Gurkha Shield? Seriously?

[Jens Schuetz]

What do we have here?
http://media.indiatimes.in/media/facebook/2015/Apr/asdu_fb_1429855748_1429855761_600x315.jpg
Source: http://m.indiatimes.com/culture/who...etes-200-years-in-the-indian-army-232120.html

Being in India at the moment I came across a few pictures which show Indian Gurkhas with medieval buckler type shields in addition to their Kukris. The ones I've seen display the symbols of their units and come in different colors.

Is this a traditional equipment?
How is it called?
Do Nepali Gurkhas have these too?
Is it maybe only for man on man training drills?
Would they carry it into battle even today?
Does this change the Berserker style image which we seem to have of Gurkhas charging violently without regards for their own health and life?


If it all checks out, where can we get one, maybe even with our beloved HI symbol on it? :-D


https://i.ytimg.com/vi/dB6b-8DpEAs/hqdefault.jpg
Source:https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dB6b-8DpEAs

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/18/cc/fd/18ccfd7af93c1f9ae675344f4f94d219.jpg
Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/420805158905675557/

 

[davidf99]

There's an article about small shields -- bucklers -- in Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckler

Apparently it was widely used in parts of Europe for centuries as a companion to various kinds of swords. It would give the wielder a lot more mobility than a larger shield. It probably fell into disuse with the advent of the longbow and other distance weapons, and of course early firearms.

From the Wikipedia article:

"The buckler was more widely used than is commonly known. It was a simple yet effective weapon, often combined with an arming sword, falchion, or rapier. It was popular circa 1100 to 1600. The buckler had a variety of roles when it came to swordplay, but five principal means come to the fore.... Each use recognizes the shield's small size and maneuverability when dealing with light blades.

Hand protection: The primary use of the buckler was to protect the sword hand.
Deflector: The buckler's lightness and curved center made it excellent for deflecting attacking blades.
Blinder: The light blades used in conjunction with the buckler depended on rapid movements, which meant that a single second was an important advantage. The wielder of the buckler could use the buckler to shield his sword-hand's position from view, keeping his opponent from guessing his next strike.
"Metal fist": A buckler could be used to directly attack an opponent by punching with either its flat face or its rim.
Binder: The buckler could be used to bind an opponent's sword hand and weapon as well as their buckler against their body. The buckler was also very useful in grappling, where it allowed an opponent's arms to be easily wrapped up and controlled...."

The article also mentions decorative bucklers, which might bear a coat of arms, a regimental symbol or other unifying emblem. That appears to be the case of the bucklers held by the Gurkhas in Jens' first photo. I suspect that they were carrying the bucklers for display purposes. As for going into actual combat, it's more likely that a Gurkha would be holding an assault rifle these days, and would draw a khukuri only at very close quarters. Also, I don't know how useful it is to think in terms of old fashioned "berserker" attacks in modern warfare, where automatic weapons can mow down attackers except perhaps in dense jungle. Not to mention the uselessness of a berserker attack against helicopters.

Even in ancient times the berserker type of attack wasn't always successful. One of the most famous battles in British history was the revolt against the Roman occupation led by Queen Boudica around AD 60. The tribes defeated a smaller Roman force and were successful in burning several Roman towns, including Londinium (the site of modern London), and killing many thousands of Romans. But when the giant horde attacked a strategically placed Roman army led by an experienced general, wave after wave of the Britons were slaughtered and the revolt defeated. This event was dramatized (in a very condensed form) in the recent History Channel series, "Barbarian Uprisings."

 

[Steve Tall]

An interesting photo of "Goorung Soldiers, Military Tribe, Nipal" from the 1800s, showing 10 men with some shields visible:

from Wikimedia Commons:
This image is from the book, The People of India, a series of photographic illustrations, with descriptive letterpress, of the races and tribes of Hindustan, originally prepared under the authority of the government of India, and reproduced. by J. Forbes Watson and John William Kaye between 1868 - 1875.
Date between 1868 and 1875
Author J. Forbes Watson and John William Kaye
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Goorung_soldiers,_military_tribe,_Nipal.jpg

More photos from same book:
http://www.oldindianphotos.in/2009/04/people-of-india-races-and-tribes-of_15.html


A couple shields are shown in this more recent photo, posted by Berkely at IKRHS forum, with caption "Nepalese army on traditional uniform during Indrajatra)":

 

[kronckew]

the dhal buckler/sheield was popular in the indo-persian area during the
period when sharp pointies were the main weapons. oddly, they were also very popular in europe during the 16th/17c
before the use of flintlocks and during the period when the heavy broadsword was going out of fashion. they were
carried on hooks on their rapier belts. they vary in size from about 8 to 16 in., some with grips like the dhal, some
with a solid grip riveted to the inside. when extended the angle from your opponent's eyes and perspective made
the buckler look a lot bigger and covered a much larger area of the body than if held in close.

mine: about 14in. dia.


front view


rear view w/o pad/grip cords


attached pad & 2 padded ghrip cords


in situ on my wall for size comparison
with my 18in-ish hanshees


sikh nihang sword and dhal sword fight ))

[video=youtube;rJYZaPROYQc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJYZaPROYQc[/video]

 

[gonebad395]

What is the boy spinning in the back ground of the video

 

[kronckew]

What is the boy spinning in the back ground of the video

i think it's a net thingy, seen it in other gatka videos, they spin it up then throw it over you like a roman retarius would.

while they're spinning it in front it's be difficult to stab or slice them as your weapon would get tangled up.



[video=youtube;EwzmbIHwBJ0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwzmbIHwBJ0[/video]

[video=youtube;J5FsZpqedbc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5FsZpqedbc[/video]

looks like it'd be greta exercise for your wrists.

 

[blue lander]

Yup, looks like an Indo-Persian dhal. Here's mine, complete with battle damage! Unfortunately one of my inlaws broke one of the straps while playing with it.

 

[spiraltwista]

Indian army Gorkhas train with shield & kukri.

They wouldn't use the shield in war, Shield & kukri are probably good for riot control though.

Gorkha troops were appreciated in history in India as they wouldn't side with Sikhs,Muslims or even Hindu groups within India. They traditionally decimated whoever they were ordered to.

Hence their main Indian use being in internal conflicts & what the British used to call Policing actions or even punishment expeditions.

spiral

 

[Shavru]

The interesting part is when India became emancipated from the British Empire. About half the Gurkha Regiments stayed in the Indian Army and half stayed with the British Army. Yet the Indian Army created another full Regiment for the guys from The British Army Regiments that did not want to leave India. They were allowed to transfer to the new unit and stay.