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Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force

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The Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force (SLAVF) is the principal and Volunteer reserve force component of the Sri Lanka Army. It is a collective name for the reserve units and the Sri Lanka National Guard of the Sri Lankan Army. The SLAVF is made up of part-time Officers and soldiers paid at a similar rate, while engaged on military activities, as their Regular equivalents. This is in contrast to the Regular Army Reserve, which currently comprises people who have a mobilization obligation for a number of years after their former full-time service in the regular army has been completed. Overall administration and recruitment of reserve personal is carried out by the Volunteer Force Headquarters in Battaramulla, headed by the Commandant of the Volunteer Force, this is usually a Major General. The current commandant is Major General Lawrence Fernando. Volunteer officers undergo basic training at the Sri Lanka Military Academy and the other ranks at the Volunteer Force Training School (VFTS).

History

The history of the SLAVF goes back to 1861 when the Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteers where created.

Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteers

The second phase in the employment of non-British personnel commenced in 1861 after the enactment of an ordinance designed to authorize the creation of Volunteer Corps in the island. It was designated the Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteers (CLIV). This move compensated for the disbandment of the Ceylon Rifle Regiment in 1874. The Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteers was originally administered as a single unit. However over the years various sections of the volunteers grew large enough to become independent from their parent unit. The different units that emerged from the Volunteer Force were the,

Ceylon Defence Force

In 1910 the name of the military was formerly changed to the Ceylon Defence Force (CDF). It continued to grow throughout the early period of 20th century. The CDF saw active service when a contingent of the Ceylon Mounted Infantry (CMI) in 1900, and a contingent of Ceylon Planters Rifle Corps(CPRC) in 1902, took part in the Second Boer War in South Africa. Their services were recognized by presentation, in 1902, of a color to the CMI, and a presentation in 1904, of a Banner to the CPRC. In 1922, the CDF was honored by the presentation of the King's and Regimental colors to the Ceylon Light Infantry (CLI).

During the First World War, many volunteers from the Defence Force traveled to England and joined the British Army, and many of them were killed in action. One of them mentioned by Arthur Conan Doyle was Private Jacotine of the CLI, who was the last man left alive in his unit at the Battle of Lys, and who continued to fight for 20 minutes before he was killed.

In 1939, the CDF was mobilized and an enormous expansion took place which required the raising of new units such as the Post and Telegraph Signals, the Ceylon Railway Engineer Corps, the Ceylon Electrical and Mechanical Engineer Corps, the Auxiliary Territorial Service, the Ceylon Corps of Military Police, the Ceylon Signals Corps and the Colombo Town Guard Unit, which had been previously disbanded, but was later re-formed to meet military requirements. During the Second World War Britain assumed direct control over the Armed Forces of Ceylon.

Army Volunteer Force

Following the formation of the army in 1949, CDF became the nucleolus of the Ceylon Army all volunteer units of the CDF, which was the majority of the CDF became the Ceylon Volunteer Force (CVF). It large number of world war 2 veterans in its ranks the CVF played a major part in the post-independence years, while a new regular army was formed. It was mobilized frequently to counter riots and strikes that sprang up from time to time. After several of its senior officers were implicated in the failed attempted coup in 1962 with was greatly reduced with many of its regiments disbanded, the central control of the Volunteer Force was reduced to administrative work and the post of Commandant of the Volunteer Force has since been filled by a regular officer. In 1972 when Sri Lanka became a republic the name of the force was changed to Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force.

