Sri Lanka Engineers
| Sri Lanka Engineers | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1911 - Present |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Branch | Sri Lanka Army |
| Type | Engineering Regiment |
| Role |
Military engineering, Combat engineering |
| Size | 10 regular regiments, 1 volunteer regiment |
| Part of | HQ Chief Field Engineer, Engineer Brigade |
| Regimental Centre | Army Headquarters, Colombo. |
| Nickname(s) | SLE |
| Motto(s) | "Ubique" Latin - (Everywhere) |
| Engagements | World War I World War II 1971 Insurrection Insurrection 1987-89 Sri Lankan Civil War |
| Decorations | 1 Weerodara Vibhushanaya, 2 Weera Wickrama Vibhushanaya |
| Commanders | |
| Centre Commandant | Brig HAJS Gunawardena RWP RSP psc |
| Colonel-Commandant | Maj Gen AWJC De Silva RWP USP ndc psc |
| Notable commanders |
General Denis Perera VSV |
The Sri Lanka Engineers (SLE) a combat support arm of the Sri Lanka Army which provides military engineering. It is made up of ten Regular Regiments and one Volunteer Regiments. Headquartered at Army Cantonment, Panagoda. It is headed by the Centre Commandant
The Corps provides combat engineering, construction and other technical support to the Sri Lankan Army and civil authorities. One of the objectives of the corps is mobility and counter mobility. That is providing mobility to friendly forces while denying movement to enemy forces. Engineers are able to conduct tasks including penetrating minefields, locating and disarming booby traps, purifying water and building roads and bridges to maintain lines of communications.
The Ceylon Engineers was formed in 1911 as part of the Ceylon Defence Force, following the transfer of Royal Engineers units from Ceylon. Duties of this unit was to the coastal search light and signal works. The unit was made up of only to Europeans at its inception, mostly form personal transferred from the Ceylon Planters Rifle Corps. Its first commanding officer was Captain T. H. Chapman who held the post of Director of Public Works in government service. Ceylon Engineers were mobilized during World War I and demobilized at its conclusion. At this point the Commander of the Ceylon Defence Force and in consultation with the GOC Ceylon recommended that the members of the Burgher community who were enlisted to the Colombo Town Guard be invited to replace the Ceylon Engineers which was to be disbanded by 31 December 1926. This proposal was accepted and the reconstituted Ceylon Engineer Corps was raised on 1 January 1927. Personnel for the reconstituted unit were individually re-enlisted and a strength of 11 officers and 144 Other Ranks was recorded. This attracted the attention of two prominent members of the Legislative Council, D. S. Senanayake and E. W. Perera raised the question as to why there should be racial military units in the Island. In 1928 the Committee set up by the Governor of Ceylon to inquire into this question, proposed in their report that the Ceylon Engineer Corps shall comprise British subjects of good character and respectability. From then onwards, the Ceylon Engineer Corps was open to all Ceylonese. The Corps was to comprise two Companies of Field Engineers ( for combat engineering), two Companies of Fortress Engineers (to man defence lights and engine) and one Company of Signalers. In 1939 the Corps was mobilized for World War II and in 1943 a second signal company was and these formed Ceylon Signals Corps.
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