General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Deshamanya Deshamanya ( si, දේශමාන්‍ය, translit=Dēshamāṉya; ta, தேசமான்ய, translit=Tēcamāṉya; Pride of the Nation) is the second-highest national honour of Sri Lanka awarded by the Government of Sri Lanka as a ...

Don Sepala Attygalle, (14 October 1921 – 15 January 2001) was a

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

n senior army officer,

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

and

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

. The longest serving Commander of the Sri Lankan Army (1967–1977), he went on to serve as the

Permanent secretary A permanent secretary (also known as a principal secretary) is the most senior Civil Service (United Kingdom), civil servant of a department or Ministry (government department), ministry charged with running the department or ministry's day-to-day ...

to the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

and Sri Lankan High Commissioner to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. He is most notable for successfully crushing the 1971 Insurrection in a matter of months and becoming the first Sri Lankan army officer to be promoted to the rank of full general. He is known as the ''"Father of the Armoured Corps"'' and was The Equerry to

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

during her

coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a coronation crown, crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the ...

in 1953.

Early life and education

Attygalle was educated at the

Royal College, Colombo Royal College, Colombo is a selective entry boys' school located in Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Started as a private school by Rev Joseph Marsh in 1835, it was established as the Colombo Academy by Sir Robert Wilmot-Horton in Janua ...

, where he became the

head prefect Head boy and head girl are student leadership roles in schools, representing the school's entire student body. They are normally the most senior prefects in the school. The terms are commonly used in the British education system as well as in Aus ...

, won colours in both

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competi ...

and

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

; and was the Senior Sergeant of the Cadet Contingent of Royal. Once completing schooling, he entered the

University College, Colombo Ceylon University College was a public university college in Ceylon. Established in 1921, it was Ceylon's first attempt at university education. The college didn't award degrees under its own name but prepared students to sit the University of Lo ...

Military career

Second World War

With the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

in 1940, Attygalle left his studies at the university college to join the Ceylon Defense Force with its wartime expansion and was commissioned as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the Ceylon Light Infantry on 15 November 1940. He underwent basic officer training at

Diyatalawa Diyatalawa (දියතලාව, meaning “the watered plain”) is a former garrison town in the central highlands of Sri Lanka, in the Badulla District of Uva Province. It is situated at an altitude of and has become a popular destina ...

, where he took the

sword of honour The ''Sword of Honour'' is a trilogy of novels by Evelyn Waugh which loosely parallel Waugh's experiences during the Second World War. Published by Chapman & Hall from 1952 to 1961, the novels are: ''Men at Arms'' (1952); ''Officers and Gentl ...

at the army passing out parade in 1941 and thereafter underwent advanced training in India. He was promoted to the

temporary rank Military ranks are a system of hierarchy, hierarchical relationships, within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies or other institutions organized along military lines. The military rank system defines dominance, authority, and responsibi ...

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in 1943. He was demobilized 9 March 1946, and had been the Defence Services 100-metre Champion until 1944.

Government service

Following the end of the war, he joined the government service as the

Assistant Controller A comptroller (pronounced either the same as ''controller'' or as ) is a management-level position responsible for supervising the quality of accounting and financial reporting of an organization. A financial comptroller is a senior-level executi ...

of Textiles and thereafter served as the Assistant Controller of Exports and Imports.

Ceylon army

With the formation of the new

Ceylon Army ta, இலங்கை இராணுவம் , image = File:Sri Lanka Army Logo.png , image_size = 180px , caption = Emblem of the Sri Lanka Army , start_date ...

on 10 October 1949 following the passing of the ''Army Act''; he was commissioned as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

in the 1 Battalion, Ceylon Light Infantry as a regular officer on 22 October 1949, promoted to the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

on the same day, he was then assigned as the General Staff Officer - Grade 3 (GSO3) at the Army Headquarters, Ceylon. On 27 July 1950 he was appointed as an Extra Aide-de-camp (ADC) to Lord Soulbury, the

Governor General of Ceylon The Governor-General of Ceylon was the representative of the Ceylonese monarch in the Dominion of Ceylon from the country's independence in 1948 until it became the republic of Sri Lanka in 1972. History There were four governors-general. ...

