Aubrey Weinman
Encyclopedia
Major
Aubrey Neil Weinman, OBE (1897-1967) was a Ceylonese soldier
, civil servant and naturist. He was the first Director of the Colombo Zoological Gardens.
Educated at the prestigious Royal College Colombo
with the out set of World War I
to join the British Army
. He saw action on the western front and was wounded in battle. After the war he remained a reservist officer.
He joined the government service and appointed as the first Superintendent of the Colombo Zoological Gardens after it was established in 1939 following the liquidation of Zoological Garden Company in 1936. During his period various programs were developed, such as introducing more native and foreign species, educational and conservation programs, improving the facilities and infrastructures and more.
Without break of World War II
in the far east Weinman, a Major
was mobilized for service with the British Army
under the Malaya Command
and became a POW after the fall of singapore. He spent the next four years in a prisoner of war camp and was liberated at the end of the war.
On his return he took up the position of Director of the Colombo Zoological Gardens once again and held it until his retirement in late 1950s. After retiring he migrated to Australia
with his wife Ena van Cuylenber. He died in Perth
in 1967.
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Aubrey Neil Weinman, OBE (1897-1967) was a Ceylonese soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
, civil servant and naturist. He was the first Director of the Colombo Zoological Gardens.
Educated at the prestigious Royal College Colombo
Royal College Colombo
The Royal College of Colombo was founded in January 1835 in Colombo. It is considered to be the leading Public School in Sri Lanka...
with the out set of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
to join the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
. He saw action on the western front and was wounded in battle. After the war he remained a reservist officer.
He joined the government service and appointed as the first Superintendent of the Colombo Zoological Gardens after it was established in 1939 following the liquidation of Zoological Garden Company in 1936. During his period various programs were developed, such as introducing more native and foreign species, educational and conservation programs, improving the facilities and infrastructures and more.
Without break of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in the far east Weinman, a Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
was mobilized for service with the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
under the Malaya Command
Malaya Command
The Malaya Command was a command of British Commonwealth forces formed in the 1920s for the coordination of the defences of Malaya and Singapore.-History:...
and became a POW after the fall of singapore. He spent the next four years in a prisoner of war camp and was liberated at the end of the war.
On his return he took up the position of Director of the Colombo Zoological Gardens once again and held it until his retirement in late 1950s. After retiring he migrated to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
with his wife Ena van Cuylenber. He died in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
in 1967.