ASSISTANCE NEEDED
For Projects One and Two
I am trying to obtain the following information in order to complete my
projects about ODM relating to Sri Lanka (Ceylon), and would be grateful if
any visitor to the CeylonMedals.com site can help me. I have already
contacted many of the organizations and departments listed below, but have
received no response, yet.
From the SRI LANKA GOVERNMENT (Presidential Secretariat)
1. A complete list of all the Honours that are conferred on Sri Lankans for
service to their country.
A partial list is shown below:
Sri Lankabhimanya
Desamanya
Desabandu
Veera Chudamani
Vidya Jyothi
Kala Keerthi
Sri Lanka Sikhamani
Vidya Nidhi
Kala Suri
Kala Chudamani
Sri Lanka Thilaka
Vidya Silpa
Vishwa Prasadini
Veera Prathapa
Sri Lanka Ramya
Sri Lanka Ratna
Sri Lanka Ranjana
2. Details, descriptions, criteria for awarding etc... as appearing in the
SL Gazette or Government papers for each of the above honours.
3. Photos of the obverse and reverse of each decoration also showing the
ribbon.
4. Complete list of recipients for each award (Names, titles, in which field
were they decorated for (Example- Armed Services, Education, Cultural,
Sports etc...)
I have already compiled a partial list from various sources such as
Newspapers and the Internet.
5. Photo of the Certificate or Citation that accompanies these awards.
From the SRI LANKA ARMED FORCES or any other source.
1. A complete list of Ceylon Volunteer Force personnel who attended the 1897
Jubilee of Queen Victoria and received the 1897 Jubilee Medal.
(A partial list is available)
2. A complete list of the recipients of the Ceylon Diamond Jubilee Medal
1897
3. A complete list of the recipients of the Ceylon Coronation Medal 1902
4. A complete list of Ceylon Defence Force personnel who attended the
Coronation of King George V in 1911 and received the Coronation Medal 1911.
5. A complete list of Ceylon Defence Force personnel who were awarded the
Jubilee Medal of King George V in 1935. It seems that there was no
contingent sent from Ceylon for this ceremony. However, selected military
and civil personnel in Ceylon were awarded this medal.
6. A complete list of CDF Personnel who attended the Coronation of King
George VI in 1937 and received the Coronation Medal 1937.
Some sources indicate that there were only 4 persons representing the CDF
at the Coronation and they are:
H.G.Jacotine (CLI), Oswald Boyd Forbes (CGA), Frank Arnold Gunesekera (CMC)
and H. Butler Cole. Need confirmation of this.
(Note: A complete list of recipients of the Coronation Medal 1937 in Ceylon
(without attending the ceremony) was published in the Ceylon Gazette of
June 18, 1937.)
7. A complete list of Officers and men of the Ceylon Armed Forces who DID
NOT attend the Coronation Celebrations in London in 1953, but still
received the Queen Elizabeth's Coronation Medal 1953.
(A complete list of the Ceylon Contingent is available)
8. A complete list of Officers and men from Ceylon who served in the Royal
Pioneer Corps and Royal Military Police, that served in Malaya and received
the General Service Medal with the 'Malaya' clasp. (A partial list has been
compiled using medals that have appeared in the market)
9. Complete lists of Officers and men from the Ceylon / Sri Lanka Armed
Forces and Police that took part in the following United Nations missions
as observers and peace-keepers.
- Congo (ONUC) (August 1960)
Records show there were two or three batches of soldiers sent from Ceylon.
- UN Security Force in West New Guinea (West Irian) (UNSF) (UNTEA)(October
1962 to April 1963)
Troops from Ceylon took part.
- India /Pakistan Observer Mission (UNIPOM) (October 1965)
1. Lieut. J. B. Pagoda (1st Btn. Ceylon Light Infantry)
Were there any others?
- UNIPOM (2nd Batch) (January 1966)
1. Lieut. M. T. W. Ponnamperuma
Were there any others?
- UNMOGIP (India)
- UN Operations in Mozambique (ONUMOZ) (Dec 1992 to Dec 1994)
Ten Police Officers from Sri Lanka.
- United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO)
10. Details of the 'Operation Rivi-Resa' Campaign Service Medal (from the
Gazette or Army Orders, to include its description, regulations for
awarding etc...) and a colour photo of the front and back of the medal.
