General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Deshamanya Deshamanya (; ; Pride of the Nation) is the second-highest national honour of Sri Lanka awarded by the Government of Sri Lanka as a civil honour. It is awarded for "''highly meritorious service''", and is conventionally used as a title or prefi ...

Don Sepala Attygalle, (14 October 1921 – 15 January 2001) was a

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

n army officer,

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...

and

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

. The longest serving Commander of the Sri Lankan Army (1967–1977), he went on to serve as the

Permanent secretary A permanent secretary is the most senior Civil Service (United Kingdom), civil servant of a department or Ministry (government department), ministry charged with running the department or ministry's day-to-day activities. Permanent secretaries are ...

to the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

and Sri Lankan High Commissioner to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. He is most notable for successfully crushing the 1971 Insurrection in a matter of months and becoming the first Sri Lankan army officer to be promoted to the rank of

full general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED Online. ...

. He is known as the ''"Father of the Armoured Corps"'' and was The Equerry to

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

during her

coronation A coronation ceremony marks the formal investiture of a monarch with regal power using a crown. In addition to the crowning, this ceremony may include the presentation of other items of regalia, and other rituals such as the taking of special v ...

in 1953.

Early life and education

Attygalle was educated at the

Royal College, Colombo Royal College, Colombo also known as; Royal Colombo, Colombo Royal College or Colombo Royal) is a Single-sex education, boys' school located in Cinnamon Gardens, Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Started by Joseph Marsh (priest), Joseph Mar ...

, where he became the

head prefect The two Senior Prefects, individually called Head Boy (for the male), and Head Girl (for the female) are students who carry leadership roles and are responsible for representing the school's entire student body. Although mostly out of use, in some ...

, won colours in both

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competitio ...

and

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby union: 15 players per side *** American flag rugby *** Beach rugby *** Mini rugby *** Rugby sevens, 7 players per side *** Rugby tens, 10 players per side *** Snow rugby *** Tou ...

; and was the Senior Sergeant of the Cadet Contingent of Royal College. Upon completing his schooling, he entered the

University College, Colombo Ceylon University College was a public university college in Ceylon. Established in 1921, it was Ceylon's first attempt at university education. The college didn't award degrees under its own name but prepared students to sit the University of Lo ...

Military career

Second World War

With the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

in 1940, Attygalle left his studies at the university college to join the

Ceylon Defense 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 ...

with its wartime expansion and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the

Ceylon Light Infantry Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian peninsula by ...

on 15 November 1940. He underwent basic officer training at

Diyatalawa Diyatalawa (), (), meaning ) 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 destination for local holiday makers. It is home ...

, where he took the

sword of honour The ''Sword of Honour'' is a trilogy of novels by Evelyn Waugh which loosely parallel Waugh's experiences during the World War II, Second World War. Published by Chapman & Hall from 1952 to 1961, the novels are: Men at Arms (Waugh novel), ''M ...

at the army passing out parade in 1941 and thereafter underwent advanced training in India. He was promoted to the

temporary rank Military ranks is a system of hierarchical relationships within armed forces, police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of La ...

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in 1943. He was demobilized 9 March 1946, and had been the Defence Services 100-metre Champion until 1944.

Government service

Following the end of the war, he joined the government service as the

Assistant Controller A comptroller (pronounced either the same as ''controller'' or as ) is a management-level position responsible for supervising the quality of accounting and financial reporting of an organization. A financial comptroller is a senior-level executi ...

of Textiles and thereafter served as the Assistant Controller of Exports and Imports.

Ceylon army

With the formation of the new

Ceylon Army The Sri Lanka Army (; ) is the oldest and largest of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces. The army was officially established as the Ceylon Army in 1949, though the army traces its roots back in 1881 when Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteers was created; t ...

on 10 October 1949 following the passing of the ''Army Act''; he was commissioned as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

in the 1 Battalion,

as a regular officer on 22 October 1949, promoted to the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

on the same day, he was then assigned as the General Staff Officer - Grade 3 (GSO3) at the Army Headquarters, Ceylon. On 27 July 1950 he was appointed an Extra Aide-de-camp (ADC) to Lord Soulbury, the

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. Sir ...

