The battalion was part of the Tirah Field Force intended to put down a large tribal revolt by the Afridi and Orakzais, orchestrated by Afghanistan.

The regiment took part in the initial assault, positioned at the forefront of the attack with the 2nd Gurkha Rifles and the 1st Dorsets.

The battle raged on for hours until, after the tribal positions were subject to an artillery bombardment, a final charge was made by the 1st Gordons, followed by the Gurkhas and 3rd Sikhs.

[2] In August 1914 the First World War began and the regiment's battalions actively participated on the Western Front and in the Middle East.

The battalion's first large-scale action came at La Bassée that had commenced on 12 October as part of a period known as the "Race to the Sea".

The battalion was involved in the defence of Festubert in November and Givenchy in December, during a bitter winter that the Gurkhas were no doubt unaccustomed to having spent the pre-war period on the sub-continent.

The VC action took place on 25 September when Rifleman Kulbir Thapa of the 2nd Battalion performed with distinction near the village of Fauquissart, becoming the first Gurkha recipient of the award.

It was involved in many other actions during the campaign, including the Battle of Mughar Ridge in November 1917 and the capture of Jerusalem in December.

On 19 September 1918, just a few months before the conclusion of the war, the Megiddo Offensive, began and the battalion was involved in the capture of Sharon.

During the North African campaign, the 2nd Battalion fought at Tobruk, where they were brought in as reinforcements at the height of the battle and suffered misfortune almost immediately, when they were partially overrun by the Germans, losing almost two hundred men as prisoners of war, although many of these managed to escape later.

1/3 GR has the distinction of being the first battalion in the post-independence period to carry out amphibious operations during the 1971 Indo-Pak War.

In its early years as the Kemaoon Battalion, the regiment wore green uniforms with white (after 1828 black) facings.

[8] As was the practice with all Gurkha rifle regiments, black metal buttons and insignia were to remain features of the dress uniforms of the 3rd GR.

Shorts were adopted by the 3rd GR in 1900, at the same time as the wide brimmed "Kashmir" slouch hat came into general use.

[9] While the historic dark green ceased to be worn after World War I, except as part of officers' mess uniforms and a few other limited categories, the Kilmanock cap survived as a dress item until modern times.