11. Details of the 'North and East Operations Medal' (from the Gazette or
Army Orders, to include its description, regulations for awarding etc...)
and a colour photo of the front and back of the medal.
12. Details of the 50th Independence Anniversary Commemoration Medal (from
the Gazette or Army Orders, to include its description, regulations for
awarding etc...) and a colour photo of the front and back of the medal.
13. I already have three lists of Conferment of Gallantry Awards in the SL
Army (Annex 'A' to SAO 04/91; Annex 'A' to SAO 02/94 and Annex 'A' to SAO
01/96). Are there any more such lists? If so, copies please. Also is it
possible to get similar lists from the Navy, Air Force and the Police?
14. A photo of Major D. B. Seneviratne MM ED
15. The Service Records for the following Officers (to cover their service
in the Volunteer Force (pre 1949) and in the Regular Army (post 1949).
Unit Abbreviations
CAV = Cey. Artillery Volunteers
CGA = Cey. Garrison Artillery
CA = Cey. Artillery
CPRC = Cey. Planters Rifle Corps
CDF = Cey. Defence Force
CSC = Cey. Signals Corps
CLI = Cey. Light Infantry
CMR = Cey. Mounted Rifles
CVMC = Cey. Vol. Medical Corps
CMC = Cey. Medical Corps
CCB = Cey. Cadet Battalion
CCC = Cey. Cadet Corps
CASC = Cey. Army Service Corps
CE = Cey. Engineers
Brig. Christopher Allan Hector Perera Jayawardena CMG CVO OStJ OBE ED, (CLI
and later Home Guard)
Col. E. J. Hayward CBE VD, (CAV)
Col. James Thomas Young MC DCM ED, (CPRC and CDF)
Col. O. C. de Alwis, (C/O National Guard)
Col. C. A. Dharmapala ED (Defense Secretary 1978)
Col. B. L. Seneviratne MBE, ED (C/O Nat. Defense Corps)
Col. Douglas V. Brohier (CSC)
Col. Rasanayagam Sabanayagam MBE ED, (CLI)
Lt.Col. A. V. Ratwatte, (CLI)
Lt.Col. G. R. W. Martenstyn, (CLI)
Lt.Col. E. H. Joseph, (CGA)
Lt.Col. E. O. Mackwood, (CGA)
Lt.Col. W. Sinclair, (CPRC)
Lt.Col. John Arthur Mallock Bond CB CBE VD, (CMR)
Lt.Col. H. F. Pearson, (CMR)
Lt.Col. H. G. Thomasz VD, (CVMC)
Lt.Col. W. G. B. Dickson, (CMR)
Lt.Col. P. J. Parsons, (CGA)
Lt.Col. Sidney Arnold Pakeman CBE MC ED, (CCB)
Lt.Col. C. J. D. Lanktree, (CASC)
Lt.Col. Frank Arnold Gunesekera OBE, (CMC)
Lt.Col. C E Arndt, (CE)
Lt.Col. R. Patrick, (CCB)
Lt.Col. J. W. Maxwell Johnstone, (CMR)
Lt.Col. F. R. Connolly, (CGA)
Lt.Col. H. V. C. de Silva, (CCB)
Lt.Col. V. C. Kelaart OBE, (CSC)
Lt.Col. W. D. Meurling MBE, (CE)
Lt.Col. W. A. Radcliffe, (CASC)
Lt.Col. Harold James Frederick Van Langenberg, (CLI)
Lt.Col. S. Saravanamuttu, (CLI)
Lt.Col. F. H. Potger, (CE)
Lt.Col. Cyril Van Langenberg, (CLI)
Lt.Col. D. R. de Silva, (CSC)
Lt.Col. J. A. T. Perera MBE, (CA)
Lt.Col. E. A. Rajasingham, (CE)
Lt.Col. W. E. M. Fernando, (CSC)
Lt.Col. G. L. S. Austin, (CASC)
Lt.Col. F. J. G. Caspersz, (CE)
Lt.Col. A. V. Arnolda, (CA)
Lt.Col. Rasanayagam Kumaranayagam, (CLI)
Lt.Col. M. C. F. Abeykoon, (CCC)
Lt.Col. John William Balfour-Paul, (CMR)
Lt.Col. David Rockwood, (CMC)
Lt.Col. J. W. R. Rockwood, (CMC)
Rev.Fr. E. Bouvier, Chaplain to the CDF
Rev. D. Tweed, Chaplain to the CDF
Major Edmund Clarence de Fonseka, (CLI)
Major H. North, (CMR)
Major J. S. R. Goonewardene, (CMC)
Major William Norman Rae, (CLI)
Major Robert Benzie DSO, (CPRC)
Major Collin Louis Annesley Direkze, (CLI)
Major Cyril Gordon Reeves, (CLI)
Capt. W. R. Westland, (CMR)
Capt. G. F. de Hoedt, (CE)
Capt. W. D. Drieberg, (CLI)
Capt. R. Cotesworth, (CMR)
Capt. William Edward Gratiaen, (CLI)
Capt. Francis James Tothill, (CPRC)
Capt William Alfred Dep, (CLI)
