Brigade of Gurkhas going]". Brigade of Gurkhas Brigade of Gurkhas is the collective name which refers to all the units in the British Army that are composed of Nepalese Gurkha soldiers. The brigade, which is 3,640 strong, draws its heritage from Gurkha units that originally served in the British Indian Army prior to Indian independence, and prior to that served for the East India Company. The brigade includes infantry, engineering, signal, logistic and training and support units. They are known for their kukris, a distinctive heavy knife with a curved blade, and have a reputation for being fierce and brave soldiers. The brigade
Fascine knife By the 20th century, it became the Pioneer's billhook in the British Army, used in World War I for making machine gun emplacements. In the Indian Army, it is known as a Knife Gabion (gabions, like fascines, are used for supporting earthworks). Some types of fascine knife are probably descended from 16th century sidearms weapons like the baselard or the Swiss sword. Others, known to British foot soldiers as a billhook, are more closely related to agricultural cutting tools. Like the billhook they were used for cutting saplings (e.g. willow, hazel or chestnut) that were bundled up to make fascines