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{{Short description|Sri Lankan army officer, civil servant, and diplomat}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix = [[General (Sri Lanka)|General]] [[Deshamanya]]
| name = Don Sepala Attygalle
| honorific_suffix = [[Royal Victorian Order|LVO]]
| birth_date =14 October 1921
| death_date =15 January 2001
| birth_place =
| death_place =
| placeofburial =
| placeofburial_label =
| image = Lt Gen Attygalle.jpg
| image_size = 200
| caption =
| nickname =
| allegiance = [[Sri Lanka]]
| serviceyears = 1942–1946,<br>1949-1977
| servicenumber = 0/50010
| rank = [[File:Sri Lanka-army-OF-9.svg|10px]] [[General (Sri Lanka)|General]]
| branch = {{plainlist|
*[[File:Flag of the Ceylon army (1949–1966).jpg|25px]] Ceylon Defence Force
*{{army|Ceylon}}
*{{army|Sri Lanka}}
}}
| commands = {{plainlist|
*[[Commander of the Army (Sri Lanka)|Commander of the Sri Lankan Army]]
*[[Chief of Staff]] of the Sri Lankan Army
}}
| unit = {{plainlist|
*[[Ceylon Light Infantry]]
*[[Sri Lanka Armoured Corps]]
}}
| battles = {{plainlist|
*[[World War II]]
*[[1971 JVP Insurrection (Sri Lanka)|1971 Insurrection]]
}}
| awards = {{plainlist|
*[[File:UK Royal Victorian Order ribbon.svg|30px]] [[Royal Victorian Order|Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order]]
*[[File:Ribbon - War Medal.png|30px]] [[War Medal 1939–1945]]
}}
| laterwork = [[Permanent Secretary]] [[Ministry of Defence (Sri Lanka)|Ministry of Defence]], <br/> [[Sri Lankan High Commissioner to the United Kingdom]]
}}
[[General (Sri Lanka)|General]] [[Deshamanya]] '''Don Sepala Attygalle''', {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|LVO}} (14 October 1921 – 15 January 2001) was a [[Sri Lanka]]n senior army officer, [[civil servant]] and [[diplomat]]. The longest serving [[Commander of the Army (Sri Lanka)|Commander of the Sri Lankan Army]] (1967–1977), he went on to serve as the [[Permanent secretary]] to the [[Ministry of Defence (Sri Lanka)|Ministry of Defence]] and Sri Lankan [[High Commissioner]] to the [[United Kingdom]].

He is most notable for successfully crushing the [[1971 JVP Insurrection (Sri Lanka)|1971 Insurrection]] in a matter of months and becoming the first Sri Lankan army officer to be promoted to the rank of full general. He is known as the ''"Father of the Armoured Corps"'' and was [[Equerry|The Equerry]] to [[Queen Elizabeth II]] during her [[Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II|coronation]] in 1953.

== Early life and education ==
Attygalle was educated at the [[Royal College, Colombo]], where he became the [[Head Prefect|head prefect]], won colours in both [[Sport of athletics|athletics]] and [[rugby union|rugby]]; and was the Senior Sergeant of the [[Royal College, Colombo#Cadet Contingent|Cadet Contingent of Royal]]. Once completing schooling, he entered the [[University College, Colombo]].<ref>[http://www.priu.gov.lk/news_update/Current_Affairs/CA200101/20010117SL_Army_commanders.htm Last post for two Generals] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090107084513/http://www.priu.gov.lk/news_update/Current_Affairs/CA200101/20010117SL_Army_commanders.htm |date=7 January 2009 }}</ref>

==Military career==
===Second World War===
With the outbreak of [[World War II]] in 1940, Attygalle left his studies at the university college to join the [[Ceylon Defense Force]] with its wartime expansion and was [[Officer (armed forces)#United Kingdom|commissioned]] as a [[second lieutenant]] in the [[Ceylon Light Infantry]] on 15 November 1940. He underwent basic officer training at [[Diyatalawa]], where he took the [[Sword of Honour (Sandhurst)|sword of honour]] at the army passing out parade in 1941 and thereafter underwent advanced training in India. He was promoted to the [[temporary rank]] of [[Captain (land)|Captain]] in 1943. He was demobilized 9 March 1946, and had been the Defence Services 100-metre Champion until 1944.<ref name="i1">{{cite news |title=From Captain to Army Commander – Sepala Attygalle's illustrious career |url=http://www.island.lk/2001/01/17/news05.html |accessdate=3 July 2020 |publisher=Island}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title= THE CEYLON GOVERNMENT GAZETTE. |url=http://diglib.natlib.lk/bitstream/handle/123456789/28767/001_1943-JANUARY-JUNE_INDEX_I_E.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |website=natlib.lk |access-date=25 August 2021}}</ref>

