Percy Fernando

Last updated
Major General

P. Percy Fernando   †

RWP, RSP, USP, CR
2000 pf.jpg
Born(1952-06-30)June 30, 1952
Wellawatta, Colombo, Sri Lanka
DiedApril 22, 2000(2000-04-22) (aged 47)
Elephant Pass
AllegianceFlag of Sri Lanka.svg  Sri Lanka
Service / branchFlag of the Sri Lankan Army.png  Sri Lanka Army
Rank Sri Lanka-army-OF-7.svg Major General (posthumous)
Unit Commando Regiment
CommandsDeputy GOC, 54 Division,
brigade commander of the Special Forces Brigade
Battles / wars Sri Lankan Civil War,
1987–1989 JVP insurrection
Awards Rana Wickrama Padakkama Bar.png Rana Wickrama Padakkama
Rana Sura Padakkama bar.GIF Rana Sura Padakkama
Uttama Seva Padakkama Bar.gif Uttama Seva Padakkama

Major General Percy Fernando, RWP, RSP, psc, CR (died 2000) was a Sri Lankan Army officer, who was the Deputy GOC, 54 Division based at Elephant Pass and prior to which he was the brigade commander of the independent Special Forces Brigade.

Educated at Royal College, Colombo, [1] where he represented the school and captained the rowing team [2] and winning several races at the Royal Thomian Regatta. Fernando joined the army after leaving school and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. Later he transferred to the Commando Regiment when it was formed in the 1980s.

Brigadier Fernando was the Sri Lanka Military Academy commandant from 1998 to 2000. [3] He served as the Deputy GOC, 54 Division based at Elephant Pass during the Second Battle of Elephant Pass in 2000. Following orders from the GOC 54 Division to evacuate the base and make a strategic withdrawal of troops from Elephant Pass, Brigadier Fernando organized and carried out an orderly withdrawal, commanding the rear guard alongside his troops. At this point during the withdrawal he was killed by a sniper. [4] He was promoted to the rank of major general posthumously.

General Fernando has received the Rana Wickrama Padakkama (RWP), Rana Sura Padakkama (RSP), Uttama Seva Padakkama (USP), the Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Medal, the Riviresa Campaign Services Medal, the Purna Bhumi Padakkama and the North and East Operations Medal.

The Amateur Rowing Association of Sri Lanka and the Colombo Rowing Club honour his memory by awarding the Percy Fernando Memorial Trophy annually to the winner of the over 19 event [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sri Lanka Armoured Corps</span> Military unit

The Sri Lanka Armoured Corps (SLAC) provides the armour capability of the Sri Lanka Army, with vehicles such as the T-55AM2, and type 80/88 main battle tanks; the BMP infantry fighting vehicle; and the BTR-80, and WZ551 armoured personnel carriers. It comprises five regular armoured regiments, a volunteer regiment, and a regimental band. It has an independent Armoured Brigade and is headquartered at Rock House Army Camp, Colombo.

The Corp of Sri Lanka Engineers (SLE) is a combat support arm of the Sri Lanka Army which provides military engineering. It is made up of ten regular regiments and one volunteer regiment. Headquartered at Panagoda Cantonment, it is headed by the Centre Commandant.

The Sri Lanka Signals Corps (SLSC) is a combat support corps of the Sri Lanka Army, responsible for providing military communications, information technology and electronic warfare support. The corps is made up of a signals brigade, ten regular regiments and one volunteer regiment. It is responsible for installing, maintaining and operating all types of telecommunications equipment and information systems. It is headquartered at the Panagoda Cantonment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Janaka Perera</span> Sri Lankan politician

Major General Janaka Perera, RWP, RSP, VSV, USP, VSP was a Sri Lankan General and politician. He served as the Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army and is considered one of the most distinguished generals in Sri Lankan history. After retiring from the army he served as a Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Australia and Ambassador to Indonesia. He was the opposition leader of the North Central Provincial Council until he and his wife were killed on 6 October 2008 by a suicide bomber. The LTTE have been blamed for the bombing by Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Major General Nandana Udawatta, RSP, USP, psc, SLAC was a Sri Lankan general. He has served as the Master General Ordnance, Commander Security Forces Headquarters - Jaffna, Commander Security Forces Headquarters - Mullaittivu and was the general officer commanding, 59 Division during the SLA offensives in the Wanni region during 2008 - 2009 period that led to a major victory for the SLA over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the Sri Lankan civil war.

Brigadier W.A.A.P. Bhathiya Jayatilleka, RSP was a Sri Lankan Army officer who was the Brigade commander for the 54-1 brigade of the 54 Division based at Elephant Pass.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">G. A. Chandrasiri</span> Sri Lankan army general, politician

Major General Gammanpila Arachchige Chandrasiri, RWP, USP, ndc, psc, SLAC was a Sri Lankan senior army officer and a provincial governor. He is the Governor of Northern Province. He was the former Commander Security Forces Headquarters - Jaffna ; General Officer Commanding, 52 Division;, Director General - General Staff, Joint Operations Headquarters; Brigade Commander Armoured Brigade, and Commander, Area Headquarters Mannar.

