5th Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force), also abbreviated as 5 GR(FF) is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army comprising Gurkha soldiers of Nepalese origin. It was formed in 1858 as part of the British Indian Army. The regiment's battalions served in the First World War (Mesopotamia) and Second World War (Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran, Mediterranean, Italian campaign, and in Burma). The regiment was known as the 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force) when it was one of the Gurkha regiments that was transferred to the Indian Army following independence of Indian and Pakistan in 1947 and given its current name in 1950. Since 1947, the regiment has served in a number of conflicts, including the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. It has also participated in peacekeeping operations in Sri Lanka. History 19th century The regiment was raised in 1858 as the 25th Native Punjab Infantry, also known as the "Hazara Goorkha Battalion". The soldiers of the regiment originated from the Kingdom of Nepal and in 1861 it was renamed the 5th Gurkha Regiment. The regiment's first major action was during the Second Afghan War, where they were awarded their first battle honour at Peiwar Kotal and Captain John Cook was awarded the Victoria Cross. In 1891 the regiment was awarded the prestigious title of a Rifle regiment and became 5th Gurkha (Rifle) Regiment which was shortened to 5th Gurkha Rifles in 1901. The regiment spent most of its time up to the end of the 19th century based in the Punjab as part of the Punjab Frontier Force (PIF or PIFFER), and its regimental centre was at the frontier hill town of Abbottabad, in the Hazara region of North-West Frontier Province (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan). This connection was reflected when in 1903, the regiment was renamed the 5th Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force). First World War During the First World War, the regiment primarily saw service in the Middle East—the 1st Battalion saw extensive and hard service at Gallipoli in 1915 (where seven officers and 129 men were killed in the first few hours after the battalion landed). During the withdrawal, a company of the 5th Gurkhas were among the last troops to leave. The 2nd Battalion initially served in India with the 2nd (Rawalpindi) Division before transferring to Mesopotamia in April 1916 and joining the 42nd Indian Brigade, 15th Indian Division. The 1st Battalion