, succeeding Major

Bevis Bawa Major Bevis William Frederick Bawa, ADC, CLI (26 April 1909 – 18 September 1992) was a Ceylonese (Sri Lankan) planter, soldier and a landscaper. He was also one of the most renowned landscape architects in Sri Lanka and served as the Aide-de- ...

. He was promoted to rank of

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

on 1 January 1952 and was appointed GSO2, Army Headquarters in February. From May to July 1952, he attended the Company Commanders' Course at the School of Infantry, Warminster and the Land/Air Warfare Course at the School of Land/Air Warfare from October to November 1952. Thereafter he was attached to the 1st Battalion, King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, in Germany; serving with the NATO Forces in Europe. On his return he resumed his post as GSO2, Army Headquarters. In January 1953, he relinquished his staff appointment at the army headquarters and left for the

to attend the

Staff College, Camberley Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army and the presidency armies of British India (later merged to form the Indian Army). It had its origins in the Royal Military College, High Wycombe, founded in 1799, which i ...

. On 2 June 1953, he was appointed

Equerry An equerry (; from French ' stable', and related to 'squire') is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attendant, usually up ...

to HM

at her coronation. On completing the staff college course, he was seconded to the 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards. During this time he served as a military liaison officer (

military attaché A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission, often an embassy. This type of attaché post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer, who retains a commission while serving with an embassy. Opport ...

) to the High Commissioner for Ceylon in the United Kingdom. On his return to he took part in the formation of the "D" Company, 1st Battalion, Ceylon Light Infantry of which was appointed

officer commanding The officer commanding (OC), also known as the officer in command or officer in charge (OiC), is the commander of a sub-unit or minor unit (smaller than battalion size), principally used in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. In other countries, ...

Ceylon Armoured Corps

In 1955, Major D.S. Attygalle was tasked with raising a reconnaissance unit and on 10 October 1955, he formed the 1st Reconnaissance (Recce) Squadron as the Cavalry Arm in the Ceylon Army in the lines of 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards, with himself as officer commanding. On 17 December 1955 a Combined Services Buddhist Mission led by Major Attygalle left for

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

on board

HMCyS Vijaya HMCyS ''Vijaya'', named in honor of Vijaya, the first king of Sri Lanka, was an of the Royal Ceylon Navy, the first warship of that navy. ''Vijaya'' had been built as HMS ''Flying Fish'' (J370) for the Royal Navy during World War II, but was gi ...

, to represent the Armed Forces of Ceylon at the Buddha Jayanthi commemoration celebrations, and present a gift of a Bodhi tree sapling. On 25 December 1955, he was appointed Officer Commanding Troops,

Echelon Barracks Echelon Barracks was a former military barracks situated in Colombo Fort, Colombo. It was occupied by the newly formed Ceylon Army following independence. History Built during the late nineteenth century as headquarters of the British Army Garr ...

, and served till 9 August 1956. On 1 October 1958, he was promoted to the rank

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

and appointed the first

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

of the 1st Reconnaissance Regiment, with the expansion of the recce squadron to a full

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

. The 1st Reconnaissance Regiment became the core of the

Ceylon Armoured Corps The Sri Lanka Armoured Corps (SLAC) provides the armour capability of the Sri Lanka Army, with vehicles such as the T-55AM2, and type 80/88 main battle tanks; the BMP infantry fighting vehicle; and the BTR-80, and WZ551 armoured personnel carri ...

. He attended a training with the

Royal Armoured Corps The Royal Armoured Corps is the component of the British Army, that together with the Household Cavalry provides its armour capability, with vehicles such as the Challenger 2 Tank and the Scimitar Reconnaissance Vehicle. It includes most of the A ...

from March to April 1959. Held the post of the commanding officer, 1st Reconnaissance Regiment until March 1964.