Current units

Sri Lanka Armoured Corps

  • 7th(v) Sri Lanka Armoured CorpsSri Lanka Artillery
  • 5th(v) Sri Lanka Artillery Regiment
  • 12th(v) Sri Lanka Artillery RegimentSri Lanka Engineers
  • 4th(v) Sri Lanka Engineers RegimentSri Lanka Signals Corps
  • 2nd(v) Sri Lanka Signals Corps RegimentSri Lanka Light Infantry
  • 2nd(v) Sri Lanka Light Infantry
  • 5th(v) Sri Lanka Light Infantry
  • 9th(v) Sri Lanka Light Infantry
  • 14th(v) Sri Lanka Light InfantrySri Lanka Sinha Regiment
  • 2nd(v) Battalion, Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment
  • 3rd(v) Battalion, Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment
  • 5th(v) Battalion, Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment
  • 11th(v) Battalion, Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment
  • 15th(v) Battalion, Sri Lanka Sinha RegimentGemunu Watch
  • 2nd(v) Gemunu Watch
  • 3rd(v) Gemunu Watch
  • 10th(v) Gemunu Watch
  • 14th(v) Gemunu Watch
  • 15th(v) Gemunu WatchGajaba Regiment
  • 2nd(v) Gajaba Regiment
  • 5th(v) Gajaba Regiment
  • 7th(v) Gajaba Regiment
  • 11th(v) Gajaba Regiment
  • 15th(v) Gajaba RegimentVijayabahu Infantry Regiment
  • 2nd(v) Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment
  • 3rd(v) Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment
  • 10th(v) Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment
  • 12th(v) Vijayabahu Infantry RegimentEngineer Services Regiment
  • 4th(v) Engineer Service RegimentSri Lanka Army Service Corps
  • 2nd(v) Sri Lanka Army Service CorpsSri Lanka Army Medical Corps
  • 2nd(v) Sri Lanka Army Medical CorpsSri Lanka Army Ordnance Corps
  • (v) Ordinance Battalion Sri Lanka Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
  • (v) Sri Lanka Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Sri Lanka Army General Service Corps
  • 2nd(v) Sri Lanka Army General Service CorpsSri Lanka Army Pioneer Corps
  • (v) Sri Lanka Army Pioneer Corps Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps
  • 2nd(v) Sri Lanka Army Women’s Corps
  • 3rd(v) Sri Lanka Army Women’s Corps
  • 4th(v) Sri Lanka Army Women’s Corps
  • 5th(v) Sri Lanka Army Women’s CorpsSri Lanka Riffle Corps
  • 1st Battalion, Sri Lanka Riffle Corps
  • 2nd Battalion, Sri Lanka Riffle CorpsSri Lanka National Guard
  • 1st Sri Lanka National Guard
  • 2nd Sri Lanka National Guard
  • 3rd Sri Lanka National Guard
  • 4th Sri Lanka National Guard
  • 5th Sri Lanka National Guard
  • 6th Sri Lanka National Guard
  • 9th Sri Lanka National Guard
  • 10th Sri Lanka National Guard
  • 11th Sri Lanka National Guard
  • 12th Sri Lanka National Guard
  • 13th Sri Lanka National Guard
  • 14th Sri Lanka National Guard
  • 15th Sri Lanka National Guard
  • 16th Sri Lanka National Guard
  • 17th Sri Lanka National Guard
  • 18th Sri Lanka National Guard
  • 19th Sri Lanka National Guard
  • 20th Sri Lanka National Guard
  • 21th Sri Lanka National Guard
  • 22th Sri Lanka National GuardVolunteer Force Training School (VFTS)

Awards and decorations

Notable members

  • General Ranjan Wijeratne - Former Minister of Foreign Affairs & Minister of State for Defence.
  • General Anuruddha Ratwatte - Former Minister of Power & Energy and Deputy Minister for Defence
  • Colonel Maurice De Mel - Commandant of the Volunteer Force (second-in-command of the army), an accused members of the attempted military coup
  • Lieutenant Colonel J.H.V. de Alwis - Commanding Officer, 2nd Volunteer Engineers, Ceylon Engineers, an accused members of the attempted military coup
  • Lieutenant Colonel B.R. Jesudasan - Commanding Officer, 2nd Volunteer Signals, Ceylon Signals Corps, an accused members of the attempted military coup
  • Lieutenant Colonel Noel Mathyesz - Commanding Officer, Ceylon Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, an accused members of the attempted military coup in 1962.
  • Captain J.A.R. Felix - Staff Officer, Ceylon Volunteer Force] Headquarters, an accused members of the attempted military coup in 1962.

See also

References

External links



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Last updated on Tuesday June 24, 2008 at 06:14:44 PDT (GMT -0700)
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