Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment

Last updated

Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment
Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment.png
Active1 December 1980 – October 1983
15 November 1988 – present
Country Sri Lanka
Branch Sri Lanka Army
Type Infantry
Role Counterinsurgency
Forward observer
Jungle warfare
Raiding
Reconnaissance
Size27 battalions
Regimental Headquarters Boyagane Camp, Kurunegala.
Nickname(s)Archers
Motto(s)"What – cannot they bear, those who are adept and well versed in their arts and crafts and professions"
ColorsMaroon and Gold
Mascot(s)Danurdha – Archer (Centaur)
Anniversaries26 September
Engagements Sri Lankan Civil War,
United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti
United Nations Stabilization Mission in Lebanon
Decorations2 Parama Weera Vibhushanayas
1 Weerodara Vibhushanaya
Commanders
Centre Commandant Brigadier P M R H S K Herath RWP RSP
Colonel of
the Regiment		 Major General R K B S Ketakumbura RSP
Insignia
Cap badge of the Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment"VIJAYABAHU INFANTRY REGIMENT" shoulder tab

The Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Sri Lankan Army. Formed on 22 March 1988, it is named after Vijayabahu I of Polonnaruwa (King Vijayabahu, 1055 to 1110 AD). The regiment consists of 17 regular battalions, 9 volunteer battalions and a headquarters battalion. Since 1993, its Regimental Centre is located at the Boyagane Camp, Kurunegala.

Contents

History

Originally formed in 1982 and disbanded in 1983 follow its amalgamated with the 1st Battalion, Rajarata Rifles form the Gajaba Regiment, the regiment was reformed on 22 March 1990. The first colonel of the regiment was W. J. V. K Wimalarathna. The regimental centre commandant was H. S. A. Perera. On 23 April 1993, the regiment was relocated to Boyagane Camp in Kurunegala District. The Regiment consists of 25 battalions, the first of which was established in 1988. The Regiment numbers 655 officers and 16,501 other ranks. A new Regimental office was opened in January 2010. It features a herbal garden in remembrance of the soldiers from the regiment who have been killed in service.

The Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment has deployed two contingents in December 2006 and June 2009 to the United Nations stabilisation mission in Haiti. [1] and on 10 December 2011, one company to the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon.[ citation needed ]

Training school

The Vijayabahu Infantry Training School was formed at Sinhavilluwaththa Puttlam on 15 January 1991. The first chief instructor was Upali Fernando. The school has conducted over sixty courses with nearly three hundred recruits per course. Over 13,127 recruits have been trained for distribution to various regiments. Special arms courses for officers and men have also been conducted at the school.[ citation needed ]

Welfare activities

The regiment provides death insurance for officers and other ranks. The Regiment Centre also runs the Vijayabahu Motocross, a popular annual motor racing event. The regiment has its own motor racing track, built in 1998. The aim of the motocross is to generate funds to provide welfare facilities for the families of the officers and other ranks killed or missing in action. It also aims to improve infrastructure facilities and rehabilitation work for disabled soldiers.

Sports activities

The regiment sports a volleyball team who won the champions of the Army "A" Division volleyball tournament of 2011. Disabled soldiers of the regiment participated in the Asian Para Games – 2011, as well as Commonwealth Para Games 2011.

Seva Vanitha activities

The Vijayabahu Seva Vanitha Branch (wives' auxiliary) supports the families of fallen soldiers. They have taken steps to facilitate the constructions work of Abimansala – Brave Hearts Wellness Resort for totally disabled war heroes by donating Rs 1.5 million on 2 September 2010, Rs 100,000.00 on 1 October 2010, Rs 5.45 million on 4 October 2010 and Rs 6 million on 11 July 2011. The total fundraising was Rs 13.05 million. The Branch has held commemoration ceremonies for the families of the killed and missing officers on 3 July 2010 and 14 May 2011 and has built 19 houses for the families of fallen and missing soldiers. The women visit Ranaviru Sevana, Military and Mental Hospital, Mullariyawa.