TFAII and Chief of Staff

On 1 December 1962, he was promoted to the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

; he took up appointment as Commander, Army Force Panagoda, whilst serving as commanding officer, Ceylon Armoured Corps. In June 1963, he went on an official visit to Yugoslavia, where he underwent a guerilla warfare training course. Having relinquished his post of Commander, Army Force Panagoda on 13 August 1963, he was appointed Commander, Task Force Anti Illicit Immigration on 14 August 1963, later he also served as the Inspector of Training, Army Headquarters. He was then appointed Chief of Staff of the army on 21 March 1964. He relinquished command of the Task Force Anti Illicit Immigration on 30 June 1965 and in 1966 he attended the

Imperial Defence College The Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) instructs the most promising senior officers of the British Armed Forces, His Majesty's Diplomatic Service and Civil Service in national defence and international security matters at the highest level ...

. On his return he resumed duties as Chief of Staff.

Commander of the Army

He relinquished Chief of Staff duties and was promoted to the rank of

Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...

on 22 September 1967 and appointed as Acting Commander of the Army after the retirement of

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

B.R. Heyn. On 1 October 1967, Attygalle was promoted to the rank of

and confirmed as Commander of the Army. Under his leadership, the army crushed the 1971 Insurrection within two months, and he was promoted to the rank of

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

on 4 April 1974, thus being the first officer of the

Sri Lanka Army ta, இலங்கை இராணுவம் , image = File:Sri Lanka Army Logo.png , image_size = 180px , caption = Emblem of the Sri Lanka Army , start_date ...

to hold this rank. On the day of his retirement, on 13 October 1977, after having served for ten years as commander, he was promoted to the rank of

, thus becoming the first Sri Lankan army officer to hold the rank of a full general and longest-serving Commander of the Army.

Later life

On retirement from the army, he took up an appointment as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Defence, and Chief Co-ordinating Authority in the Ministry of Defence in October 1977.

Secretary of Defence

In the early 1980s, with the escalation of the Tamil Militancy, he was appointed as

Permanent Secretary A permanent secretary (also known as a principal secretary) is the most senior Civil Service (United Kingdom), civil servant of a department or Ministry (government department), ministry charged with running the department or ministry's day-to-day ...

on 15 August 1983 succeeding Colonel C. A. Dharmapala, and serving as National Defence Advisor to the

President of Sri Lanka The President of Sri Lanka ( si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා ජනාධිපති ''Śrī Laṃkā Janādhipathi''; ta, இலங்கை சனாதிபதி ''Ilankai janātipati'') is the head of state and head of government of t ...

. He played a major role during the Vadamarachchi Operation which was stopped midway by Indian intervention. During this time he was the founding chairman, Air Ports and Aviation Services and Chairman of

Air Lanka SriLankan Airlines (formerly known as Air Lanka) is the flag carrier of Sri Lanka and a member airline of the Oneworld airline alliance. It is currently the largest airline in Sri Lanka by number of aircraft and destinations and was launched i ...

. He step down as Secretary, Ministry of Defence on 16 February 1990 and was succeeded by

Cyril Ranatunga General S. Cyril Ranatunga, VSV (19 February 1930 – 16 June 2021) was a Sri Lanka Army officer. He served as Secretary of Defence, General Officer Commanding, Joint Operations Command and Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army during the 1980s ...

High Commissioner to the United Kingdom

Following his tenure as Secretary of Defence, he was appointed as High Commissioner for Sri Lanka in the United Kingdom in March 1990 and served till August 1993 when he was succeeded by

Death

He died on 15 January 2001 in Colombo following a brief illness and his

military funeral A military funeral is a memorial or burial rite given by a country's military for a soldier, sailor, marine or airman who died in battle, a veteran, or other prominent military figures or heads of state. A military funeral may feature guards ...

took place at the General Cemetery, Borella on 17 January.

Family

He was married to Brighty Attygalle who died in July 2010, they had one son Suraj and two grandsons Damin and Shaminda. His brother was Dr. Gamini M. Attygalle,

FRCS Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons (FRCS) is a professional qualification to practise as a senior surgeon in Ireland or the United Kingdom. It is bestowed on an intercollegiate basis by the four Royal Colleges of Surgeons (the Royal C ...

a leading anaesthesiologist, who was married to Kalyani Wijewardene, daughter of Don Walter T Wijewardene and sister of

Upali Wijewardene Philip Upali Wijewardene (17 February 1938 – 13 February 1983: si, උපාලි විජේවර්ධන) was a Sri Lankan business magnate. Considered one of the best-known entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka, he had accumulated a net worth of ...