===Government service===
Following the end of the war, he joined the government service as the [[Assistant controller|Assistant Controller]] of Textiles and thereafter served as the Assistant Controller of Exports and Imports.<ref name="i1"/>

===Ceylon army===
With the formation of the new [[Ceylon Army]] on 10 October 1949 following the passing of the ''Army Act''; he was commissioned as a [[lieutenant]] in the 1 Battalion, [[Ceylon Light Infantry]] as a regular officer on 22 October 1949, promoted to the rank of [[Captain (land and air)|captain]] on the same day, he was then assigned as the [[Staff (military)#British Army staff|General Staff Officer - Grade 3]] (GSO3) at the [[Army Headquarters, Ceylon]]. On 27 July 1950 he was appointed as an [[Aide-de-camp|Extra Aide-de-camp]] (ADC) to [[Herwald Ramsbotham, 1st Viscount Soulbury|Lord Soulbury]], the [[Governor General of Ceylon]], succeeding Major [[Bevis Bawa]]. He was promoted to rank of [[major]] on 1 January 1952 and was appointed GSO2, Army Headquarters in February.<ref name="Meds1">{{cite web |title=Deshamanya General Don Sepala Attygalle LVO ADC idc psc |url=http://www.ceylonmedals.com/attygalle_pr2.htm |website=ceylonmedals.com |accessdate=3 July 2020}}</ref>

From May to July 1952, he attended the Company Commanders' Course at the [[Warminster|School of Infantry, Warminster]] and the Land/Air Warfare Course at the [[School of Land/Air Warfare]] from October to November 1952. Thereafter he was attached to the 1st Battalion, [[King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry]], in Germany; serving with the [[Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe|NATO Forces in Europe]]. On his return he resumed his post as GSO2, Army Headquarters.<ref name="Meds1"/>

In January 1953, he relinquished his staff appointment at the army headquarters and left for the [[United Kingdom]] to attend the [[Staff College, Camberley]]. On 2 June 1953, he was appointed [[Equerry]] to HM [[Queen Elizabeth II]] at her coronation. On completing the [[Psc (military)#United Kingdom|staff college course]], he was seconded to the [[1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards]]. During this time he served as a military liaison officer ([[military attaché]]) to the [[Sri Lankan High Commissioner to the United Kingdom|High Commissioner for Ceylon]] in the United Kingdom. On his return to he took part in the formation of the "D" Company, 1st Battalion, Ceylon Light Infantry of which was appointed [[officer commanding]].<ref name="Meds1"/>

===Ceylon Armoured Corps===
In 1955, Major D.S. Attygalle was tasked with raising a [[Armoured reconnaissance|reconnaissance unit]] and on 10 October 1955, he formed the 1st Reconnaissance (Recce) Squadron as the [[Cavalry|Cavalry Arm]] in the Ceylon Army in the lines of 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards, with himself as officer commanding. On 17 December 1955 a Combined Services Buddhist Mission led by Major Attygalle left for [[Burma]] on board [[HMCyS Vijaya]], to represent the [[Armed Forces of Ceylon]] at the [[Buddha's Birthday|Buddha Jayanthi]] commemoration celebrations, and present a gift of a [[Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi|Bodhi tree sapling]]. On 25 December 1955, he was appointed Officer Commanding Troops, [[Echelon Barracks]], and served till 9 August 1956. On 1 October 1958, he was promoted to the rank [[lieutenant colonel]] and appointed the first [[commanding officer]] of the 1st Reconnaissance Regiment, with the expansion of the [[Squadron (army)|recce squadron]] to a full [[regiment]]. The 1st Reconnaissance Regiment became the core of the [[Sri Lanka Armoured Corps|Ceylon Armoured Corps]]. He attended a training with the [[Royal Armoured Corps]] from March to April 1959. Held the post of the commanding officer, 1st Reconnaissance Regiment until March 1964.<ref>{{cite web |title=HISTORY OF THE 1st RECONNAISSANCE REGIMENT SRI LANKA ARMOURED CORPS |url=https://alt.army.lk/slac/1slac |website=army.lk |publisher=Sri Lanka Army |accessdate=3 July 2020}}</ref><ref name="Meds1"/>

