to evacuate their forces from Burma. They managed to reach Imphal in Manipur by May 1942. An offensive operation by the British into Arakan was unsuccessful. They did not have adequate resources to carry out a major attack and opted for deep penetration by Special Forces under Brigadier (later Major General) Wingate. 3/2 GR was part of this brigade. About 3000 men entered Burma in March 1943 to disrupt the lines of communication of the Japanese Army. Bhanbhagta was in column Number 4 and was promoted to Lance Naik.
The unit was ambushed by the Japanese and suffered heavy casualties. The force returned to India and all the units including 3/2 GR were brought up to full strength, trained and were ready for offensive operations into Burma. His unit was now part of 25 Indian Division and he was promoted to Naik.
The 14th Army had launched an offensive towards Mandalay in Central Burma and 25 Division was ordered to carry out a diversionary attack along the coastal sector in Arakan. The Division cleared the Myeben Peninsula, thus denying the use of waterways along the Arakan to the Japanese, while 3/2 GR landed at Ru-Ywa. Bhanubhagta was reduced to ranks for going to a wrong hilltop and was sent to another company. It was later established that he was wrongly punished. He showed exemplary camaraderie by carrying a wounded soldier on his back three miles in the jungle terrain and getting him treated. ‘A Company’ took up positions on the two hills on the dominating feature 582 by 4 March 1944.The two hills were nicknamed Snowdon and Snowdon East. The Japanese attacked Snowdon East during the night killing half the Gorkhas and the remaining soldiers, out of ammunition, made their way to B Company on Snowdon. ‘B Company’ in which Bhanbhanga was serving was ordered to re-take Snowdon East regardless of costs. Bhanubhagta’s section was pinned down due to heavy fire from light machine guns and mortars. Over and above that, a sniper lodged on a tree was inflicting casualties on the section.
Bhanubhagta stood up exposing himself to the enemy fire and shot down the sniper in the tree, thus saving the section from any more casualties. He led his section to a spot 20 yards short of the objective crest when the section was held up again by fierce enemy fire from foxholes and trenches on the ridge. Bhanubhakta charged to the top and lobbed two grenades into a foxhole above him, killing its two occupants. He rushed on to clear the next trench with a bayonet charge. Savage hand-to-hand fighting ensued as Bhanubhakta cleared two more foxholes singlehandedly. For the fifth and last time, he rushed on alone to tackle an enemy bunker, lobbing his last two smoke grenades through the slit from above. The feature had been cleared but the Japanese were collecting for a counter-attack.
He installed a Gurkha with a machine gun, just in time to repel the counterattack with support of two other riflemen. He was awarded Victoria Cross (VC) and the unit was authorised the Battle Honour Tamandu where the battle took place.
His company commander tried to persuade him to continue in service but he decided to go home on retirement in January 1946 to look after his frail widowed mother and his young wife. He was given the rank of Honorary Havaldar. His three sons served in 2 GR. He suffered from asthma and spent the last four years of his life with his youngest son in village Gorkha where he passed away on Saturday, 1 March 2008. He was cremated at the holy site of Devghat at Chitwan. The funeral was attended by family members, friends and representatives from 2 GR. A piper played the last post as his body lay draped in a flag of 2 GR. He was awarded Star of Nepal, 3rd class, and in 2000, the Gurkha training block at Caterick, United Kingdom, was named after him.