09/04/2024
๐๐๐ฟ๐ธ๐ต๐ฎ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฆ๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ฒ
On this day (9th April) 75 years ago, The Gurkha Contingent was formed.
Major Percival Scott Leathart MBE, the contingentโs first commanding officer, in his book - ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐
๐๐, ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ด๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ฐ๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐ 1940 - 1959 - wrote, "The Japanese surrender in August 1945 and the reoccupation of Singapore found the Police Force a shadow of former itself; morale had collapsed, corruption was rife and, indeed, the reinstituted Colonial Government had virtually nothing with which to enforce its authority. The pre-war Sikh Contingent had disintegrated in dishonour under the impact of foreign force, no longer existed. Against this background, the Commissioner of the Police, Mr R. E. Foulger started negotiations with a view to replacing the Sikh Contingent with a similar unit of Gurkhas. In the autumn of 1948, after many tedious delays, permission was finally given to raise the unit and the Nepalese Government sanctioned the recruitment of its nationals. An establishment was worked out and true, to form, the total manpower came to the nice 'square' figure of 149. The Gurkha Contingent, as it was to be called, was to have a British Officer (subsequently increased to 2), 5 Gurkha Officers and usual compliment of NCO's and men to make up a company of 4 platoons. It was decided that the Gurkha Officers should be former VCO's of the old Indian Army and that all men should have previous military experience. It was also decided that two thirds of the men should come from West Nepal and one third from the East of that country."
