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Percy Fernando
Major General Percy Fernando, RWP, RSP, psc, CR (died 2000) was a Sri Lankan Army officer, who was the Deputy GOC, 54 Division based at Elephant Pass and prior to which he was the brigade commander of the independent Special Forces Brigade. Educated at Royal College, Colombo, where he represented the school and captained the rowing team and winning several races at the Royal Thomian Regatta. Fernando joined the army after leaving school and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. Later he transferred to the Commando Regiment when it was formed in the 1980s. Brigadier Fernando was the Sri Lanka Military Academy from 1998 to 2000. He served as the Deputy GOC, 54 Division based at Elephant Pass during the Second Battle of Elephant Pass in 2000. Following orders from the GOC 54 Division to evacuate the base and make a strategic withdrawal of troops from Elephant Pass, Brigadier Fernando organized and carried out an orderly withdrawal, commanding the rear guard alongside ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elephant Pass
Elephant Pass, (, si, අලිමංකඩ Alimankada) Northern Province, Sri Lanka is located in the gateway of Jaffna Peninsula. It lies about 340 km north from capital. It has an important military base and used to be the island's largest salt field. It was regularly the site of battles during the civil war. Strategic importance Elephant Pass controls access to the Jaffna Peninsula, therefore it is referred to as the ''Gateway to Jaffna''. It is very crucial as it is on the isthmus connecting the peninsula to the Sri Lankan mainland, and to territory in the Southern Jaffna peninsula. Elephant Pass connects the militarily significant town of Chavakacheri in the Jaffna peninsula to the Sri Lankan mainland. History Elephant Pass is beautifully described by the author Kalki Krishnamurthy in his much acclaimed Tamil Novel Ponniyin Selvan. Elephant Pass has been a strategic military base since 1760, when the Portuguese built a fort, which was later rebuilt and garrisoned by ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Commissioned Officer
An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent contextual qualification, the term typically refers only to a force's ''commissioned officers'', the more senior members who derive their authority from a commission from the head of state. Numbers The proportion of officers varies greatly. Commissioned officers typically make up between an eighth and a fifth of modern armed forces personnel. In 2013, officers were the senior 17% of the British armed forces, and the senior 13.7% of the French armed forces. In 2012, officers made up about 18% of the German armed forces, and about 17.2% of the United States armed forces. Historically, however, armed forces have generally had much lower proportions of officers. During the First World War, fewer than 5% of British soldiers were officers (partly ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sri Lankan Major Generals
Shri (; , ) is a Sanskrit term denoting resplendence, wealth and prosperity, primarily used as an honorific. The word is widely used in South and Southeast Asian languages such as Marathi, Malay (including Indonesian and Malaysian), Javanese, Balinese, Sinhala, Thai, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Nepali, Malayalam, Kannada, Sanskrit, Pali, Khmer, and also among Philippine languages. It is usually transliterated as ''Sri'', ''Sree'', ''Shri'', Shiri, Shree, ''Si'', or ''Seri'' based on the local convention for transliteration. The term is used in Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia as a polite form of address equivalent to the English "Mr." in written and spoken language, but also as a title of veneration for deities or as honorific title for local rulers. Shri is also another name for Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth, while a ''yantra'' or a mystical diagram popularly used to worship her is called Shri Yantra. Etymology Monier-Williams Dictionary gives the meaning of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Colombo Rowing Club
The Colombo Rowing Club (commonly known as CRC) is the premier boat club in Sri Lanka having been founded in 1864. Its clubhouse and boat house are located on the edge of the northern Beira Lake, at Sir Chittapalam A. Gardiner Mawatha (formerly Parsons Road), in Colombo. Since its inception the Colombo Rowing Club has progressed into one of the most prestigious and active private member clubs in Sri Lanka. A distinctive feature has been that while the club's main sporting focus remains in rowing, social interaction and fellowship is also an important aspect. The club claims to be the ''cradle of rowing in Sri Lanka'' since most affiliated clubs of the Amateur Rowing Association of Sri Lanka, governing body for rowing in Sri Lanka, started from the facilities and infrastructure that is available at the Colombo Rowing Club. History The club was founded on the July 15, 1864 by Sir Edward Creasy, the former Chief Justice of Ceylon and based on available records, the CRC claims to b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
North And East Operations Medal
The North and East Operations Medal ( Sinhala: උතුරු නැගෙනහිර සංග්රාමික පදක්කම ''uthuru nægenahira sangrāmika padakkama'') was a decoration presented to servicepersons of the Military of Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka Police for service in the country's Northern and Eastern provinces during the course of the Sri Lankan Civil War between 23 July 1982 and 1 January 2010. Eligibility General requirements for eligibility, particularly applicable to members of the Sri Lanka Air Force and Sri Lanka Police, were 3 years of cumulative service in the two provinces between the 23 July 1982 and 1 January 2010. Army personnel are subject to a more specific set of rules, requiring 3 years of cumulative service in: *Districts of Jaffna, Vavuniya, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Mannar, Batticaloa, Trincomalee and Ampara, * Divisional secretarial divisions of Nochchiyagama, Nuwaragampalatha (Central) and Wilachchiya of Anuradhapura District, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Purna Bhumi Padakkama