Recipients of the Parama Weera Vibhushanaya

Recipients of the Weerodara Vibhushanaya

Fallen Officers

Units

NoUnitFormedFormed atDisbandedNotes
11st Battalion of the Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment10 November 1988Malay Street
22nd (V) Battalion of the Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment12 November 1988Tissawewa
33rd (V) Battalion of the Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment4 December 1989Sandunpura, DehiattakandiyaFirst commanding officer was Lieutenant Colonel S.D. Lankadeva
44th Battalion of the Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment1 August 1989Kandy
55th Battalion of the Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment20 March 1990Sinahavilluwatta, Puttlam
66th Battalion of the Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment17 August 1990Army Training School at MaduruoyaFirst commanding officer was Major G.M. Rockwood.
77th Battalion of the Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment3 November 1992Sinhavilluwatta, Puttlam
88th Battalion of the Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment23 August 1993Sinhavilluwatta, Puttlam5th (Reinforcement) Battalion Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment raised on 23 August 1993, re-designated as 8th Battalion of the Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment on 23 August 1993
99th Battalion of the Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment6 September 1996Elephantpass
1010th (V) Battalion of the Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment1 June 1994Monkeybridge Camp at Trincomalee
1111th Battalion of the Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment10 January 1997Achchuveli, JaffanaThis Battalion was amalgamated with 4th Battalion Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment on 10 October 1990 and was de-amalgamated on 15 November 2007
1212th (V) Battalion of the Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment10 January 1997Nunavil
1314th Battalion of the Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment8 January 2008Nelumwewa
1415th (V) Battalion of the Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment1 December 2007Sadunpara, Dehiaththakandiya22 January 2019
1516th (V) Battalion of the Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment7 July 2008Punani04 February 2019
1617th (V) Battalion of the Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment2 January 2009Boyagane
1718th Battalion of the Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment21 October 2008Mallavi
1819th Battalion of the Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment1 January 2009Kilinochchi
1920th (V) Battalion of the Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment13 March 2009Kokeliya Army Camp in Vauniya
2021st (V) Battalion of the Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment12 August 2009Jaffna30 March 2012
2122nd Battalion of the Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment23 September 2009Kallar
2223rd Battalion of the Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment24 November 2009Vellikkulam, Nedunkerny
2324th Battalion of the Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment4 March 2010Panagoda
2425th Battalion of the Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment1 December 2008Disbanded1st Reinforcement Battalion of the Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment raised on 1 December 2008 and later renamed as the 25th Battalion Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment.
2526th Battalion of the Vijayabahu Infantry RegimentDisbanded
2627th Battalion of the Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment20 May 2009GajasinghepuraDisbanded3rd Reinforcement Battalion of the Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment which was later renamed as the 27th Battalion Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment
27Headquarters battalion of the Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment23 August 1993Sihavilluwatta, Puttlam

Order of precedence

Preceded by Order of Precedence Succeeded by

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vijaya Wimalaratne</span> Sri Lankan Army Officer

Major General Vanigamuni Indrajith Vijeyakumar Mendis Wimalaratne, RWP, RSP, VSV, USP was a senior Sri Lanka Army officer. One of the most distinguished field commanders in Sri Lanka, Wimalaratne raised the Gajaba Regiment, he commanded the 1st Brigade during the Vadamarachchi Operation, he commanded the Amphibious Task Force Commander during Operation Balavegaya and was the Commander Security Forces – Jaffna at the time of his death in a land mine explosion at Point Arali in the Kayts Island while making preparations to re-capture Jaffna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sri Lanka Army</span> Land force branch of the Sri Lankan armed forces

The Sri Lanka Army is the oldest and largest of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces. The army was officially established as the Ceylon Army in 1949, though the army traces its roots back in 1881 when Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteers was created; the army was renamed as the 'Sri Lanka Army' when Sri Lanka became a republic in 1972. In 2024, the Army had approximately 150,000 personnel.

The Special Forces Regiment (SF) (Sinhala: විශේෂ බලකාය Visēsha Balakāya;) is a special forces unit of the Sri Lanka Army. Founded in 1986 as a combat tracker team, it was established as a regiment in 1988, and later expanded into a brigade. The unit specialises in a number of roles including counter-terrorism, direct action and covert reconnaissance. Much like the British Army Special Air Service, much of the information about the SF is highly classified due to the secrecy and sensitivity of its operations.

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

The Sri Lanka Light Infantry (SLLI) is the oldest regiment in the Sri Lanka Army and the oldest infantry regiment in the army. It is made up of sixteen regular battalions and nine volunteer battalions, and is headquartered at the Panagoda Cantonment, Panagoda.

