Ceylon Planters Rifle Corps
Encyclopedia
Ceylon Planters Rifle Corps was a regiment attached to the Ceylon Defence Force which was the predecessor to the Sri Lanka Army prior to 1949 when the Ceylon Army was formed. It was a volunteer (reserve
) regiment based in Kandy
, made up of only European
s, who were tea and rubber planters of the hills of Sri Lanka.
(CRR) in 1873 the only locally raised regular outfit some British planters and mercantile elite want to had before this had tried to
create a volunteer infantry unit loosely known as the Matale Rifle Volunteer Corps but only months after its creation it was decommissioned.
In 1900 a new regiment named the Ceylon Planters Rifle Corps was established with headquarters in Kandy
; the officers and other ranks were made up of European
s, who were tea
and rubber planters in the central highlands of Ceylon. Its first Commanding Officer was Colonel R.N. Farquharson, a retired Naval Captain. The regiment was a volunteer
regiment mobilized under internal emergencies or for deployments overseas.
The regiment's first deployment was on February 1st 1900 when a first detachment was sent to South Africa under the command of Major Murray-Menzies and saw action in Cape Colony, Drifontein, Johannesberg, Diamond Hill and Wittebergen, earning the Queen’s and the King’s Medals with 7 clasps.
The CMI lost 1 officer (Lt. A.H. Thomas, killed in action) and 7 other ranks during this campaign. A 2nd. detachment was sent to South Africa
in 1902 arriving just before hostilities ended, not having experienced combat in the Second Boer War
. The overall conduct of Ceylon troops received accolades from General
Kitchener
, Chief of Staff to Lord Roberts
in South Africa, who affirmed, “The Ceylon Contingent did very good work in South Africa I only wish we had more of them.”
In the First World War the regiment sent a force of 8 officers and 229 other ranks commanded by Major
J. Hall Brown. The unit sailed for Egypt
on October 1914, and was deployed in defence of the Suez Canal
. After which the unit was transferred to the Australia New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) and was in 1915 dispatched to Anzac Cove (‘Z’ Beach) on the Gallipoli Peninsula. The CPRC also performed operational duties as guards to ANZAC headquarter staff, including the General Officer Commanding ANZAC, Lieutenant General
William Birdwood, who remarked, “I have an excellent guard of Ceylon Planters who are such a nice lot of fellows.” According to its onetime Commanding Officer (CO), Colonel
T.Y. Wright (1904–1912), the CPRC had sustained overall losses of 80 killed and 99 wounded in the First World War.
The CPRC was once mobilized once more when World War II
started in 1939. Although primarily deployed for home defence in Ceylon the CPRC source for officer reinforcements, providing an estimated 700 volunteers to be commissioned as officers in the British Army
and British Indian Army
. Between August 1940 and July 1942, the CPRC dispatched six contingents amounting to 172 soldiers as officer reinforcements to the Officer Training School at Belgaum, India.
With Ceylon gaining independence from Britain
the Ceylon Planters Rifle Corps was disbanded on 11 April 1949 along with the Ceylon Defence Force which led to the formation of the Ceylon Army.
was created, based on the Ceylon Planters Rifle Corps . The two battalions were raised in Pallekele and Neuchatel Estate Neboda. The Rifle Corps has since then been deployed both in the central highlands and other parts of Sri Lanka
due to the current civil war
, with its members coming from the highlands and the plantations.
Military reserve force
A military reserve force is a military organization composed of citizens of a country who combine a military role or career with a civilian career. They are not normally kept under arms and their main role is to be available to fight when a nation mobilizes for total war or to defend against invasion...
) regiment based in Kandy
Kandy
Kandy is a city in the center of Sri Lanka. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills in the Kandy plateau, which crosses an area of tropical plantations, mainly tea. Kandy is one of the most scenic cities in Sri Lanka; it is both an...
, made up of only European
European ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
s, who were tea and rubber planters of the hills of Sri Lanka.
History
After the disbandment of the Ceylon Rifle RegimentCeylon Rifle Regiment
Ceylon Rifle Regiment was a regular native regiment formed by the British in Ceylon. Its history goes back to 1795 when five independent companies of Malays where transferred from Dutch to HEIC service...
(CRR) in 1873 the only locally raised regular outfit some British planters and mercantile elite want to had before this had tried to
create a volunteer infantry unit loosely known as the Matale Rifle Volunteer Corps but only months after its creation it was decommissioned.
In 1900 a new regiment named the Ceylon Planters Rifle Corps was established with headquarters in Kandy
Kandy
Kandy is a city in the center of Sri Lanka. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills in the Kandy plateau, which crosses an area of tropical plantations, mainly tea. Kandy is one of the most scenic cities in Sri Lanka; it is both an...
