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 ...

Roy Douglas Jayetileke, MBE was a Sri Lankan military leader. He served as the first

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 ...

of the Army Recruit Training Depot and founding commanding officer of the

Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment The Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment (SLSR) ( Sinhala: ශ්‍රී ලංකා සිංහ රෙජිමේන්තුව ''Śrī Laṃkā Sinha Rejimēnthuva'') is an infantry regiment of the Sri Lanka Army; it is the second oldest infantry ...

. Jayetileke received a wartime commission as a second lieutenant in the Ceylon Light Infantry in 1942 with the onset 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 opposing ...

in the Far East. After the war, Jayetileke joined 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 ...

at its formation in 1949 with the rank of captain in the 1 Battalion, Ceylon Light Infantry. Major Jayetileke became the first

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 ...

, Army Recruit Training Depot in February 1950 when it was established at the Ceylon Volunteer Force Camp in Diyatalawa. On 1 October 1956, Lieutenant Colonel Jayetileke was appointed the first commanding officer of the Ceylon Sinha Regiment at Imperial camp 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 ...

. Establishing the Sinha Regiment, Jayetileke served as its commanding officer till March 1964 having been 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 o ...

. He retired from the army with 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. I ...

. He was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in the 1953 New Year Honours.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jayetileke Ceylonese military personnel British Army personnel of World War II People of British Ceylon Ceylonese military personnel of World War II Ceylon Light Infantry officers Sinha Regiment officers Ceylonese Members of the Order of the British Empire Sinhalese military personnel Sri Lankan brigadiers