Ex-Services News

SLESA Executive Committee meeting

The Executive Committee meeting of the Sri Lanka Ex- Servicemen's Association will be held on July 27 at 4 pm at the Danture Hall of the Sri Lanka Ex- Servicemen's Institute. The office bearers' meeting will be held at 3 pm.

Trained media team for SLESA

Mass Media and Information Minister Keheliya Rambukwella awarded certificates to 13 SLESA members of the Media and Publicity Committee SLESA, who completed the one year course on Mass Media and Communication, on July 19 at the ministry auditorium.

Captain Patrick Jayasinghe President, SLESA and Brigadier JPA Jayawardene Chairman, Media and Publicity were also present.

The presentation of thesis compiled by the participants was held on the day before with the participation of Prof Ariyaratne Athugala Director General of the ministry as the chief guest, Captain Patrick Jayasinghe President SLESA, Brigadier K A Gnanaweera Secretary General, Brigadier J P A Jayawardena Chairman SLESA Media and Publicity Committee and many other invitees.

This course was sponsored by the Mass Media and Information Ministry and conducted by Dr Daya Sri Narendra Rajapaksha as the course director. Hilmy Mohamed Deputy Director Information and Athula Ramaraja, veteran photographer too conducted lectures on media photography.

This media team is expected to fill the long awaited requirement of a media unit for the Sri Lanka Ex-Servicemen's Association.

Sri Lanka Ex-Air Force AGM

The 5th Annual General Meeting of the Sri Lanka Ex-Air Force Katunayake Branch is scheduled to be held on August 5 at 3 pm at the Community Hall of Bharatha Association, No. 214, Colombo Road, Negombo (on St. Philip Neris Road, opposite Thammita Church and close to the American College). New office bearers will be elected during the meeting. All members are invited.

Visit to Veterans' Home

Members of the Sri Lanka Army Service Corps Ex-Servicemen's Association visited the Veterans' Home, Bolagala, Katana with Brigadier M R U Bandaratillake, President of the Association on June 19 and spent the day with the residents and entertained them for lunch which was much appreciated by them.

Rules and Conventions Committee

Major General L C R Goonewardena (Chairman), Rear Admiral L D Dharampriya, AVM Elmo Perera, Major General I Wijeratne, AVM S Samararatne, Commander Bandula Wijemanna, Capt. R A D S Jayawardena, K N Perera, W S Jayawickrama, P K Perera, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Committee, Major General M G Muthalib (Chairman), Colonel Tennekoon, Commander T Gunathilake, Major G L M A de Silva, Jayaratne Banda, B M B Bansajayah and D Jayasiri.

World War II

In Ceylon the elation that was felt at the stout defence put up in April 1942 was never to be effaced. When there was no return visit, no further westward incursion at all by the Japanese, the illusion of victory remained. Over the years it has even gained strength.

The illusion still remains for the few who remember.

In July 1942 the Indian National Congress, pursuing its 'Quit India' movement, passed a long resolution which put their case to the World. One brief extract needs quoting:

"In making the proposal for the withdrawal of British rule from India, the Congress has no desire whosoever to embarrass Great Britain or the Allied Powers in their prosecution of the War, or in any way to encourage aggression on India or increased pressure on China by the Japanese or any other Power associated with the Axis group."

Mahathma Gandhi's views was expressed in another statement which he made somewhat earlier, in May:

"The presence of the British in India is an invitation to Japan to invade India. Their withdrawal would remove the bait. Assume, however, that it does not. Free India would be better able to cope with the invasion. Unadulterated non-co-operation would then have full sway."

In the event satyagraha was pursued and from August 1942 onwards, after plans by the Congress Committee to welcome the Japanese had been found, Indian leaders were removed from the scene and again incarcerated for virtually the rest of the war. Mahathma Gandhi was held at the Aga Khan's palace at Poonah and Pandith Nehru at Ahedngar Fort.

The step was much deplored in America and elsewhere but was considered necessary for the preservation of good order. With their departure dissolved such goodwill as had survived the struggle.

Across the frontier, behind the Japanese occupiers of Burma, a new figure now loomed up as a potential leader of Indian nationalism, the way smoothed by the repression of India's recognized leaders. Some 60,00 Indian members of the Armed Forces had fallen into enemy hands when Singapore, Malaya and Burma were lost.

