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Gemunu Watch

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Gemunu Watch
ActiveDecember 7, 1962 - present
Country Sri Lanka
Branch Sri Lanka Army
TypeInfantry
RoleConventional warfare
Assault
Reconnaissance
Size23 battalions
Regimental Centre The Gemunu WatchKuruwita Army Camp, Ratnapura.
Nickname(s)Highlanders
Motto(s)Terry Not Forward
MarchHighland Laddie
AnniversariesDecember 7 (Regimental day)
Engagements1971 JVP Insurrection,
Sri Lankan Civil War
Commanders
Colonel of
the Regiment		Major General WBJK Wimalaratne RWP RSP
Notable
commanders		Brig. John Halangode
Lt Gen Parami Kulatunga

The Gemunu Watch (GW) ("King Dutugemunu's Own") is a infantry regiment of the Sri Lanka Army, formed with troops from the Ceylon Light Infantry and the Ceylon Sinha Regiment in 1962. It has been deployed in many major operations against the LTTE. It is made up of 14 regular units and 9 volunteer units. Headquartered at Kuruwita Army Camp, Ratnapura. It is named after one of the most famous Lankan Kings, King Dutugemunu.

History

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The roots of the Gemunu Watch can be traced to the volunteer formations of the British Empire and the formation of the Ceylon Infantry Regiment by a Gazette notification on 1 April 1881. Later, in order to encourage the concept of Volunteering, the Volunteer Force was expanded to include Units at the District level. Accordingly, two Volunteer Detachments were set up in Galle and Matara in the old Dutch Forts. Thereafter, the Ceylon Defence Force was established under Army Order No: 08 of 1910, to cater to the administration and discipline of these regiments, and came under the direct purview of the Commandant, Ceylon Defence Force. During World War I (1914 to 1918), the Ceylon Defence Force was engaged in active service and the troops deployed in Galle and Matara too were mobilized. After the War, the CDF was systematically "Ceylonised" by the appointment of Ceylonese Officers as commanding officers of Battalions.[1]

Following Ceylon gaining self-rule in 1948, and the establishment of the Ceylon Army under the Army Act, the Ceylon Defence Force became the Ceylon Volunteer Force and the detachments in Galle and Matara were renamed as "B" Company of the 2nd Battalion (Volunteer), Ceylon Light Infantry. The "B" Company in Galle and Matara was renamed the Ruhuna Volunteer Regiment in 1950 with Colonel C. A. Dharmapala, its first commanding officer. In 1956, with the change in the national political leadership to the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, the Ruhuna Regiment did not find favour with the political hierarchy and was disbanded. Subsequently, in October 1956, the second Regular Infantry Battalion, the 1st Battalion of the Sinha Regiment was established in the Imperial Camp in Diyatalawa. Thereafter, the 2nd [Volunteer] Battalion of the Sinha Regiment was raised in Kandy. When the Ruhuna Regiment was disbanded, the troops located in Galle and Matara were attached to various units. Subsequently, the troops that were deployed in Galle formed the "C" Company of the 2nd [Vol] Battalion of the Sinha Regiment. In the latter half of 1959, 110 soldiers deployed as "C" Company of the 2nd [Vol] Battalion, Sinha Regiment under the command of Capt. D.S. Amarasuriya were brought together to form a new Volunteer Unit called the Gemunu Regiment, which was raised in Galle on 23 November 1959. Capt. D.S. Amarasuriya was appointed the commanding officer. The new Unit did not have a flag or cap badge, therefore, it was originally proposed to have the image of a Leopard associated with the Yala Sanctuary with cross rifles designed for the cap badge. However, it was not adopted. As the Permanent Staff of the Unit was drawn from the Sinha Regiment, they followed the traditions associated with the Sinha Regiment.

The third Regular Infantry Regiment, the 1st Battalion of the Gemunu Watch, was raised at the Ceylon Volunteer Force [CVF] Camp in Diyatalawa on 7 December 1962, and subsequently occupied the Rangala Camp of the Royal Ceylon Navy and the Imperial Camp vacated by the Sinha Regiment (which had been moved to Colombo). As Gemunu originated in Ruhuna, the Volunteer Gemunu Regiment was established in Galle and the detachment located in Matara was renamed Gemunu Battalions and formed the Volunteer counterparts of the 1st Battalion of the Gemunu Watch.

The Founding Father and first commanding officer of the 1st Battalion of the Gemunu Watch, Lieut. Colonel John Halangode was from the 1st Battalion of the Ceylon Light Infantry. He was inspired by the traditions of the British Regiment, the Black Watch, and inculcated those norms and customs into the 1st Battalion of the Gemunu Watch. The nucleus of 1GW consisted of Officers and Other Rank Cadres drawn from the Regular Units already established.