, succeeding Major

Bevis Bawa Major Bevis William Frederick Bawa, ADC, CLI (26 April 1909 – 18 September 1992) was a Ceylonese (Sri Lankan) planter, soldier and a landscaper. He was also one of the most renowned landscape architects in Sri Lanka and served as the Aide-de- ...

. He was promoted to rank of

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

on 1 January 1952 and was appointed GSO2, Army Headquarters in February. From May to July 1952, he attended the Company Commanders' Course at the School of Infantry, Warminster and the Land/Air Warfare Course at the

School of Land/Air Warfare The School of Land/Air Warfare was a Royal Air Force school based at Old Sarum in Wiltshire. Its purpose was to encourage greater co-operation between officers in the air and those on the ground. History The School was originally established at ...

from October to November 1952. Thereafter he was attached to the 1st Battalion,

King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry The King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI) was a Light infantry, light infantry regiment of the British Army. It officially existed from 1881 to 1968, but its predecessors go back to 1755. In 1968, the regiment was amalgamated with the Somers ...

, in Germany; serving with the NATO Forces in Europe. On his return he resumed his post as GSO2, Army Headquarters. In January 1953, he relinquished his staff appointment at the army headquarters and left for the

to attend the

Staff College, Camberley Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army and the presidency armies of British India (later merged to form the Indian Army). It had its origins in the Royal Military College, High Wycombe, founded in 1799, which ...

. On 2 June 1953, he was appointed

Equerry An equerry (; from French language, French 'stable', and related to 'squire') is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attend ...

to HM

at her coronation. On completing the staff college course, he was seconded to the

1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards (QDG) is a regiment in the Royal Armoured Corps (RAC) of the British Army. Nicknamed The Welsh Cavalry, the regiment recruits from Wales and the bordering English counties of Cheshire, Herefordshire, and Shropshir ...

. During this time he served as a military liaison officer (

military attaché A military attaché or defence attaché (DA),Defence Attachés
''Geneva C ...

) to the High Commissioner for Ceylon in the United Kingdom. On his return he took part in the formation of the "D" Company, 1st Battalion, Ceylon Light Infantry of which was appointed

officer commanding The commanding officer (CO) or commander, or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually giv ...

Ceylon Armoured Corps

In 1955, Major D.S. Attygalle was tasked with raising a reconnaissance unit and on 10 October 1955, he formed the 1st Reconnaissance (Recce) Squadron as the Cavalry Arm in the Ceylon Army in the lines of 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards, with himself as officer commanding. On 17 December 1955 a Combined Services Buddhist Mission led by Major Attygalle left for

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

on board HMCyS Vijaya, to represent the Armed Forces of Ceylon at the Buddha Jayanthi commemoration celebrations, and present a gift of a Bodhi tree sapling. On 25 December 1955, he was appointed Officer Commanding Troops,

Echelon Barracks Echelon Barracks was a former military barracks situated in Colombo Fort, Colombo. It was occupied by the newly formed Ceylon Army following independence. History Built during the late nineteenth century as headquarters of the British Army Garri ...

, and served till 9 August 1956. On 1 October 1958, he was promoted to the rank lieutenant colonel and appointed the first

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or commander, or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually give ...

of the 1st Reconnaissance Regiment, with the expansion of the recce squadron to a full

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

. The 1st Reconnaissance Regiment became the core of the

Ceylon Armoured Corps The Sri Lanka Armoured Corps (SLAC) provides the armour capability of the Sri Lanka Army, with vehicles such as the T-55AM2 main battle tank; the BMP infantry fighting vehicle; and the BTR-80 and WZ551 armoured personnel carriers. It comprises f ...

. He attended a training with the

Royal Armoured Corps The Royal Armoured Corps is the armoured arm of the British Army, that together with the Household Cavalry provides its armour capability, with vehicles such as the Challenger 2 and the Warrior tracked armoured vehicle. It includes most of the Ar ...

from March to April 1959. He held the post of the commanding officer, 1st Reconnaissance Regiment until March 1964.

TFAII and Chief of Staff

On 1 December 1962, he was promoted to the rank of

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...