To the Japanese they seemed fruitful material for the spread of their Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere. An organization known as the Indian National Army was formed, its leader Subhas Chandra Bose, a Cambridge graduate who had led the more radical element of the Indian National Congress had been elected its President in 1938-9.Bose went further. In July 1943 he set up a 'Provisional Government of India's with himself as President and three months later formally declared war on Britain and the United States. The Japanese organized a Free India Radio for him and broadcasts were regularly made to India.

Mahatma Gandhi's name was freely used (Gandhi himself being, of course, in internment) and there is no doubt that the broadcasts had considerable appeal to listeners in India, though in the 1940's this would have constituted only a small proportion of the populace.

Mahathma Gandhi himself played an important part in building up a somewhat idealized picture of Bose as a self-sacrificing, peaceful nationalist. In fact it is likely he would have tried to establish an iron dictatorship over India with Japanese hold, a policy which would have been much at variance with Gandhi's ideas of ahimsa.

Considering the appalling neglect and harsh conditions meted out by the Japanese to their war prisoners, it is to be wondered that no more than a third of captive Indian nationals were persuaded to join. Kept mainly in reserve the Japanese dared place no great reliance on an army arrayed against its homeland, even in the guise of liberators.

When peace came at last, ex-INA members were an embarrassment to India. After some heart searching the authorities fortunately decided on leniency. No strong action was taken against INA members although some were briefly imprisoned.

Netaji (the Leader), as Bose became popularly known, died in a plane crash in Formosa just as the war in Asia ended. One of the minor dramas to be played out in the Indian Ocean a year after the operations was the trans-shipment in mid-ocean of Chandra Bose from the German submarine U-180 to the Japanese I-29 after a sojourn in Berlin.

He had to spend three uncomfortable months in the submarines, was often seasick and on one occasion had to be retrieved from overboard.

En route he was a mute witness to the sinking of the Shell tanker 'Corbus' some 500 miles south-east of Durban.

In the event the Japanese, challenged, checked and ultimately held by the throat by the Americans in the Pacific, never progressed beyond the Indian frontier.

Their sole attempt, heralded on Free-India Radio as an all-out assault with New Delhi as its objective (and for some time taken to be such by Indian listeners) progressed no further than Kohima and Imphal, barely on Indian soil, and cost the Japanese so dearly in men that from then onwards Burma could no longer be effectively held.

It only took the horror of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to point to the futility of the whole campaign in Burma, as futile for the British as for the Japanese.

Burma itself, rising from the ravages of the war to a troubled independence, was to be equally lost to both sides.

Memories of a war veteran

They returned home after two months, feeling much older and experienced.

Alyzor learned to play folk instruments, such as the balalaika guitar and domra, while attending secondary school, and also attended music courses too. The result was that one of his miniatures were performed by a professional orchestra.

He would also secretly visit the Tchaipousky Conservations, as his ambition and dream was to study there.

However, after his experiences in building defence positions, in the war he most reluctantly advanced that idea of joining the conservation. He instead joined the aviation institute without letting his parents know.

He with the others were a close knit group which spent long hours studying aviation. They also spent a lot of time in the workshops with their comrades senior students who were building an unconventional aircraft, a helicopter.

The Nazis dropped bombs on Moscow, frequently. Though the enemy could never get to the centre of Moscow, they dropped loads on the outskirts, which was where the aviation institute was located.

They were located almost every night on the roofs in the attics of the academic buildings and hostels, extinguishing incendiary bombs.

He (Alyzor) was longing to see his family in October 1941, who were in Oyhenelye but a special pass was needed for this. His mother who was full of anxiety and wanted to advice as his dad was sick.

The Germans were approaching their settlement and were barely 100 kilometres away from Moscow. They were even closer from another direction.

Moscow built defences and blocked all approaches into anti-tank hedgehogs.

However, the Nazis could not have their way in Moscow. The Russian army stemmed the onslaught and routed the enemy near Moscow, which brought them immense joy. Then the enemy changed their direction to the south.

Again Alyzor and his friends were eager to join the army but only a few realized their dream and he was not one of them. So he decided that work in another aircraft manufacturing works.

They had to do hard work with other boys and girls under the guidance of experienced foremen, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week, and still no one complained of overwork.

But there were a few cases of workers fainting at the rolling mills.

The motto was 'Every thing for the front! Every thing for victory.'

The production increased day by day in the industries of tanks, combat aircraft, artillery and the Katyusha rocket launchers.

The uniforms for the officers and men were made by the women in factories and meat and groceries were produced at collective farms.