Capt. George William Sturgess, (CMR)
Capt. Oscar Mervyn Abey'ratne, (CLI)
Lieut. S. P. Joseph, (CMC)
2/Lieut. Archibald Clement Van Cuylenberg, (CLI)
2/Lieut. C. B. Loudoun-Shand, (CPRC)
From the SRI LANKA NAVY
1. Details of the SL Navy 25th Anniversary Medal (from the Gazette or Navy
Orders) with its description, criteria for awarding etc... along with a
photo showing the front and back of the medal and it's ribbon.
2. Details of the SL Navy 50th Anniversary Medal (from the Gazette or Navy
Orders) with its description, criteria for awarding etc... along with a
photo showing the front and back of the medal and it's ribbon.
3. How many of these two medals were awarded?
4. A complete list of Officers of the CRNVR who were awarded the Royal Naval
Volunteer Reserve Decoration (VRD).
5. A complete list of Officers and men in the CRNVR who were awarded the
Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Long Service Medal. (A partial list is
available)
6. A photo and biographical details (including Service Record) for Lt. LLDS
Wijethunge PWV and the citation for his posthumous Parama Weera
Vibushanaya.
7. Were there other Navy recipients of this Decoration? If so, please
provide their photos, biographical details and citations.
8. Portrait type photos of R/Adm. Rajan Kadirgamar MVO and R/Adm. Royce de
Mel OBE (preferably in dress uniform, wearing their medals)
From the SRI LANKA AIR FORCE
1. Details of the SLAF 25th Anniversary Medal (from the Gazette or Air Force
Orders) with its description, criteria for awarding etc... along with a
photo showing the front and back of the medal and it's ribbon.
2. Details of the SLAF 50th Anniversary Medal (from the Gazette or Air Force
Orders) with its description, criteria for awarding etc... along with a
photo showing the front and back of the medal and it's ribbon.
3 How many of these two medals were awarded?
From the SRI LANKA POLICE
1. A complete list of Police Medals that were instituted after 1972. (I
already have the details of the pre-1972 medals).
2. Full descriptions of the above medals, details of the rules governing
their awarding, numbers awarded etc... (Photocopies from the Gazette or
from the Police Gazette or Orders.)
3. Photographs of the above medals, preferably in colour, showing the ribbon
and the front and back of each medal.
4. List of personnel who were awarded medals for Gallantry, preferably with
citations.
5. A complete list of IGPs' from the inception of the Police Force (Colonial
time) to now, showing the period of command for each IGP.
From the SRI LANKA FIRE BRIGADE
1. A complete list of Fire Brigade Medals that were instituted after 1972.
(I already have the details of the pre-1972 medals).
2. Full descriptions of the above medals, details of the rules governing
their awarding, numbers awarded etc... (Photocopies from the Gazette or
from the Fire Service Gazette or Orders.)
3. Photographs of the above medals, in colour, showing the ribbon and the
front and back of each medal.
4. List of personnel who were awarded medals for Gallantry or Meritorious
Service, preferably with citations.
5. A complete list of Fire Service Chiefs (Head of the Fire Brigade) from
the inception of the Ceylon Fire Brigade (Colonial period) to now, showing
the period of command for each Chief.
6. A photo, biographical details and Service Record for the late Bertram
Edmund Weerasinghe OBE, who was the Chief of Fire Services in Ceylon and
Assistant Civil Defence Commissioner during World War Two.