The Purna Bhumi Padakkama ( Sinhala: පූර්ණ භූමි පදක්කම ''pūrna bhūmi padakkama'') was a service medal awarded by the Military of Sri Lanka The Sri Lanka Armed Forces is the overall unified military of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka encompassing the Sri Lanka Army, the Sri Lanka Navy, and the Sri Lanka Air Force; they are governed by the Ministry of Defence (Sri Lank ... (regular and volunteer) and Sri Lanka Police to all ranks of its forces in recognition of service in various districts that were regarded as theaters of the Sri Lankan Civil War between 22 July 1977 to 1 January 2010. Eligibility All ranks of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Police who had served at least 180 days in the following districts were eligible for the award. * Jaffna District (since 22 July 1977), or * Vavuniya District, Kilinochchi District, Mullaitivu District, Mannar District, Batticaloa District, Trincomalee District or Ampara District (since 16 Septem ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Riviresa Campaign Services Medal
The Riviresa Campaign Services Medal ( Sinhala: රිවිරැස මෙහෙයුම් පදක්කම ''riviræsa meheyum padakkama'') was a campaign medal presented to all ranks of the regular and volunteer forces of the Military of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Police, as well as civilians that were involved in planning or assisting Operation Riviresa (17 October 1995 - 5 December 1995), one of the most notable successes of the Sri Lankan forces during Eelam War III. This medal is one among few awarded to a serving senior political appointee, having been awarded to the Deputy Minister of Defence at the time, Col. (later Gen. Anuruddha Ratwatte. Award process The decoration was presented by the President, following recommendations from field- and service commanders. All actively serving military and police servicepersons, military- and civilian medical staff and civilians employed by the armed forces in any non-military capacity (involved in planning the Operation and presen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Medal
__NOTOC__ The Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Medal ( Sinhala: ශ්රී ලංකා සන්නද්ධ සේවා දීර්ඝ සේවා පදක්කම ''Śrī Laṃkā ārakśaka sēvā dhīrgha sēvā padakkama'') is a service award presented to all ranks of the tri-forces of Sri Lanka. Service personnel are eligible for the award on the completion of 12 years' continuous (desertion or absence without leave act as disqualifiers) service with perfect character and discipline. Criteria General officers commanding/area commanders/commanding officers forward recommendations to service commanders. Reserve- or volunteer forces may qualify for this award provided that their service periods add up to 12 years. This award replaced the Ceylon Armed Services Long Service Medal in 1979 when Sri Lanka became a republic. Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Clasp (1979) A clasp is awarded to service personnel on completing 20 years' continuous service with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sniper
A sniper is a military/paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with high-precision rifles and high-magnification optics, and often also serve as scouts/observers feeding tactical information back to their units or command headquarters. In addition to long-range and high-grade marksmanship, military snipers are trained in a variety of special operation techniques: detection, stalking, target range estimation methods, camouflage, tracking, bushcraft, field craft, infiltration, special reconnaissance and observation, surveillance and target acquisition. Etymology The name "sniper" comes from the verb "to snipe", which originated in the 1770s among soldiers in British India in reference to shooting snipes, a wader that was considered an extremely challenging game bird for hunters due to its alertness, camouflaging color ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rear Guard
A rearguard is a part of a military force that protects it from attack from the rear, either during an advance or withdrawal. The term can also be used to describe forces protecting lines, such as communication lines, behind an army. Even more generally, a rearguard action may refer idiomatically to an attempt at preventing something though it is likely too late to be prevented; this idiomatic meaning may apply in either a military- or in a non-military, perhaps-figurative context. Origins The term rearguard (also ''rereward'', ''rearward'') originates from the medieval custom of dividing an army into three ''battles'' or ''wards''; Van, Main (or Middle) and Rear. The Rear Ward usually followed the other wards on the march and during a battle usually formed the rearmost of the three if deployed in column or the left-hand ward if deployed in line. Original usage The commonly accepted definition of a rearguard in military tactics was largely established in the battles of the la ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Second Battle Of Elephant Pass
The Second Battle of Elephant Pass (code-named Operation Unceasing Waves III (ஓயாத அலைகள் மூன்று) by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam), was a battle fought in April 2000 for the control of the Sri Lankan military base in Elephant Pass, Jaffna. Background Elephant Pass links the Jaffna Peninsula to the rest of the mainland by a narrow strip of land and is known as the ''Gateway to Jaffna''. The Jaffna-Kandy road, the A-9 Highway and the railway line to Jaffna run through Elephant Pass, making the narrow strip of land in a sense the gateway to Jaffna. Elephant Pass has been home to a strategic military base since 1760, when the Portuguese built a fort there, which was later rebuilt and garrisoned by the Dutch in 1776 and later by the British. Since the start of the Sri Lankan Civil War, the Sri Lanka Army maintained a detachment at Elephant Pass, having established a permanent base. In 1991 the LTTE made their first attempt to take the El ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sri Lanka Military Academy
The Sri Lanka Military Academy () (SLMA or SLMA Diyatalawa), commonly known simply as Diyatalawa, is the Sri Lanka Army's training centre where officer cadets are trained for getting commission. It is located in the garrison town of Diyatalawa in the central highlands of Sri Lanka. All Sri Lanka Army officer cadets, including army cadets of the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, are trained at SLMA. Although not a university, SLMA is affiliated to the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University to provide its cadets of regular long course a degree in military studies. It has capacity to train more than 300 cadets. History When the Ceylon Army was raised in 1949, the need arose to recruit and train officers and soldiers of the newly formed army. The Army Recruit Training Depot (ARTD) was therefore formed in Diyatalawa on 6 February 1950 for the purpose of training recruits. The first batch of 114 recruits passed out from the ARTD on 2 June 1950. The ARTD was late ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
