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As Poppy Day draws near, Esther Williams meets some Second World War veterans at the Ex-Servicemen’s Home in Katana
For whom the poppies bloom
Come November, and we often see artificial poppies and poppy wreaths being sold by the roadside. Most of us are aware that the money raised goes to ex-servicemen. But do we understand the real significance of the poppy and its relevance today?

Poppies became a symbol of resurrection and remembrance ever since the Napoleonic wars when poppies were the first plants to grow in the churned up soil of soldiers' graves. Over a century later, during World War I, the connection between the red poppy and the war dead was renewed when poppies blossomed on the battleground of the field of Flanders. The poppy thus became a symbol of the high ideals for which soldiers gave their lives.

Initially war widows were engaged in making the artificial flowers that we buy in November. Soon a double significance became attached to the poppy as disabled veterans learned to make them while recuperating.

It is worth noting that troops from Ceylon joined the British Armed Forces and served in various capacities both within the country and in the warfront in the Middle East, Egypt, Africa and Italy. Some of these veterans are presently housed at the Ex-Servicemen's Veterans' Home (SLESA) in Bolagala, Katana near Negombo.

Situated in a peaceful locality, the home - the ancestral property of Mr.Bharata Wickremesinghe was donated to SLESA in 1987.The property which is a large house and two acres of land now has a dormitory and 12 chalets for the use of World War II veterans and pensioners of the Sri Lankan armed forces.

Having started with two residents the home today has 13 World War II veterans and seven ex-servicemen, funded mainly by the Poppy Programme. Resident Manager Lieutenant Pemsiri Seneviratne says that it was started with the intention of providing destitute ex-servicemen who had no place to stay or had no one to look after them, a home.

"We are never lonely here - we have our comrades and we keep chatting about the old days," says Joel Daniel,79 who was in the Ceylon Garrison Artillery. He had served in the Search Light Battery in 1941, first as a soldier and then a typist."I was one of the youngest to reach the rank of Sergeant," he smiles recalling with pride his service that ended in 1947.

Mr. Daniel currently suffers from throat cancer and having been operated on both eyes has poor vision. He speaks of his wife who is still living but suffers from a heart problem. "I walk to church each Sunday. I need the exercise," says he.

Retired Chief Petty Officer N.A.P. Rodrigo, 75 joined the Royal Navy in 1958 and served for 22 years."I served on board the Royal Navy minesweepers," he recalls. It was during his time that Sri Lanka received from China the fast gunboats (FGBs) that were named after the then Prime Minister's initials Suriya, Weeraya, Ranakami, Dhakshya and Balawatha (SWRDB).

"Our chief duty was to patrol the island. We did not do much fighting but we had to look after the interests of the country," Mr. Rodrigo comments modestly. Asked how he spends his time, he says, "I cannot read much because of my poor vision but we relate stories and experiences to each other.” An ardent cricket fan, Mr. Rodrigo listens to the radio avidly.

It is not only their heroic deeds that these gentlemen share. The mischief they were occasionally up to is also fondly remembered. Born in 1904, M.B.P. Wijeyawardene who is now a grand centenarian, being 101 years old, was a driver in the Army Service Corps. His work took him to Italy and Egypt."My duty each morning after the parade was to transport equipment to the various units," he recalls.

When they heard that the war was over there was much rejoicing. "I asked a woman server to bring me some liquor but had to hide it because a major walked in on us," he smiles.

Reading the autobiography of World War II veteran, 87-year-old Percy George Benjamin Perera one can get a fair idea of his adventurous life. Liberally peppered with humour, it makes interesting reading, especially the account of his tenure with the British Army. It was without the knowledge of his parents that Mr. Perera went for an interview with the British Army only to be mobilized on the spot and packed off to Egypt after a short period of training in the use of rifles. They soon boarded the Acquitanta, a troopship after making their last will and set sail along with Australian, New Zealand and Maori troops.

There followed rigorous training at various camps. Battlefields littered with decomposing corpses are something he remembers vividly as also the dips in the Red Sea and a ship wreck. Mr. Perera was attached to the Supplies Unit and then went on to become a confidential secretary to Brigadier Cyrus Greenslade (Military Commander of Eritrea) and later to Colonel J.E.H. Boustead (Commander of the Sudan Camel Corps).

He returned to his country after six years when World War II came to an end."My parents had no choice but to forgive me," he laughs. Thereafter he served as Chief Clerk to Lord Mountbatten before he left for India.

"It is very important to remember people who sacrificed their lives for their country," explains pensioner Major K. Rajanathan, 79 who served as a civil engineer in the army for 22 years. "They were fighting for a cause - against Nazism," he says. He is now proud to live in one of the chalets, of the home maintained exclusively for ex-servicemen.

All ex-servicemen are entitled to apply for accommodation with the recommendation of an association. Potential residents are interviewed and given accommodation provided they produce a discharge certificate, documents to prove they have no other place and a letter of consent from wife/children.

As the home does not have facilities or staff to attend to the special needs of the disabled, all residents are expected to be independent to some extent.While World War II veterans who receive no pension are accommodated in a dormitory with cubicles and provided food, medicines and clothing, retired ex-servicemen who receive pensions can avail themselves of Grade I chalets (Rs.3,500 a month) or Grade II chalets (Rs.2500 per month inclusive of everything), the total capacity being 32.

There is a temple and church nearby as well as a hospital that residents are taken to when ill. Most residents are from the outskirts of Colombo, 90% of them from the Army.

Where do the poppies come from? Poppies are sent each year around September by the British Commonwealth Servicemen's League. Lt. Seneviratne says that they received the usual 4 million poppies this year. Veterans at the home were seen assembling them into packs of 100 each to be distributed to the affiliated associations in the hope that people would “give to those who gave”.

Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day also known as Armistice Day marks the day November 11 in 1918 when World War 1 ended. It will be observed in Colombo on November 11 at the Cenotaph in the Viharamahadevi Park.

According to the Secretary General of the Sri Lanka Ex-Servicemen's Association Captain Patrick Jayasinghe, over 300 troops from all three services together with war veterans will participate in a parade that will be witnessed by the armed services chiefs, senior officers, retired officers and diplomats. "It is an occasion to remember our own fallen heroes," says the Captain stressing that the day had much relevance to our situation here.

"We have had our own share of woes," says this co-chairman of the Armed Forces Remembrance Day and Poppy programme. Having collected over Rs. 4 million from the sale of poppies last year, he hopes that they would reach a higher target this year.

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