General Cyril Ranatunga passed away on June 16 at the age of 91. Born and bred in the Central Province, Gen. Ranatunga, a former Sylvestrian, joined the Sri Lanka Army in 1950 as an officer cadet. During his illustrious military and civil administrative career, Gen. Ranatunga had held many important positions. He had been an iconic figure in the Sri Lanka military, and he is considered as one of the pioneers of the Sri Lanka Armoured Corps.
He received his basic military training at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He had been an outstanding figure since the day he joined the Army and was fortunate to learn the military trends in local and international warfare.
He held a number of vital and important appointments in military, diplomatic and administrative fields. Having served over 38 years in the Army, General Cyril Ranatunga was appointed as the first Chancellor of General Sir John Kotelawala Defence Academy (KDA) in November 1990 and he served the KDA till November, 1995.