Ex Services News

Monthly meeting

The monthly meeting of the Finance and Budgeting Committee will be held on Saturday at the SLESA Secretariat 29 1/1, Bristol Street, Colombo 1. The monthly meeting of the Welfare Grants Committee will be held on August 20 at the SLESA Secretariat 29 1/1, Bristol Street, Colombo 01.

Chairman - Grants Committee

H G P Jayasekera has been appointed as the chairman of the SLESA Welfare Grants Committee with immediate effect. This is following the passing away of Brigadier T S B Sally.

Jayasekera is the founder president of the Ceylon War Veterans Association of World War II.

Medical camp

The Sri Lanka Army Medical Corps will conduct a medical camp at Bodirukkarama Temple, 4th Canal Road, Polonnaruwa New Town on August 25 from 8am to 4pm free of charge. Medical officers, nurses, pharmacists, health inspectors, laboratory technicians including many others will participate. Medical officers from the Polonnaruwa General Hospital will also participate. Books and shoes will also be distributed among schoolchildren. This camp is sponsored by the nayaka thera of the Bodirukkarama temple, philanthropists and social service organisations of the area.

A bus service will operate covering Hingurakgoda, Badiwava, Kaduruwela and Polonnaruwa areas on this day free of charge.

CRNVR 1939/1945

When the Ceylon Naval Volunteer Force began sweeping the approaches to Colombo harbour on September 2, 1939 it owed much of what sea-going efficiency it had to the lascar seamen and the engine-room ratings who had been recruited mainly through the Colombo Port Commission.

The former were seamen, born and bred, coming from Jaffna and the islands; of the latter, some had served in the merchant services of the world. Both divisions were experienced men, knowing their work, and accustomed to fending for themselves in uncomfortable conditions. For communications and specialist duties, the force relied upon the signalmen/gunners who, apart from short periods of training, were entirely without experience of the sea and of their jobs.

Having served with the earliest entries from the start, I am in a position to testify to the staunch manner in which these young men acquitted themselves, and having attended a course at the R.I.N. Training Establishment at Bombay in company with a party of Ceylon ratings, I remember with satisfaction that the four Ceylon ratings gained the first four places in their class.

Commander M Monnington, United Kingdom, contributing to the CRNVR Silver Jubilee Souvenir - 1970 To be continued