THE MYTH OF GURKHA RIFLEMAN CARRYING PRIVATE

[sirupate]

Any pics Gav? that would be a tremendous help, cheers Simon

[Gavin Nugent]

Simon, image attached;
Details - overall out 40cms, blade 29cms, spine 7.6mm, Koudi is 11.3mm from the bolster hilt 17.6mm at the narrow part, pommel 53.2mm high. Hollow ground blade.

Thanks

Gav

[sirupate]

It looks like a very nice small Villager kukri,quite what a Japanese soldier was doing with it I have no idea, unless it was taken from domiciled Nepalese that they killed in a village?
ps Partial tang kukri of that type are always hard to date

[spiral]

Nice Kukri Gav, It appears pre. or very early WW2 probably private purchase but military style kukri to my eyes. I would say it could easily have been collected of a Gurkha during WW2, The loop round the scabbard looks designed to be hold in a military frog rather than a natives belt?

As for the Argument put forth by Simon although interesting, Id rather take the word of the offcial "Brigade of Gurkhas" website myself for several reasons.

Not least that they know rather more Gurkhas & Gurkha officers than the esteemed few Simon has spoken with, who according to Simon were apparently unaware of such practice?

And of course to describe it as a "myth" is rather strange , the idea that no Gurkha would ever buy or use a kukri he liked in the arms emporiums that riddled so many British Indian Garrison towns & Hill Stations were Gurkhas would take local leave.{Or from Nepal if he was lucky eniough to have home leave.

And of course the major point must be that for Simon to try & proove such a thing is to try proove a negative which is logicaly impossble & is generally known as "argumentum ad ignorantiam" ("appeal to ignorance"} in which is a logical fallacy in which it is claimed that a premise is true only because it has not been proven false, or is false only because it has not been proven true.

Spiral

[Gavin Nugent]

Originally Posted by sirupate

It looks like a very nice small Villager kukri,quite what a Japanese soldier was doing with it I have no idea, unless it was taken from domiciled Nepalese that they killed in a village?
ps Partial tang kukri of that type are always hard to date

Guys, I'm not really interested in the he said she said stuff as everyone has an opinion and perspective of only what they saw and were exposed to in their immeadiate enviroment and nothing is absolute outside of these immeadiate boundries but having this item here and it some what looking like the second Kukri with the grey hilt, I thought I must bring this provenanced example forward and if it didn't come with the unbroken linage and original post marked and dated shipping crate I wouldn't be wasting the time with the notion but it does kinda debunk the fanciful notion that private purchase Kukri were never used by Gurkha in WWII.

Simon, whilst I commend your exploration on a notion, but to me this discussion cannot be an absolute. I know many a good professional soldier who in one way or another, pack a little more than his standard issue kit, the personal and psychological edge that these non standard items brings to the individual is what keeps these warriors ticking and adds a touch of comfort and reassurance to each one...sometimes these changes are so subtle with the exchange of one item for another or better quality that looks so very similar but does a better job in the eyes of the individual.
In a war zone no one is going to be looking at his mates Kukri next to him and be thinking hey, that really doesn't look like mine I'll be telling the CO when we get through with this, heck I don't even think the CO would care if the job was done so long as next time they are on regimental parade he is displaying the correct kit.

Gav

[spiral]

While I agree with your sentiments & conclusian Gavin , I must also point out in all fairness that many non Gurkha British troops also carried private purchase kukri in that theartre at that time.

Spiral

[Berkley]

Indeed, there were many possible routes by which a private-purchase kukri could have come into Japanese hands:

Salbani, Bengal, India. 1944-11-24. 400550 Flight Lieutenant (Flt Lt) Norman Bain, Wireless Air Gunner of Blackburn, Vic (left), and 406479 Flt Lt A. B. (Sam) Giles, Pilot of Claremont, WA, ready for take-off on an attack on Japanese rail targets in Thailand. They are wearing Ghurka kukris for use as jungle knives in case they are forced down. Both are RAAF members serving with No. 355 Squadron RAF.

[Gavin Nugent]

Originally Posted by spiral

While I agree with your sentiments & conclusian Gavin , I must also point out in all fairness that many non Gurkha British troops also carried private purchase kukri in that theartre at that time.

Spiral

Well noted Spiral and well presented with an Image Berkley. All factors are important for any discussion or conclusion.

Gav

[inveterate]

For what it is worth I have a non issue Kukri that was carried by an officer (later to be CO 5th GR) in Burma during WW11 and later in conflicts with Pakistan and the Naga Wars.This Kukri comes with impeccable provenance. So whilst it might not have been the norm it certainly did happen. Rod