Major General M.C. Mendaka. P. Samarasinghe, RWP, RSP, USP, ndc, psc, SLE was a Sri Lankan general, he was a former Chief of Staff, Sri Lanka Army and also the former Commander Security Forces Headquarters - Jaffna; he was also the General Officer Commanding, 22 Division.

Major General Gemunu Kulatunge, RSP, USP, ndc, psc (1941-2003) was a Sri Lankan army general, who was the former Deputy Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army.

Major General Parakrama Pannipitiya, RWP, RSP, USP is a former Sri Lankan army general, who was the former Commander Security Forces Headquarters - East. Under his command the Sri Lankan army units successfully concluded the Eastern Theatre of operations in the Sri Lankan Civil War defeating the LTTE in the Eastern Province.

Major General Devinda Kalupahana, RSP, USP, psc, SLAC was a Sri Lankan army general, who was the former GOC, 3 Division; GOC, 2 Division; Director Operations, General Staff and Commandant, Sri Lanka Military Academy.

Major General Athula Jayawardane, RSP, USP, ndc, SLA was a Sri Lankan army general, who was the former Commander Security Forces Headquarters – Mullaitivu (SFHQ-MLT); Commander Security Forces Headquarters - Kilinochchi (SFHQ-KLN); Director General Rehabilitation; Master-General of the Ordnance; Director Operations, General Staff; GOC, 21 Division; Brigade Commander, Artillery Brigade, 551 Infantry Brigade and 215 Infantry Brigade. He was also the military attaché to the Sri Lankan Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Brigadier H. A. Nihal Hapuarachchi, RSP, psc, SLE is a Sri Lankan Army officer and a military engineer, who is the current military spokesman, former Brigade Commander, 51-3 Brigade and Commandant, School of Military Engineering. He was also the former Director Recruitment

G. D. H. Kamal Gunaratne, WWV, RWP, RSP, USP is a retired Sri Lankan army general. He is the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and the State Ministry of National Security and Disaster Management. A retired career officer of the Sri Lanka Army, Gunaratne had served as the former Commander Security Forces Headquarters - Wanni, general officer commanding (GOC), 53 Division and was a former Deputy Ambassador to Brazil. He was the GOC of the 53 Division which killed the LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran at Nandikadal, Mullaitivu.

General Lionel Piyananda Balagalle,, was a senior Sri Lanka Army officer, who served as the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army and the Chief of the Defence Staff. He is known for formalising military intelligence operations within the Sri Lanka Army, having founded the Directorate of Military Intelligence and the Military Intelligence Corps.

General Gerard Hector "Gerry" de Silva, RWP, VSV, USP was a senior Sri Lanka Army officer. He is the 5th Chancellor of General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University since 20 January 2020. He was the 13th Commander of the Sri Lankan Army and Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Pakistan.

Brigadier Rohitha Neil Akmeemana RSP, USP was a senior Sri Lanka Army officer who served as Brigade Commander, 54-2 Brigade which was attached to the 54 Division during the Second Battle of Elephant Pass in April 2000.

Major General Channa Gunathilaka, RSP, USP, ndc, psc, SLE was a senior officer of the Sri Lanka Army, who was the current Deputy Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army. He was the former Commandant of the Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force, Security Force Commander (Central), Military Secretary, Security Force Commander (Kilinochchi), GOC - 56th Infantry Division, GOC - Mannar.

Major General Priyanka Fernando, RWP, USP, is a former senior Sri Lanka Army officer. He has served as the Director General of General Staff (DGGS); General officer commanding (GOC), 58 Division; Commandant of the Ranaviru (veterans) Resource Centre; Director of Rehabilitation; and the Director of Real Estate and Quartering. He served as the Colonel of the Regiment of the Mechanized Infantry Regiment and was the Sri Lankan Minister Counsellor (Defence) in London.

Major General Gamini Hettiarachchi, WWV, RWP, RSP, VSV, USP is a retired Sri Lankan Army officer who served as the Commander, Security Forces Headquarters – East, General Officer Commanding, 21 Division and Brigade Commander, Special Forces Brigade. Having founded the Special Forces Regiment of the Sri Lankan Army, he is known as the "Father of the Special Forces Regiment".

References

  1. ↑ Royal college salutes the Royalist war heroes
  2. ↑ "Rowing". www.royalcollege.lk. Archived from the original on 2011-09-19. Retrieved 2011-09-30.
  3. ↑ "Commandants, Sri Lanka Military Academy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-12. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
  4. ↑ 72 soldiers killed, 243 injure Archived 2012-02-23 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ "Presidents Speech". www.srilankarowing.org. Retrieved 2011-09-30.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.