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

The Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment (SLSR) is an infantry regiment of the Sri Lanka Army; it is the second oldest infantry regiment in the army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gajaba Regiment</span> Military unit

The Gajaba Regiment (GR) is an elite infantry regiment of the Sri Lankan Army. Formed on 14 October 1983 at the Saliyapura Camp in Anuradhapura, it is named after the famous Sinhalese King Gajabahu the First. It consists of 14 regular battalions and 6 volunteer battalions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gemunu Watch</span> Military unit

The Gemunu Watch (GW) ("King Dutugemunu's Own") is a infantry regiment of the Sri Lanka Army, formed with troops from the Ceylon Light Infantry and the Ceylon Sinha Regiment in 1962. It has been deployed in many major operations against the LTTE. It is made up of 14 regular units and 9 volunteer units. Headquartered at Kuruwita Army Camp, Ratnapura. It is named after one of the most famous Lankan Kings, King Dutugemunu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force</span> Military unit

The Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force (SLAVF) is the active-duty volunteer reserve force of the Sri Lanka Army. The SLAVF is separate from the Regular Force which consists of personal who are professional soldiers and its Regular Reserve, which comprises personal who have a mobilization obligation following their service in the regular army. The SLAVF consists of the volunteer force and the volunteer reserve; administration and recruitment of reserve personal is carried out by the Volunteer Force Headquarters in Shalawa, Kosgama which is headed by the Commandant of the Volunteer Force. It has a current strength of about 55,000 personnel. The SLAVF was known as the Ceylon Volunteer Force from 1949 to 1972 and the Sri Lanka Volunteer Force from 1972 to 1985.

The Rajarata Rifles was a former rifle regiment of the Sri Lanka Army. It was one of only three geographically based regiments in the Sri Lanka army. The cap badge of the Raja Rata Rifles show the figure of a Bherunda Pakshiya.

The Battle of Mullaitivu, also known as the First Battle of Mullaitivu and codenamed Operation Unceasing Waves-1, was a battle between the militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the Sri Lankan military during the Sri Lankan Civil War for control of the military base in Mullaitivu in north-eastern Sri Lanka.

The Battle of Pooneryn took place between the militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the Sri Lankan military during the Sri Lankan Civil War for control of the military base in Pooneryn in northern Sri Lanka from 11 November to 14 November 1993.

Colonel Aslam Fazly Laphir, PWV, RWP, RSP, SF was a Sri Lankan Army officer and posthumous recipient of the Parama Weera Vibhushanaya (PWV). He was awarded the PWV for his actions leading the 1st Special Forces Regiment during the Battle of Mullaitivu in which he was killed. Colonel Laphir played a major role in the formation and development of the Special Forces Regiment from the original Combat Tracker Team.

Boyagane Army Camp is a military base located close to the town of Kurunegala in the North Western Province of Sri Lanka. It serves as the regimental headquarters of the Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment of Sri Lanka Army.

General Shavendra Silva, is a Sri Lanka Army four star general who is the current Chief of Defence Staff, the head of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces serving from 1 January 2020. He also served as the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army from 19 August 2019 to 31 May 2022. His other important appointments include, Chief of Staff of the army, Adjutant General and Director of Operations of the Army. During the Sri Lankan civil war he gained fame as the General Officer Commanding of the elite 58 Division. He had also served as the Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Headquarters.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">66 Division (Sri Lanka)</span> Military unit

The 66 Division is a division of the Sri Lanka Army. Established on 1 January 2009, the division is based in Pooneryn in the Northern Province, Sri Lanka. The division was a part of Security Forces Headquarters – Kilinochchi but now the division is part of Security Forces Headquarters – Mullaitivu and has three brigades and seven battalions.

Major General Jagath Dias, WWV, RWP, RSP, USP was a Sri Lankan general, who served as the Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army. He was the General Officer Commanding, 57 Division and 56 Division. He was the Sri Lankan Deputy Ambassador to Germany, Switzerland and the Vatican.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cecil Waidyaratne</span> Sri Lankan general

General L. D. E. Cecil Waidyaratne, VSV, USP was a Sri Lanka Army general. He was 12th Commander of the Sri Lankan Army and a former Sri Lankan Ambassador to Thailand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laksiri Waduge</span> Sri Lankan army general (born 1965)

Major General Galwaduge Janaka Laksiri Waduge, RWP, RSP, VSV, USP, ndu is a retired Sri Lankan army general. He was the 10th Commander Security Forces Headquarters – Central and the former Colonel commandant of Military Intelligence Corps. He retired from active service in 2020 upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 55 for Sri Lankan Armed Forces Personnel.

The regimental centre of a regiment is its administrative center in the context of a multi-battalion regiment. Common in British Commonwealth such as in the Indian Army and the Sri Lanka Army, regimental centres are similar to regimental depots of the British Army. Many regimental centres started off as a headquarters company or battalion, becoming the regimental headquarters tasked with administration of personal, logistics and training. It is headed by the Regimental Centre Commandant.

References

  1. ↑ Tenth UN Peace Keeping Contingent to Leave Soon Archived 26 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ "Soldiers missing in action: Anguished families still knocking on doors". Sunday Observer. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
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.