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. I ...

Leonard "Lyn" Merlyn Wickramasuriya (26 March 1916 – 27 June 2002) was a

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 ...

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...

, he served as the

Commandant Commandant ( or ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ran ...

, Army Training Centre and Diyatalawa Garrison Commander. Born on 26 March 1916, Wickramasuriya was educated at

Trinity College, Kandy "Look to the End" , mottoes = , founder = John Ireland Jones , established = , type = Independent Private , affiliation = Church of Ceylon, Anglican , grade ...

. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Ceylon Garrison Artillery 1 April 1940. From 1941 to 1942, Captain Wickramasuriya served as

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, t ...

, the

Ceylon Defence Force The Ceylon Defence Force (CDF) was established in 1910 by the Ceylonese legislation ''Ceylon Defence Force Ordinance'', which reformed the Ceylon Volunteer Force (CVF) that existed previously as the military reserve in the British Crown colony ...

contingent deployed to the

Cocos Islands ) , anthem = "''Advance Australia Fair''" , song_type = , song = , image_map = Australia on the globe (Cocos (Keeling) Islands special) (Southeast Asia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands , map_caption = ...

and was succeeded by Captain George Gardiner. Under Captain Gardiner's command the CGA detachment mutinied in the Cocos Islands mutiny. With the end of the war, he was demobilized in 1946. When the

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

was formed in October 1949, Wickramasuriya commissioned as a captain in it on 11 November 1949. Attached to the 1st Heavy Anti Aircraft Regiment,

Ceylon Artillery The Sri Lanka Artillery (SLA) is the artillery arm of the Sri Lanka Army. It is made up of ten regular regiments and two volunteer regiments. The SLA is headquartered at Panagoda Cantonment, Panagoda. The emblem of the SLA is modeled after tha ...

; he was promoted to the rank of major on 1 June 1952. Promoted to lieutenant colonel on 1 October 1957, he was appointed commanding officer of the 1st Heavy Anti Aircraft Regiment based at the

Rock House Army Camp Rock House Army Camp is a military base located at Modera, north of Colombo in the Western Province of Sri Lanka. It serves as the regimental headquarters of the Sri Lanka Armoured Corps of Sri Lanka Army. History The base gains its name from t ...

. Following the 1962 coup d'état attempt the 1st Heavy Anti Aircraft Regiment was disbanded in disgrace on 25 April 1962 and its officers and men transferred to the 4th Field Regiment, Ceylon Artillery formed on 26 April 1962 with Colonel Wickramasuriya as its commanding officer until April 1964. On 1 May 1964, Colonel Wickramasuriya was appointed the first of the Commandant, Army Training Centre and Garrison Commander, Diyatalawa. His tenure saw the establishment of the Officer Cadet School in the Army Training Centre under Major Denis Perera to train officers locally with a curriculum based on that of

Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS or RMA Sandhurst), commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial officer training centre. It is located in the town ...

. He served as Commandant until his retirement on 31 December 1969. On 1 November 1999, he was promoted to the

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

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. I ...

by the president of Sri Lanka. He died on 25 June 2002 and his military funeral was held on 27 June 2002.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wickramasuriya Sri Lanka Artillery officers Ceylon Garrison Artillery officers Ceylonese military personnel British Army personnel of World War II People from British Ceylon Ceylonese military personnel of World War II Sinhalese military personnel Sri Lankan brigadiers 1916 births 2002 deaths Alumni of Trinity College, Kandy