===TFAII and Chief of Staff===
On 1 December 1962, he was promoted to the rank of [[colonel]]; he took up appointment as [[Panagoda Cantonment|Commander, Army Force Panagoda]], whilst serving as commanding officer, Ceylon Armoured Corps. In June 1963, he went on an official visit to Yugoslavia, where he underwent a guerilla warfare training course. Having relinquished his post of Commander, Army Force Panagoda on 13 August 1963, he was appointed [[Task Force Anti Illicit Immigration|Commander, Task Force Anti Illicit Immigration]] on 14 August 1963, later he also served as the Inspector of Training, Army Headquarters. He was then appointed [[Chief of Staff of the Army (Sri Lanka)|Chief of Staff of the army]] on 21 March 1964. He relinquished command of the Task Force Anti Illicit Immigration on 30 June 1965 and in 1966 he attended the [[Imperial Defence College]]. On his return he resumed duties as Chief of Staff.<ref name="Meds1"/>

===Commander of the Army===
He relinquished Chief of Staff duties and was promoted to the rank of [[Brigadier (Sri Lanka)|Brigadier]] on 22 September 1967 and appointed as Acting Commander of the Army after the retirement of [[Major General]] [[B.R. Heyn]]. On 1 October 1967, Attygalle was promoted to the rank of [[Major-general (Sri Lanka)|Major General]] and confirmed as [[Commander of the Army (Sri Lanka)|Commander of the Army]]. Under his leadership, the army crushed the [[1971 JVP Insurrection (Sri Lanka)|1971 Insurrection]] within two months, and he was promoted to the rank of [[Lieutenant-general (Sri Lanka)|lieutenant general]] on 4 April 1974, thus being the first officer of the [[Sri Lanka Army]] to hold this rank. On the day of his retirement, on 13 October 1977, after having served for ten years as commander, he was promoted to the rank of [[General (Sri Lanka)|General]], thus becoming the first Sri Lankan army officer to hold the rank of a full general and longest-serving Commander of the Army.<ref name="Meds1"/>

==Later life==
On retirement from the army, he took up an appointment as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Defence, and Chief Co-ordinating Authority in the Ministry of Defence in October 1977.

===Secretary of Defence===
In the early 1980s, with the escalation of the [[Sri Lankan Civil War|Tamil Militancy]], he was appointed as [[Permanent Secretary]], [[Ministry of Defence (Sri Lanka)|Ministry of Defence]] on 15 August 1983 succeeding Colonel [[C. A. Dharmapala]], and serving as National Defence Advisor to the [[President of Sri Lanka]]. He played a major role during the [[Vadamarachchi Operation]] which was stopped midway by Indian intervention. During this time he was the founding chairman, Air Ports and Aviation Services and Chairman of [[Air Lanka]]. He step down as Secretary, Ministry of Defence on 16 February 1990 and was succeeded by [[General]] [[Cyril Ranatunga]].<ref name="Meds1"/>

===High Commissioner to the United Kingdom===
Following his tenure as Secretary of Defence, he was appointed as [[Sri Lankan High Commissioner to the United Kingdom|High Commissioner for Sri Lanka]] in the United Kingdom in March 1990 and served till August 1993 when he was succeeded by [[General]] [[Cyril Ranatunga]].<ref name="Meds1"/>

===Death===
He died on 15 January 2001 in Colombo following a brief illness and his [[military funeral]] took place at the General Cemetery, Borella on 17 January.<ref name="Meds1"/>

==Family==
He was married to Brighty Attygalle who died in July 2010, they had one son Suraj and two grandsons Damin and Shaminda. His brother was Dr. Gamini M. Attygalle, [[FRCS]] a leading [[anaesthesiologist]], who was married to Kalyani Wijewardene, daughter of [[Wijewardene family|Don Walter T Wijewardene]] and sister of [[Upali Wijewardene]].<ref>[http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100103/Plus/plus_11.html A distinguished doctor who was respected for his rare qualities]</ref>

==Honors and decorations ==
During his military career Attygalle had been award several decorations. He was made a Member of the [[Royal Victorian Order]] (Military Division) (MVO) by [[Queen Elizabeth II]] during her Majesty's visit to Ceylon in 1954, which was later upgraded to Lieutenant (LVO) in 1984.<ref>{{London Gazette |date=11 May 1954 |issue=40170 |page=2775}}</ref> For wartime service in World War II with the Ceylon Defense Force, he received the [[Defence Medal (United Kingdom)|Defence Medal]] (1946), the [[War Medal 1939–1945]](1946) and the [[Efficiency Medal]] (Ceylon) (1950); and for service in the Sri Lankan Army, he received the [[Ceylon Armed Services Long Service Medal]], the [[Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal]], the [[Ceylon Armed Services Inauguration Medal]] and the [[Republic of Sri Lanka Armed Services Medal]]. He received the [[Vadamarachchi Operation Medal]] during his service as Secretary of Defence.