; he took up appointment as Commander, Army Force Panagoda, whilst serving as commanding officer, Ceylon Armoured Corps. In June 1963, he went on an official visit to Yugoslavia, where he underwent a guerilla warfare training course. Having relinquished his post of Commander, Army Force Panagoda on 13 August 1963, he was appointed Commander, Task Force Anti Illicit Immigration on 14 August 1963, later he also served as the Inspector of Training, Army Headquarters. He was then appointed Chief of Staff of the Army on 21 March 1964. He relinquished command of the Task Force Anti Illicit Immigration on 30 June 1965 and in 1966 he attended the

Imperial Defence College The Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) instructs the most promising senior officers of the British Armed Forces, His Majesty's Diplomatic Service and Civil Service in national defence and international security matters at the highest level ...

. On his return he resumed duties as Chief of Staff.

Commander of the Army

He relinquished Chief of Staff duties and was promoted to 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 (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

on 22 September 1967 and appointed Acting Commander of the Army after the retirement of Major General B.R. Heyn. On 1 October 1967, Attygalle was promoted to the rank of Major General and confirmed as Commander of the Army. Under his leadership, the army crushed the 1971 Insurrection within two months, and he was promoted to the rank of

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

on 4 April 1974, thus being the first officer of the

Sri Lanka Army The Sri Lanka Army (; ) is the oldest and largest of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces. The army was officially established as the Ceylon Army in 1949, though the army traces its roots back in 1881 when Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteers was created; ...

to hold this rank. On the day of his retirement, on 13 October 1977, after having served for ten years as commander, he was promoted to the rank of

, thus becoming the first Sri Lankan army officer to hold the rank of a full general and longest-serving Commander of the Army.

Later life

On retirement from the army, he took up an appointment as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Defence, and Chief Co-ordinating Authority in the Ministry of Defence in October 1977.

Secretary of Defence

In the early 1980s, with the escalation of the Tamil Militancy, he was appointed

Permanent Secretary A permanent secretary is the most senior Civil Service (United Kingdom), civil servant of a department or Ministry (government department), ministry charged with running the department or ministry's day-to-day activities. Permanent secretaries are ...

on 15 August 1983 succeeding Colonel

C. A. Dharmapala Colonel Candauda Arachchige Dharmapala, OBE, ED (; 4 August 1907 – 6 July 1989) was a Sri Lankan politician. He was a Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industries, Housing and Social Services and Member of Parliament for Hakmana ...

, and serving as National Defence Advisor to the

President of Sri Lanka The president of Sri Lanka ( ''Śrī Laṅkā Janādhipati''; ''Ilaṇkai janātipati'') is the head of state and head of government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. The president is the chief executive of the union governm ...

. He played a major role during the

Vadamarachchi Operation Operation Liberation also known as the Vadamarachchi Operation was the military offensive carried out by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces in May and June 1987 to recapture the territory of Vadamarachchi in the Jaffna peninsula from the LTTE (Tamil ...

which was stopped midway by Indian intervention. During this time he was the founding chairman, Air Ports and Aviation Services and Chairman of

Air Lanka SriLankan Airlines is the flag carrier of Sri Lanka and a member airline of the Oneworld airline alliance. It was launched in 1979 as Air Lanka following the termination of operations of the original Sri Lankan flag carrier Air Ceylon. As of t ...

. He stepped down as Secretary, Ministry of Defence on 16 February 1990 and was succeeded by

Cyril Ranatunga General S. Cyril Ranatunga, VSV (19 February 1930 – 16 June 2021) was a Sri Lanka Army officer. He served as Secretary of Defence, General Officer Commanding, Joint Operations Command and Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army during the 198 ...

High Commissioner to the United Kingdom

Following his tenure as Secretary of Defence, he was appointed High Commissioner for Sri Lanka in the United Kingdom in March 1990 and served till August 1993 when he was succeeded by

Death

He died on 15 January 2001 in Colombo following a brief illness and his

military funeral A military funeral is a memorial or burial rite given by a country's military for a soldier, sailor, marine or airman who died in battle, a veteran, or other prominent military figures or heads of state. A military funeral may feature guards ...

took place at the General Cemetery, Borella on 17 January.