Honors and decorations

During his military career Attygalle had been award several decorations. He was made a Member of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, o ...

(Military Division) (MVO) by

during her Majesty's visit to Ceylon in 1954, which was later upgraded to Lieutenant (LVO) in 1984. For wartime service in World War II with the Ceylon Defense Force, he received the Defence Medal (1946), the

War Medal 1939–1945 The War Medal 1939–1945 is a campaign medal which was instituted by the United Kingdom on 16 August 1945, for award to citizens of the British Commonwealth who had served full-time in the Armed Forces or the Merchant Navy for at least 28 days ...

(1946) and the

Efficiency Medal The Efficiency Medal was instituted in 1930 for award to part-time warrant officers, non-commissioned officers and men after twelve years of efficient service on the active list of the Militia or the Territorial Army of the United Kingdom, or ...

(Ceylon) (1950); and for service in the Sri Lankan Army, he received the

Ceylon Armed Services Long Service Medal The Ceylon Armed Services Long Service Medal ( Sinhala: සන්නද්ධ සේවා දීර්ඝ සේවා පදක්කම ''ārakśaka sēvā dhīrgha sēvā padakkama'') was a service medal of Ceylon from 1968 to 1972. It was g ...

, the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal, the

Ceylon Armed Services Inauguration Medal The Ceylon Armed Services Inauguration Medal was awarded to members of the Ceylon armed services who served within their specific service branch during periods in 1949-1951 when their service branch was established: *Ceylon Army (10 October 1949 ...

and the

Republic of Sri Lanka Armed Services Medal The Republic of Sri Lanka Armed Services Medal was awarded to members of the regular and volunteer forces of the Military of Sri Lanka who were in service on 22 May 1972, subject to recommendation by the commanders of the respective service com ...

. He received the

Vadamarachchi Operation Medal The Vadamarachchi Operation Medal ( Sinhala: වඩමාරච්චි මෙහෙයුම් පදක්කම ''vadamārachchi meheyum padakkama'') was a campaign medal presented to all ranks of the regular and volunteer forces of the Mili ...

during his service as Secretary of Defence.

Vadamarachchi Operation Medal ribbon bar

Republic of Sri Lanka Armed Services ribbon bar

Sri Lanka Army 25th Anniversary Medal ribbon bar

Ceylon Armed Services Long Service Medal ribbon bar

Ribbon - Efficiency Medal (South Africa)

Ceylon Armed Services Inauguration Medal ribbon bar

Honors

* Attygalle was promoted to the rank of

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

upon his retirement in 1977. * He was awarded the title

by the President Sri Lanka in 1990. * He was a made a

Member of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...

, which was later upgraded to Lieutenant. * Doctor of Literature (honorary) by the

University of Sri Lanka The University of Sri Lanka ( si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා විශ්වවිද්‍යාලය, ta, இலங்கைப் பல்கலைக்கழகம்) was the public university system of Sri Lanka from 1972 to 1978. Est ...

References

External links

Parade Commander Major B.R. Heyn, CLIFather of the Armoured Corps
* ttp://www.rootsweb.com/~lkawgw/comcork.html rootsweb.combr>SundayTimes Appreciation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Attygalle, D.S. 1921 births 2001 deaths Sri Lankan full generals Sinhalese military personnel Sinhalese civil servants Equerries Alumni of Royal College, Colombo Alumni of the University of Ceylon (Colombo) Ceylonese military personnel of World War II Ceylonese Members of the Royal Victorian Order High Commissioners of Sri Lanka to the United Kingdom Alumni of the Royal College of Defence Studies Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley Commanders of the Sri Lanka Army Ceylon Light Infantry officers King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry officers 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards officers Sri Lanka Armoured Corps officers Permanent secretaries of Sri Lanka Sri Lankan military attachés Deshamanya Lieutenants of the Royal Victorian Order Wijewardena family People of the Sri Lankan Civil War Indian Peace Keeping Force