EX-SERVICES NEWS

AGSC Regimental Association AGM

Sri Lanka Army General Service Corps Regimental Association elected the office bearers at the Annual General Meeting on June 9 for 2012/2013.

President: Major General R K P Ranaweera USP, Vice Presidents: Brigadier B G Hulugalla USP, Secretary: Major Shanthilal Kankanamge, Asst Secretary: Captain Samson Karunaratne, Treasurer: Major Sunil Jayaratne USP, Asst Treasurer: R E W Jayasekera, Executive Committee: Major J R N Attapattu, Major N P Perera USP, ,Major W A Wickramaratne, Major T M Abeyratne, Major J M P Jayasinghe, Major A A Thilak Kumara, Captain T M H Madugalla, S G Hettiarachchi, S G Peduruarachchi, KH K Abeysuriya

SLESA Executive Committee Meeting

The Sri Lanka Ex-Servicemen’s Association Executive Committee second meeting will be on June 29 at 1600 hrs at the Danture Hall of the Sri Lanka Ex-Servicemen’s Institute. Office bearers meeting will be held at 1400 hrs.

Audit Committee

D M Chandraratna (Chairman), Capt. T B Ratnayake, Lt. Cdr. S Croos, Major H K Jayaratne, F A Michaels, P D L P Jayatillake, R Buddadasa, N N J Perera, V Nayoor, G S W Gunaratne

Cenotaph Development Committee

AVM K St. Elmo Perera (Chairman), Captain A I Jayawardena, Captain J L C Fernando, Lt. H M Peiris, Lt. H P Gunatilake, Jayaratne, Banda, M I M Fausi, E A D Dharmasiri, D Walisundara, G D Nandasena

Holiday Homes, Branch Offices and Decentralisation Committee

Col. V S M Jayawardena (Chairman), U D Alwis, W A Wijetunga, J A Spearing, P T A Gunatissa, D J R Solangaarachchi, P Dddigamuwa, A M P Somaratne, K A A Jayasekera

Land and Housing Committee

Colonel G C Premachandra (Chairman), Major S D T P Ranasinghe, Major G L M A de Silva, Captain A Senadira, Lt. K C R Condegama, P T A Gunatissa, A P Chandrasiri, G P S Nanayakkara, A M Wickramaratne

Executive Committee meetings

The Sri Lanka Army Service Corps Executive Committee meeting will be held on June 23 at 0930 hrs at SLESA Secretariat.

The Military Police Veterans Association Executive Committee meeting will be held on June 23 at 1400 hrs at SLESA Secretariat.

The Sri Lanka Army Engineer Services Association Executive Committee meeting will be held on June 24 at 0900 hrs at SLESA Secretariat.

The Army Signals Association Executive Committee meeting will be held on June 27 at 1730 hrs at SLESA Secretariat.

World War II –Most dangerous moment

In March 1946, a few months after the final triumphant termination of the Second World War, with the congratulations of the Free World ringing in his ears, the Premiership of the United Kingdom had been newly wrested from him by an unexpectedly ungrateful electorate, Sir Winston Churchill who was the chief guest at a dinner at the British Embassy in Washington. This visit to the United States is chiefly memorable for Sir Winston’s address at Fulton University, Missouri, in which he first coined the term ‘the Iron Curtain’. His host was the British ambassador to the United States, Lord Halifax.

Over coffee, cigars and port, the conversation turned to the critical moments of the struggle which had just ended. Someone asked Sir Winston what he felt to be the most dangerous and the most distressing moment of the War.

Lester Pearson, later Prime Minister of Canada, and then Canadian ambassador, recalls: “Most of us thought he would refer to the events of June and July 1940 and the imminence of invasion by Germany; or to the time when Rommel was heading towards Alexandria and Cairo at full speed; or when Singapore fell.”

But none of these incidents sprang to Churchill’s mind as his listeners tensely awaited the great man’s reply.

“He considered the most dangerous moment of the War,” he said “and the one which caused him the greatest alarm, was when the news was received that the Japanese Fleet was heading for Ceylon and the naval base there.

The capture of Ceylon, he said, “the consequent control of the Indian Ocean and the possibility at the same time of a German conquest of Egypt would have closed the ring and the future would have been black”.

“However,” he went on to say, “we were saved from this disaster by an airman on reconnaissance who spotted the Japanese Fleet and, though shot down, was able to get a message through to Ceylon which allowed the defence forces there to prepare for the approaching assault; otherwise they would have been taken by surprise.”

Lester Pearson said: “Sir Winston went on very dramatically to say that the unknown airman, who lay deep in the waters of the Indian Ocean, had made one of the most important single contributions to victory. He got quite emotional about it.”

It is strange that this incident, which Sir Winston Churchill deemed to be of such crucial importance has received so little notice from historians.

Even those who have chronicled the war against Japan have given scant recognition to the stirring events which Churchill, if no one else, regarded as a turning point in the war.