The legacy of Rambahadur Limbu VC

On 21 November 1965, at just 26 years old, Lance Corporal Rambahadur Limbu acted with bravery and valour on the battlefield during the Borneo Confrontation.

Serving in the 2nd Battalion of the 10th Princess Mary’s Own Gurkha Rifles, Rambahadur rescued two of his men while under intense enemy fire. After securing their safety he returned to the attack to fight valiantly against enemy soldiers.

“I didn’t think I was going to be shot,” Rambahadur said in an interview with The Mirror. “All I cared about was rescuing my friends.”

For his actions that day, Queen Elizabeth II awarded Rambahadur the Victoria Cross at Buckingham Palace in 1966.

His award was announced shortly after his first wife, Tikamaya Bhega, died in Singapore while he was on operations in Borneo, leaving him with two young sons, Bhakta aged four and Chandra aged six months. Bhakta was flown to England, at the request of the Queen, for his father’s investiture.

Later in his career, Rambahadur reached the rank of Captain and was appointed Member of the Victorian Order (MVO) in 1984 for his service as a Queen’s Gurkha Orderly Officer (QGOO).

Rambahadur retired from the British Army as a Captain after 28 years’ service. He then joined the Sultan of Brunei’s Gurkha Reserve Unit (GRU) in which he served, as a Company 2IC, for eight years. On leaving the GRU he retired to Damak, not far from where the Eastern Gurkha recruiting depot at Dharan was located. He regularly attended VC & GC Reunions and represented the overseas recipients of those awards.

The Gurkha Welfare Appeal

Just four years after Rambahadur received the Victoria Cross, The Gurkha Welfare Trust’s founders pledged to help a great number of Gurkha veterans and their dependants who were living in poverty in Nepal. The Trust’s first ever public appeal featured a prominent image of Rambahadur, urging the British public to give generously to the Gurkha veterans who sacrificed so much for our country.

Later life…

In his later years, Rambahadur used the Trust’s medical services in Nepal, available to all ex Gurkhas and their families.

Our team were always honoured to be helping him in some way. Our Residential Home in Dharan in the east of Nepal is named in his honour.

Read more about Rambahadur Limbu’s incredible life and achievements.