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 ...

Jerome Gautier "Lyle" Balthazar was a senior

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 who served as Commander, Security Forces Jaffna and Chief of Staff of the Army.

Early life and education

Born in the east coast town of

Batticalo Batticaloa ( ta, மட்டக்களப்பு, ''Maṭṭakkaḷappu''; si, මඩකලපුව, ''Maḍakalapuwa'') is a major city in the Eastern Province, Sri Lanka, and its former capital. It is the administrative capital of the B ...

, Balthazar was educated at St. Michael's College, Batticalo.

Military career

Balthazar joined the newly formed

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

, received his basic officer training at the

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 was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and posted to the Ceylon Light Infantry. In 1961, Captain Balthazar lead the second Ceylon Army peace keeping contingent to the

United Nations Operation in the Congo The United Nations Operation in the Congo (french: Opération des Nations Unies au Congo, abbreviated to ONUC) was a United Nations peacekeeping force deployed in the Republic of the Congo in 1960 in response to the Congo Crisis. ONUC was the ...

. In May 1962, Captain Balthazar along with Captain T. I. Weeratunga were transferred to the newly formed

Gemunu Watch The Gemunu Watch (GW) ("King Dutugemunu's Own") is a infantry regiment of the Sri Lanka Army, formed with troops from the Ceylon Light Infantry and the Ceylon Sinha Regiment in 1962. It has been deployed in many major operations against the LTTE ...

and served as the adjutant of the 1st Battalion. From 1969 to 1970, Major Balthazar served as an Extra ADC to

William Gopallawa William Gopallawa (, ; 17 September 1896 – 31 January 1981) was the last Governor-General of Ceylon from 1962 to 1972 and became the first and only non-executive and ceremonial President of Sri Lanka when Ceylon declared itself a republic in ...

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. ...

. Major Balthazar served with the Gemunu Watch in the 1971 Insurrection and in January 1973 was appointed commanding officer of the 1st Battalion, Gemunu Watch having been promoted to the rank of

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 ...

. He was an active athlete, competing in Putt Shot,

Discus Throw The discus throw (), also known as disc throw, is a track and field event in which an athlete throws a heavy disk (mathematics), disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than their competitors. It is an classical antiqui ...

and Javelin at regimental, Defence Services and National Champions. Following a military court of inquiry appointed by Commander of the Army

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 ...

Sepala Attygalle General Deshamanya Don Sepala Attygalle, (14 October 1921 – 15 January 2001) was a Sri Lankan senior army officer, civil servant and diplomat. The longest serving Commander of the Sri Lankan Army (1967–1977), he went on to serve as the Perm ...

into a complaint against Lieutenant Colonel Balthazar by Major A. Hulangamuwa, he was asked to retire by the William Gopallawa, President of Sri Lanka which he did in August 1973. Balthazar won defamation in the District Court against the complaint, but the judgement was overturned later in the appeal court in 1984 and confirmed in the supreme court in 1985. He was reinstated with 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 ...

and served as the principal staff officer to

T. I. Weeratunga as he returned to

Jaffna Jaffna (, ) is the capital city of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna District located on a peninsula of the same name. With a population of 88,138 in 2012, Jaffna is Sri Lanka's 12th mo ...

in June 1981 as Commander, Security Forces - Jaffna to subdue the Tamil militant groups operating there. In 1983, Balthazar took over as Commander, Security Forces - Jaffna with the rank of Brigadier. As Commander, Security Forces - Jaffna, he had the Army's Task Force 4 Northern and all armed forces units in the province under his command. He initiated military operations to subdue to Tamil militancy taking form in Jaffna in 1983. He was successful in killing Tamil militant leader Charles Lucas Anthony aka Seelan on 15 July 1983. He attempted to raid Tamil militant leader Sellakili's hideout on 24 July 1983. However, Sellakili ambushed one of Balthazar's routine patrols

Four Four Bravo Four Four Bravo was the call sign of a fifteen-man Sri Lankan Army patrol, deployed in the Jaffna Peninsula on July 23, 1983. The patrol was ambushed and thirteen of its members were killed by the LTTE. This incident sparked the Black July ri ...

killing thirteen soldiers. This incident sparked the Black July riots and is considered to be the start of the Sri Lankan Civil War. He was succeeded by Brigadier

Nalin Seneviratne General Ganegoda Appuhamelage Don Granville Nalin Seneviratne, VSV (August 25, 1931 – August 12, 2009) was a Sri Lankan Army officer. He was the Commander of the Sri Lankan Army from 1985 to 1988 and first Governor of the North East Provi ...

. He served as Chief of Staff of the Army under General Seneviratne during the Vadamarachchi Operation. Brigadier Balthazar had 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

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 ...

, the

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 (regular and volunteer) and Sri Lanka Police to all ranks of its forces in ...

and the

United Nations Medal A United Nations Medal is an international decoration awarded by the United Nations (UN) to the various world countries members for participation in joint international military and police operations such as peacekeeping, humanitarian efforts, an ...

for service in the

ONUC The United Nations Operation in the Congo (french: Opération des Nations Unies au Congo, abbreviated to ONUC) was a United Nations peacekeeping force deployed in the Republic of the Congo in 1960 in response to the Congo Crisis. ONUC was th ...

Family

He married Kamala Antoinette Maisie "Claudia" Perera.Sri Lanka Sinhalese Family Genealogy RATNAPALA – Notes Family 3786
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balthazar, Lyle Sri Lankan brigadiers Burgher military personnel Graduates of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst Alumni of St. Michael's College National School Sri Lanka Light Infantry officers Gemunu Watch officers People from Batticaloa

Early life and education

Military career

Family

See also

References