<div class="center">
[[File:UK Royal Victorian Order ribbon.svg|110px]]
[[File:Vadamarachchi Operation Medal ribbon bar.svg|110px]]

[[File:Republic of Sri Lanka Armed Services ribbon bar.svg|110px]]
[[File:Ribbon - Defence Medal.png|110px]]
[[File:Ribbon - War Medal.png|110px]]
[[File:Ribbon - QE II Coronation Medal.png|110px]]

[[File:Sri Lanka Army 25th Anniversary Medal ribbon bar.svg|110px]]
[[File:Ceylon Armed Services Long Service Medal ribbon bar.svg|110px]]
[[File:Ribbon - Efficiency Medal (South Africa).png|108px]]
[[File:Ceylon Armed Services Inauguration Medal ribbon bar.svg|110px]]

</div>

===Honors===
* Attygalle was promoted to the rank of [[General officer|general]] upon his retirement in 1977.
* He was awarded the title [[Deshamanya]] by the President Sri Lanka in 1990.
* He was a made a [[Royal Victorian Order|Member of the Royal Victorian Order]], which was later upgraded to Lieutenant.
* Doctor of Literature (honorary) by the [[University of Sri Lanka]].

==See also==
*[[Sri Lanka Armoured Corps]]
*[[Sri Lankan Non Career Diplomats]]
*[[List of Sri Lankan non-career Permanent Secretaries]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080505203152/http://www.army.lk/co.php Parade Commander Major B.R. Heyn, CLI]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110904090717/http://www.armouredcorps.lk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=26:deshamanya-general-ds-atiygalle-mvo-idc-psc-d-litt&catid=7:retaired-senior-officers&Itemid=4 Father of the Armoured Corps]
*[http://www.island.lk/2001/01/17/news05.html From Captain to Army Commander — Sepala Attygalle’s illustrious career]
*[http://www.rootsweb.com/~lkawgw/comcork.html rootsweb.com]
*[http://suntimes.lk/040118/plus/appreciation.html SundayTimes Appreciation]{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
*[http://ceylonmedals.com/attygalle.htm Deshamanya General Don Sepala Attygalle LVO ADC idc psc]

{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{succession box | title=[[Commander of the Army (Sri Lanka)|Commander of the Sri Lankan Army]]
| before=[[B.R. Heyn]]
| after=[[Denis Perera]]| years=1967 - 1977}}
{{s-dip}}
{{succession box | title=Sri Lanka's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom | before=? | after=? | years= }}
{{s-end}}

{{Commanders of the Sri Lankan Army}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Attygalle, D.S.}}
[[Category:1921 births]]
[[Category:2001 deaths]]
[[Category:Sri Lankan full generals]]
[[Category:Sinhalese military personnel]]
[[Category:Sinhalese civil servants]]
[[Category:Equerries]]
[[Category:Alumni of Royal College, Colombo]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Ceylon (Colombo)]]
[[Category:Ceylonese military personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Ceylonese Members of the Royal Victorian Order]]
[[Category:High Commissioners of Sri Lanka to the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Alumni of the Royal College of Defence Studies]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley]]
[[Category:Commanders of the Sri Lanka Army]]
[[Category:Ceylon Light Infantry officers]]
[[Category:King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry officers]]
[[Category:1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards officers]]
[[Category:Sri Lanka Armoured Corps officers]]
[[Category:Permanent secretaries of Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:Sri Lankan military attachés]]
[[Category:Deshamanya]]
[[Category:Lieutenants of the Royal Victorian Order]]
[[Category:Wijewardena family]]
[[Category:People of the Sri Lankan Civil War]]
[[Category:Indian Peace Keeping Force]]

Sepala Attygalle - Revision history

Bot: robot: Create/update articles. If there is a mistake please report on my talk page.