Family

He was married to Brighty Attygalle who died in July 2010, they had one son Suraj and two grandsons Damin and Shaminda. His brother was Dr. Gamini M. Attygalle,

FRCS Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons (FRCS) is a professional certification, professional qualification to practise as a senior surgeon in Republic of Ireland, Ireland or the United Kingdom. It is bestowed on an wikt:intercollegiate, ...

a leading

anaesthesiologist Anesthesiology, anaesthesiology or anaesthesia is the medical specialty concerned with the total perioperative care of patients before, during and after surgery. It encompasses anesthesia, intensive care medicine, critical emergency medicine, an ...

, who was married to Kalyani Wijewardene, daughter of Don Walter T Wijewardene and sister of

Upali Wijewardene Philip Upali Wijewardene (17 February 1938 – 13 February 1983: ) was a Sri Lankan business magnate and entrepreneur. In 1983, Wijewardene had a net worth of US $50 million. He was the founder and chairman of Upali Group, the first multi-nation ...

Honors and decorations

During his military career Attygalle had been awarded several decorations. He was made a Member of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...

(Military Division) (MVO) by

during her Majesty's visit to Ceylon in 1954, which was later upgraded to Lieutenant (LVO) in 1984. For wartime service in World War II with the Ceylon Defense Force, he received the Defence Medal (1946), the

War Medal 1939–1945 The War Medal 1939–1945 is a campaign medal which was instituted by the United Kingdom on 16 August 1945, for award to citizens of the British Commonwealth who had served full-time in the Armed Forces or the Merchant Navy for at least 28 days ...

(1946) and the

Efficiency Medal The Efficiency Medal was instituted in 1930 for award to part-time warrant officers, non-commissioned officers and men after twelve years of efficient service on the active list of the Militia (United Kingdom), Militia or the Army Reserve (Unit ...

(Ceylon) (1950); and for service in the Sri Lankan Army, he 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 gr ...

, the

Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal () is a commemorative medal instituted to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on 2 June 1953. Award This medal was awarded as a personal souvenir from the Queen to members of the Royal Family ...

, the

Ceylon Armed Services Inauguration Medal The Ceylon Armed Services Inauguration Medal was awarded to members of the Ceylon armed services who served within their specific service branch during periods in 1949-1951 when their service branch was established: *Ceylon Army (10 October 1949 ...

and 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 co ...

. He received the

Vadamarachchi Operation Medal The Vadamarachchi Operation Medal ( Sinhala: වඩමාරච්චි මෙහෙයුම් පදක්කම ''vadamārachchi meheyum padakkama'') was a campaign medal presented to all ranks of the regular and volunteer forces of the Mi ...

during his service as Secretary of Defence.

Vadamarachchi Operation Medal ribbon bar

Republic of Sri Lanka Armed Services ribbon bar

Sri Lanka Army 25th Anniversary Medal ribbon bar

Ceylon Armed Services Long Service Medal ribbon bar

Honors

* Attygalle was promoted to the rank of

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

upon his retirement in 1977. * He was awarded the title

by the President Sri Lanka in 1990. * He was a made a

Member of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...

, which was later upgraded to Lieutenant. * Doctor of Literature (honorary) by the

University of Sri Lanka The University of Sri Lanka (, ) was the public university system of Sri Lanka from 1972 to 1978. The university system was dissolved in 1978 and its six campuses turned into independent universities: the University of Peradeniya, the University o ...

References

External links

Parade Commander Major B.R. Heyn, CLIFather of the Armoured Corps
* ttp://www.rootsweb.com/~lkawgw/comcork.html rootsweb.combr>SundayTimes Appreciation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Attygalle, D.S. 1921 births 2001 deaths Sri Lankan full generals Sinhalese military personnel Equerries Alumni of Royal College, Colombo Alumni of the University of Ceylon (Colombo) Ceylonese military personnel of World War II Ceylonese Members of the Royal Victorian Order High commissioners of Sri Lanka to the United Kingdom Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley Commanders of the Sri Lanka Army Ceylon Light Infantry officers King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry officers 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards officers Sri Lanka Armoured Corps officers Permanent secretaries of Sri Lanka Sri Lankan military attachés Deshamanya Lieutenants of the Royal Victorian Order Wijewardena family People of the Sri Lankan civil war Indian Peace Keeping Force