Veterans' Home chairman visits RSL

Major General Tilak Paranagama, Chairman, Advisory Board, SLESA Veterans' Home, visited ANZAC House in Melbourne, Australia.

He met the Retired Services League CEO and RSL Aged and Health Support Information Officer where he was briefed on the care of veterans by the RSL.

Maj Gen Paranagama is expected to brief the Veterans' Home Advisory Committee and SLESA Office Bearers on this subject on his return to the country.

Welfare visits

T. M. C. B. Tennekoon, Administrative and Welfare Officer of the Sri Lanka Ex-Servicemen's Association visited H.G.P. Jayasekara, President, World War Veterans Association since its inception and Capt. R. M. Weerakoon, President, Kandy Ex- Servicemen's Association for the last 12 years who are indisposed in Kandy.

AGMs

Gajaba Veterans Association

Gajaba Veterans Association will hold its Annual General Meeting on March 17 at 1030 hrs. at Lafaya Beach Hotel (Army Hotel) Thalpitiya, Wadduwa.

Sinha Regiment Ex- Servicemen's Association

Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment Ex- Servicemen's Association will hold its Annual General Meeting on March 17 at 0930 hrs at the Youth Council Hall.

Fellowship and lunch will follow after the meeting.

Ex- Air Force Women's Association

Sri Lanka Ex-Air Force Women's Association will hold its 6th Annual General Meeting on March 24 at 10.00 hrs at the SLESA Secretariat, Bristol Street, Colombo 1. All members are invited. Those who have left the service and retirees may also attend and obtain membership.

Army Pioneer Corps Association

The Association of Sri Lanka Army Pioneer Corps will hold its Annual General Meeting on March 31 at 10.00 hrs at the Auditorium of the Sri Lanka Ex- Servicemen's Institute, Bristol Street, Colombo 1. All Members of the association are invited.

Air Force Ex- Signals

Sri Lanka Air Force Ex-Signals Association held its Annual General meeting and Get-Together on March 3 at the SLESA "Danturay" Hall from 1030 hrs.

The AGM and Get- Together was attended by Patron Air Vice Marshal RJ Pathirage (Director, Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering, Vice Patrons Group Captain H A D Ranasinghe, Air Commodore Ajith Jayasekera, Capt. Patrick Jayasinghe, President and Brig. K A Gnanaweera, Hony.

Secretary General, SLESA and President and Secretary of the SLAF Ex- Servicemen's Association.

Two plaques were presented to Sqd. Ldr. S L I Fernando for serving as President for 10 years and K. L. S. Fernando for serving the association as Treasurer also for 10 years.

Office Bearers for 2013/2014 are Patron: Air Vice Marshal R J Pathirage, Vice Patrons: Group Captain H A D Ranasinghe, Air Commodore A N C W Jayasekera, Air Vice Marshall A Gunawardene, President: Squadron Leader P. L. I. Fernando, Immediate Past President: H.Q. de Silva, Vice President: J.N. Issac, Secretary: Group Captain I A H Wijegunawardene, Assistant Secretary: R C Wimalarathne, Treasurer: Commander R A P Jayawickrama, Assistant Treasurer:?K. L. S. Fernando. Eleven Executive Members were elected.

Memoirs of a War Veteran

The Final Assault

In reprimanding Sorokin and Kiselyov, he (Ivanov - Commander) feared more for his own life. He knew the old battle portent; if an officer's batman was killed the officer is sure to go too.

The battalion commander came along.

He was pale and the gauze bandage on his head had turned earthy grey. Summoning Ivanov and the platoon leaders, he receded into the workshop for a conference.

It was a fine day - warm and sunny. A real spring day.

They were sitting under a shed close to the entrance to the basement, chewing sausage, recharging the magazines of the sub machine guns and writing letters.

Everybody was thinking about the end of the war, about home and their closes relatives, although nobody mentioned this.

The end was in sight but nobody could be sure, he would survive. "What do we want these respites for?" Medvedev rubbing his thin long nose, "It would be better to move on....". Vasya was right. The brief moments of respite were worst of all, because they were an opportunity to thought and memories.

They know that Medvedev had trouble in Moscow. His wife had left him. Medvedev was studying at the Film Producers Department of the Institute of Cinematography. He was already in the second year. Just before he joined the Army, he had got married.

It was terrible for him during the lulls and when they got down to writing letters he would leave them and not because he wanted to be tactful. Medvedev, Kurbatov and Abyzov were summoned to the workshop. Kopayer wanted them. The battalion Commander cast a brief glance at them and invited them to come closer to a narrow window looking out into a narrow street.

Beyond there were the supports of a recently demolished building. Broken bricks lay in piles between them. Addressing them in his husky voice Kopayer said: "What you see before you is Anhalt Railway Station. You must seize a bridgehead and hold it till evening. In the evening we will take it by assault, understand?"

"Absolutely," they said concertedly though quietly. A spotter and telephone were added to their group and having packed their haversacks with ammunition, they made a rush across the battle street. They broke into a room without a ceiling and lay on the floor. The walls were all in holes, half collapsed. The Germans opened up submachine gun fire at them and hurled a few grenades. They did not return the fire because the men in the workshop were giving them adequate fire support.

They pushed the broken bricks aside to create cover against enemy fire. The bricks were hollow and light which made their work easier, but they did not offer adequate protection from enemy bullets.