|
Sri Lanka The Armed Forces under British Rule
Centuries of colonial rule by the Portuguese, Dutch, and
British interrupted Sri Lanka's martial traditions
(see Sri Lanka - European Encroachment and Dominance, 1500-1948
, ch. 1). The kingdoms of
Jaffna, Kotte, and Kandy, divided by bitter rivalries, were
unable to mount a unified opposition to the colonial powers, and
one by one, the native armies fell to the superior force of the
invaders. The British defeat of the Kingdom of Kandy in 1815-18
marked the end of an independent Sri Lankan military force. The
institution of colonial rule, however, soon created the need for
a native, military force to maintain order. To fill this need,
the colonial government raised a contingent of light infantry
named the Ceylon Rifles. The force was composed largely of Malay
soldiers under British officers, and was the only formation of
regular, full-time troops established in Sri Lanka during the
colonial period. As such, its existence was brief, and when the
maintenance of the unit became too costly, it was disbanded. From
1873 until independence, the island's entire indigenous force
consisted of a volunteer reservist army.
The first component of this new army, the Ceylon Light
Infantry Volunteers, was established in 1881 by proclamation of
the lieutenant governor. Like the Ceylon Rifles, the new
volunteer force was commanded by British officers, while the
ranks were filled out largely with Burghers, a highly Westernized
group that adapted well to the demands of volunteer service
(see Sri Lanka - Ethnic Groups
, ch. 2). A mounted infantry company was added in
1892, and in 1900 this contingent was called to South Africa to
assist the British army in the Boer War.
In 1910 the volunteer corps was redesignated as the Ceylon
Defence Force. Although Sri Lankan units were not deployed
outside the island in either of the world wars, individual
soldiers served in the British and British Indian armies. In
World War II, the British crown took direct control of the
island's armed forces from the colonial government. During this
period, the Ceylon Light Infantry grew from 1 battalion to 5
battalions, while the total number of troops in uniform increased
to 12,000. Most of these were engaged in maintenance and
transport functions. Their most direct contact with the war came
in April 1942 when the Japanese launched an air attack on
Colombo.
Data as of October 1988
|