Units

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No Unit Formed Disbanded Notes
1 1st Battalion, Gemunu Watch 7 December 1962
2 2nd (V) Battalion, Gemunu Watch 1 October 1964
3 3rd (V) Battalion, Gemunu Watch 1 September 1965
4 4th Battalion, Gemunu Watch 27 December 1985
5 5th Battalion, Gemunu Watch 1 June 1987 First unit to be formed in the battle field, Vasavilan Jaffna. First commanding officer was Lieutenant Colonel G.W.W. Perera.
6 6th Battalion, Gemunu Watch 22 May 1990 First commanding officer was Major M.M. Sumanasena
7 7th Battalion, Gemunu Watch 17 September 1992 On 13 June 2000, this unit was amalgamated with 5 Gemunu Watch and on 17 May 2005 the Battalion was re-designated as the 7th Battalion
8 8th Battalion, Gemunu Watch 28 January 1993 8 Gemunu Watch was amalgamated with the 6 Gemunu Watch on 9 June 2000 and on 17 May 2005, 8 Gemunu Watch re-commenced working as an independent Unit once again.
9 9th Battalion, Gemunu Watch 24 January 1994 On 18 June 2000, 9 Gemunu Watch was amalgamated with 1 Gemunu Watch and on 24 January 2002 it re-commenced functioning independently
10 10th (V) Battalion, Gemunu Watch 1 June 1994
11 11th Battalion, Gemunu Watch 4 September 1996 On 17 May 2005, 11 Gemunu Watch was re-named as 7 Gemunu Watch. Later this Unit once more became 11 Gemunu Watch on 4 October 2007.
12 12th Battalion, Gemunu Watch 1 January 1997 12 Gemunu Watch was amalgamated with 4 Gemunu Watch on 12 June 2000, but became an independent Unit on 11 November 2002.
14 14th (V) Battalion, Gemunu Watch 7 January 1997
15 15th (V) Battalion, Gemunu Watch 1 December 2007
16 16th (V) Battalion, Gemunu Watch 9 May 2008
17 17th Battalion, Gemunu Watch 16 October 2008
18 18th Battalion, Gemunu Watch 1 December 2008
19 19th Battalion, Gemunu Watch 12 January 2009
20 20th (V) Battalion, Gemunu Watch 7 March 2009 21 November 2018
21 21st (V) Battalion, Gemunu Watch 1 May 2009 15 November 2018
22 22nd (V) Battalion, Gemunu Watch 29 July 2009 13 March 2012
23 23rd Battalion, Gemunu Watch 15 October 2009
24 24th Battalion, Gemunu Watch 9 November 2009
25 25th Battalion, Gemunu Watch 25 September 2010 1st Reinforcement [RFT] Battalion formed on 25 September 2008 was re-named as 25 Battalion, Gemunu Watch on 25 September 2010
26 26th Battalion, Gemunu Watch 20 September 2010 25 April 2012 2nd RFT Battalion of the Gemunu Watch formed on 31 January 2009 was re-named as 26 Gemunu Watch on 20 September 2010.
27 27th Battalion, Gemunu Watch 20 September 2010 25 February 2012 3rd RFT Battalion of the Gemunu Watch formed on 16 April 2009 was re-designated as 27 Gemunu Watch on 20 September 2010.
28 HQ BN Battalion, Gemunu Watch Initially formed as RFT Battalion of the Gemunu Watch on 17 January 1998. On 8 October 1999, the RFT Battalion was re-named the Headquarter Battalion.

Major Operations

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A Gemunu Watch soldier on patrol during the 1987–1989 JVP insurrection.

Recipients of the Parama Weera Vibhushanaya

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Colonels of the Regiment

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No Colonel of the Regiment Took office Left office
1 Brigadier G. H. de Silva 19.03.1988 01.01.1989
2 Brigadier NPALDS De Wijesekara 01.01.1989 15.01.1990
3 Major General Lakshman Algama 15.01.1990 27.01.1990
4 Brigadier WR Wijerathne 27.01.1990 24.09.1991
5 Major General Lakshman Algama 24.09.1991 26.12.1992
6 Brigadier WR Wijerathne 26.12.1992 15.02.1994
7 Major General Lakshman Algama 15.02.1994 15.12.1994
8 Major General WMP Fernando 15.12.1994 24.08.1995
9 Major General GWW Perera 26.08.1995 20.01.1997
10 Major General WMP Fernando 20.01.1997 01.01.1999
11 Major General Parami Kulatunga 01.01.1999 24.01.1999
12 Major General GWW Perera 24.01.1999 24.03.2000
13 Major General Parami Kulatunga 25.03.2000 17.06.2002
14 Major General KB Egodawele 17.06.2002 17.07.2003
15 Major General Parami Kulatunga 17.07.2003 26.06.2006
16 Major General S Udumalagala 05.07.2006 05.02.2008
17 Major General LBR Mark 05.02.2008 18.09.2008
18 Major General MK Jayawardana 18.09.2008 17.08.2009
19 Major General LBR Mark 17.08.2009 05.05.2010
20 Major General S Udumalagala 06.05.2010 24.02.2013
21 Major General LBR Mark 24.02.2013 10.05.2014
22 Major General PUS Vithanage 10.05.2014 06.06.2017
23 Major General W B D P FERNANDO 2017.06.06
24 Major General KPA Jayasekera
25 Major General TS Bangsajayah 2019.10.19 2020.08.02
26 Major General BVDP Abeynayake 03.08.2020 10.12.2020
27 Major General HPNK Jayapathirane 11.12.2020 26.02.2021
28 Major General WGHAS Bandara 26.02.2021 16.07.2021
29 Major General SS Waduge 17.07.2021 05.10.2021
30 Major General WLPW Perera 06.10.2021 06.12.2021
31 Major General PML Chandrasiri 07.12.2021 08.05.2022
32 Major General AC Lamahewa 09.05.2022 02.03.2023
33 Major General EADP Edirisingha 03.03.2023 18.06.2023
34 Major General SWB Welagedara 18.06.2023 23.11.2024
35 Major General WBJK Wimalaratne RWP RSP 23.11.2024

Alliances

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Notable members

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Order of precedence

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Preceded by Order of Precedence Succeeded by
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Specific
  1. ^ "The Highlanders". army.lk. Sri Lanka Army.
  2. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 16 March 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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