The 127th Birth Anniversary of Late General Sir John Kotelawala Commemorated

The General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) Memorial Society arranged a ceremony to commemorate the 127th Birth Anniversary of late General the Right Honourable Sir John Lionel Kotelawala CH KBE LLD on Thursday (04 April) at the KDU premises. Lieutenant General Vikum Liyanage RWP RSP ndu, the Commander of the Army, graced the event as the chief guest.

At the outset, Lieutenant General Vikum Liyanage, Rear Admiral H.G.U. Dammika Kumara VSV USP psc, the Vice Chancellor of KDU and a family member of General Sir John Kotelawala, laid floral wreaths at the General Sir John Kotelawala monument on the premises. The gathering observed a two-minute silence in memory of the late General Sir John Kotelawala.

Afterwards, the Vice Chancellor of KDU delivered the welcome note to the gathering, emphasizing the importance of the day’s event.

In addition to the ceremony, a distribution of scholarships took place for a group of selected 20 students from Piliyandala Sir John Kotelawala Vidyalaya, Kandawala Navodya Maha Vidyalaya, and children belonging to KDU Staff, by the chief guest. Subsequently, the Vice Chancellor of KDU presented a special memento to the Commander of the Army appreciating his presence on the day.

Later on, the Last Post, the bugler's call, was played, and the gathering together recited “The Ode” in honour of General Sir John Kotelawala. Towards the end, Lieutenant General Vikum Liyanage penned down some complimentary remarks in the visitors' book marking the culmination of the ceremony.

The Commander of the Navy, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Senior Tri-Services Officers, Officers, Other Ranks, undergraduates and students were also present at the event.

General Sir John Kotelawala, a former Prime Minister, generously donated his ancestral property, including the renowned 'Kandawala Walauwwa' mansion in Ratmalana, towards establishing the Defence University. This act led to the creation of the maiden Defence Academy on the island, named in his honour. It was formed as a seat of learning for Tri-Services Officers in 1981. General Sir John Kotelawala, who studied at Royal College in Colombo and graduated from Cambridge University, had a distinguished military career, rising to the rank of General after serving as the Commanding Officer of the Ceylon Light Infantry.