The funeral of former Army Commander and Joint Operations Commander (JOC) General Hamilton Wanasinghe (91) will be held at 5 p.m. today (15) at the General Cemetery, Kanatte, Borella with full military honours.
Hailed as the one of the greatest military men the country has ever produced, Gen. Wanasinghe became the 11th Army Commander of Sri Lanka in 1988 and was later appointed as Secretary of Defence. Gen. Wanasinghe transformed the Sri Lanka Army from a ceremonial Army to a battle-ready one.
Born on August 17, 1933 in Kalukondayawa, Malwana, General Wanasinghe received his primary education at Kalukondayawa Primary School and later entered Ananda College, Colombo.
General Wanasinghe, who joined the Army as a cadet officer in 1953 and trained at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst, served in various positions in the Army and was appointed Army Commander in 1988. He served as the Commander of the Joint Operations Headquarters from November 19, 1991 to September 6, 1993 and as the Secretary for Defence from September 7, 1993 to February 1995.
Two of his nephews and his son-in-law were killed in action. His son, retired Major General Sanjaya Wanasinghe who led the Army’s sniper unit was among the few officers to have had the privilege of being commissioned by his father. Maj. Gen. Sanjaya Wanasinghe retired as Army Chief of Staff in 2023.
The body will be kept for public viewing at his residence in Kalukondayawa, Malwana till 1 p.m. today after which it will be taken to Colombo.
