The many roles of a visionary General
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The Association of Retired Flag Rank Officers will release a biography of Deshamanya General Denis Perera, former Commander of the Sri Lanka Army with the title “GENERAL DENIS -the Epitome of Leadership”.General Denis Perera, a pioneering and seminal contributor to the expansion and the inculcation and enforcement of high standards in all matters connected with the development of the Army possessed a commanding personality allied with a sense of personal modesty.
It was suggested when he was about to retire that he write his memoirs, but he had replied politely, ‘that I will leave to others’. Those ‘others’ in the form of “The Association of Retired Flag Rank Officers” have now acted on the General’s comment which at the time it was made, he no doubt felt would not bear fruit. Sadly, he is not with us to appreciate the commendable effort that has gone into bringing out this publication.
The Association of Senior Officers is composed broadly of Generals, Admirals and Air Marshals and sub categories among these high ranks, now officially in retirement from the services. It is engaged in a broad range of activities pertaining to the areas of international relations, defence policy, institutional development and comparative studies and historical research relating to the three services.
The General was among the first batch of officer cadets sent to the Sandhurst military training establishment in Britain at the dawn of Ceylon’s Independence.
From that point onwards, Denis Perera’s career and the evolution and growth of the national army were coterminous. In this unfolding scenario, the young officer gradually acquiring more seniority and entrusted with more responsibility showed his qualities of hard work, consistency, bold initiative and implementation capacity.
The book contains well researched facts, figures and dates. It has in a commendable manner garnered important details that would have been scattered in files, documents, regimental records, the Training Centre at Diyathalawa and many other places. These have been woven into the narrative in an easy and readable style enriched further with interesting personal recollections of many persons. As one reads, one feels the difficulty of separating the person from the institution, the institution that he was doing so much to build.
The book relates the central role he played in upgrading the Training Centre at Diyatalawa to the status of a well-constituted and well-resourced academy. The Major Army Cantonment at Panagoda; the Combat Training School at Ampara; the setting up strategically of cantonments in various planned locations; the raising of new Regiments, many of them of great note and importance later, such as the Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment, the Rajarata Rifles, later to become the Gajaba Regiment; the Commando Unit, the Women’s Corps and others, were all the products of his vision, energy and initiative.
The book also relates the negotiations conducted with Sir John Kotelawala and success that was had in persuading Sir John to gift his Kandawala Estate in Ratmalana to set up the Defence Academy for the higher education and training of officers of all three services. Fittingly when the Academy was elevated to the status of university, General Denis Perera became its Chancellor.
There were many other achievements to his credit as a military personality. They are all contained in the book. But one that needs special mention is the General’s role in coordinating the compilation of the important publication entitled the “History of the Army Fifty years on”.
(M.D.D. Pieris was formerly of the Ceylon Civil Service and the Sri Lanka Administrative Service and former Secretary to the Prime Minister and Secretary to several Ministries of government)
| Book facts | |
| “GENERAL DENIS- The Epitome of Leadership”- Reviewed by M.D. D. Pieris |