Major is a rank in the Sri Lanka Army. The rank insignia for a major is the Sri Lankan emblem. It ranks below lieutenant colonel and above

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 ...

. The equivalent is Lieutenant-Commander in the Sri Lanka Navy and Squadron Leader in the

Sri Lanka Air Force The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) ( si, ශ්‍රි ලංකා ගුවන් හමුදාව, Śrī Laṃkā guwan hamudāva; ta, இலங்கை விமானப்படை, Ilaṅkai vimāṉappaṭai) is the air arm and the yo ...

. From 1949 to 1972, in the Ceylon Army the rank insignia for a major was a crown, similar to the of the British Army Major. A major of the Sri Lanka Army would usually commanding independent companies, squadrons and

batteries Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

, but those that were organically part of a regiment or battalion were still usually commanded by captains. They would be

second-in-command Second-in-command (2i/c or 2IC) is a title denoting that the holder of the title is the second-highest authority within a certain organisation. Usage In the British Army or Royal Marines, the second-in-command is the deputy commander of a unit, ...

of battalions in infantry or regiments (in the artillery and armoured regiments) as well as serve as Brigade majors. During the Sri Lankan Civil War majors commanded area commands known as military sectors and have commanded battalions in combat. In 1947, at its formation the uniform of the

Serjeant-at-arms A serjeant-at-arms, or sergeant-at-arms, is an officer appointed by a deliberative body, usually a legislature, to keep order during its meetings. The word "serjeant" is derived from the Latin ''serviens'', which means "servant". Historically, ...

of the Sri Lankan Parliament was molded on

uniforms A uniform is a variety of clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are most often worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency services, s ...

of a major.

Notable majors

* G. S. Jayanath - Parama Weera Vibhushanaya recipient *

K. A. Gamage K. A. Gamage ( si, K. A. ගමගේ, died 20 April 2009), was a Major in the Sri Lanka Army who posthumously received the Parama Weera Vibhushanaya, Sri Lanka's highest military award for gallantry. At the time of his death, he was serving in the ...

- Parama Weera Vibhushanaya recipient *

E. A. Nugawela Major Edward "Eddie" Alexander Nugawela, ED (21 September 1898 – 5 July 1972) was a Ceylonese lawyer, soldier and politician. He was the first Cabinet Minister of Education in independent Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) (1947–1954), later Cabinet M ...

- first

Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

Minister of Education of Ceylon, later Cabinet Minister of Health, a Member of Parliament and State Council. * Montague Jayawickrama - Government Ministers and Provincial Governor *

L. V. Gooneratne Major Lionel Victor Gooneratne, ED (1893-1971) was a Sri Lankan educationist and a municipal councillor. He was the Chairman of the Dehiwala Urban Council and the first Mayor of Dehiwala - Mt Lavinia. Educated at Royal College Colombo, Goonera ...

, ED - Mayor of Dehiwala - Mt Lavinia * Bevis Bawa, ADC,

CLI CLI may refer to: Computing * Call Level Interface, an SQL database management API * Command-line interface, of a computer program * Command-line interpreter or command language interpreter; see List of command-line interpreters * CLI (x86 instr ...

- former Aide-de-camp to the

Governor of Ceylon {{Use dmy dates, date=November 2019 The Governor of Ceylon can refer to historical vice-regal representatives of three colonial powers: Portuguese Ceylon * List of Captains of Portuguese Ceylon (1518–1551) * List of Captain-majors of Portuguese ...

* Victor Gunasekara, CCS - former

Controller Controller may refer to: Occupations * Controller or financial controller, or in government accounting comptroller, a senior accounting position * Controller, someone who performs agent handling in espionage * Air traffic controller, a person w ...

of Imports Exports and Government Agent of

Kegalle Kegalle ( si, කෑගල්ල; ta, கேகாலை) is a large town in Sabaragamuwa Province of Sri Lanka. It is located on the Colombo– Kandy road, approximately from Colombo and from Kandy. It is the main town in the Kegalle Distri ...

* Deshamanya

Duncan White Major Deshamanya Duncan M. White MBE, ED (1 March 1918 – 3 July 1998) was a Sri Lankan sportsman. He was the first Ceylonese athlete to win an Olympic medal, winning silver in the 400-metre hurdles at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, Eng ...

, MBE, ED - first Ceylonese athlete to win an Olympic medal *

Wickremasinghe Wimaladasa Deshabandu Wickramesinghe Wimaladasa (born 29 August 1943) is a Sri Lankan former sprinter who competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics. He won two gold medals at the 1974 Asian Games held in Tehran, Iran, in the men's 400m and relay events. Wimalad ...

- Asian games (

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

) 400 metres gold medalist.

References

*Army, Sri Lanka. (1st Edition - October 1999). ''"50 YEARS ON" - 1949-1999'', Sri Lanka Army.

External links

Sri Lanka ArmyMinistry of Defence, Public Security, Law & Order - Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri LankaThree Service Commanders promoted : Official Government News Portal
Military ranks of the Sri Lanka Army {{mil-rank-stub

Notable majors

See also

References

External links