; the officers and other ranks were made up of European
European ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
s, who were tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
and rubber planters in the central highlands of Ceylon. Its first Commanding Officer was Colonel R.N. Farquharson, a retired Naval Captain. The regiment was a volunteer
Military reserve force
A military reserve force is a military organization composed of citizens of a country who combine a military role or career with a civilian career. They are not normally kept under arms and their main role is to be available to fight when a nation mobilizes for total war or to defend against invasion...
regiment mobilized under internal emergencies or for deployments overseas.
The regiment's first deployment was on February 1st 1900 when a first detachment was sent to South Africa under the command of Major Murray-Menzies and saw action in Cape Colony, Drifontein, Johannesberg, Diamond Hill and Wittebergen, earning the Queen’s and the King’s Medals with 7 clasps.
The CMI lost 1 officer (Lt. A.H. Thomas, killed in action) and 7 other ranks during this campaign. A 2nd. detachment was sent to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
in 1902 arriving just before hostilities ended, not having experienced combat in the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
. The overall conduct of Ceylon troops received accolades from General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Kitchener
Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener
Field Marshal Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, ADC, PC , was an Irish-born British Field Marshal and proconsul who won fame for his imperial campaigns and later played a central role in the early part of the First World War, although he died halfway...
, Chief of Staff to Lord Roberts
Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts
Field Marshal Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts, Bt, VC, KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, KStJ, PC was a distinguished Indian born British soldier who regarded himself as Anglo-Irish and one of the most successful British commanders of the 19th century.-Early life:Born at Cawnpore, India, on...
in South Africa, who affirmed, “The Ceylon Contingent did very good work in South Africa I only wish we had more of them.”
In the First World War the regiment sent a force of 8 officers and 229 other ranks commanded by 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. ...
J. Hall Brown. The unit sailed for Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
on October 1914, and was deployed in defence of the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
. After which the unit was transferred to the Australia New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) and was in 1915 dispatched to Anzac Cove (‘Z’ Beach) on the Gallipoli Peninsula. The CPRC also performed operational duties as guards to ANZAC headquarter staff, including the General Officer Commanding ANZAC, Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
William Birdwood, who remarked, “I have an excellent guard of Ceylon Planters who are such a nice lot of fellows.” According to its onetime Commanding Officer (CO), Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
T.Y. Wright (1904–1912), the CPRC had sustained overall losses of 80 killed and 99 wounded in the First World War.
The CPRC was once mobilized once more when 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...
started in 1939. Although primarily deployed for home defence in Ceylon the CPRC source for officer reinforcements, providing an estimated 700 volunteers to be commissioned as officers in 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...
and British Indian Army
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...
. Between August 1940 and July 1942, the CPRC dispatched six contingents amounting to 172 soldiers as officer reinforcements to the Officer Training School at Belgaum, India.
With Ceylon gaining independence from Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
the Ceylon Planters Rifle Corps was disbanded on 11 April 1949 along with the Ceylon Defence Force which led to the formation of the Ceylon Army.
Recent years
In 1984 on request of planters in the highlands, the Sri Lanka Rifle CorpsSri Lanka Rifle Corps
The Sri Lanka Rifle Corps a regiment of the Sri Lanka Army. It is made up of two volunteer battalions. It has been formed with personnel from the central highlands and the many plantations in the Central Province of Sri Lanka...
was created, based on the Ceylon Planters Rifle Corps . The two battalions were raised in Pallekele and Neuchatel Estate Neboda. The Rifle Corps has since then been deployed both in the central highlands and other parts of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
due to the current civil war
Sri Lankan civil war
The Sri Lankan Civil War was a conflict fought on the island of Sri Lanka. Beginning on July 23, 1983, there was an on-and-off insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , a separatist militant organization which fought to create an independent Tamil state named Tamil...
, with its members coming from the highlands and the plantations.
See also
- Ceylon Defence Force
- Sri Lanka Rifle CorpsSri Lanka Rifle CorpsThe Sri Lanka Rifle Corps a regiment of the Sri Lanka Army. It is made up of two volunteer battalions. It has been formed with personnel from the central highlands and the many plantations in the Central Province of Sri Lanka...
- Sri Lanka Army
- Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (army corps)
External links and sources
- cap badge, collar badges, shoulder titles, large and small button
- Sri Lanka Army
- Sri Lanka Riffle Corps
- http://www.army.lk/history4.php
- http://www.army.lk/vfts.php
- Ceylon Defence Force
- http://www.rootsweb.com/~lkawgw/bcb.html
- regiments.org
- regiments.org
- http://home.adelphia.net/~dryan67/orders/ukover.html
