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Sri Lanka Army General Service Corps

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Sri Lanka Army General Service Corps
Active14 December 1951 - Present
CountrySri Lanka
BranchSri Lanka Army
RoleGeneral Administrative Service
Size4 Units
Regimental CentrePanagoda Cantonment, Panagoda.
Nickname(s)SLAGSC
Anniversaries25 April (Regimental day)
Engagements1971 Insurrection
Insurrection 1987-89
Sri Lankan Civil War
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Lt Col B.J Wijemanne MBE, ED

The Sri Lanka Army General Service Corps (SLAGSC) a corps of the Sri Lanka Army. The corps carries out much of the administrative work of the army. The role of the Corps is to provide logistic backing to Regular and Volunteer units by performing pay duties, legal services, running of agriculture projects and farms etc. Therefore, it is made up of legal officers, accountants, data processing officers and other ranks specialized in these fields. It is made up of a regular unit and a volunteer (reserve) unit and is headquartered at its Regiment Center at the Panagoda Cantonment, Panagoda.

Directorates and Branches

  • Directorate of Pay & Records.
  • Education Branch.
  • Legal Branch.
  • IT Branch.
  • Army Band and cultural troupe.
  • Finance/Accounting Branch.

History

The Ceylon Army General Service Corps was raised on 14 December 1951 with Lt. Col B.J Wijemanne, MBE, ED as first Commanding Officer. The unit was then administered by the headquarters company of the Army HQ. The Pay and Records Wing which was established on 14 October 1949 and the Education Branch were amalgamated in 1954. The Army Education Branch was instrumental in translating army forms, preparation of a comprehensive Sinhala vocabulary and teaching Sinhala to those who were yet conversant in the language.

The Army Band was formed on 22 June 1950 with Lt (Quarter Master) George Perry, a seconded officer form the British Army and 28 local bandsmen. In 1955 the then Acting Commander of the Army Col. H.W.G Wijekoon, OBE, ED, CLI (later Major General) initiated the forming of the Hewisi Band along with Lt C.T Caldera, CLI and Mr Lional Edirisinghe who was one of Sri Lanka’s foremost musicians. S/Sgt Wickramasinghe D. was the first Bandmaster. The cultural troupe of the National Service Regiment (NSR) under Capt. Clarence Delwela was absorbed into the SLAGSC when the NSR was disbanded in 1977. Today, the regiment has three bands which take part in all military ceremonials in the country and a cultural troupe.

In 1956 a small farm was established at Panagoda which was the beginning of the farm projects in the Army. Maj. R Wijesinghe (later Colonel) was the pioneer agriculturist and the main figure behind the successful farm projects in the Army. Since then the army farms are also a part of the corps responsibility and they provide most of their produce to the Service Corps.

Units

Regular Army

Volunteers

  • 2nd(v) Sri Lanka Army General Service Corps
       The Volunteer Squadron of the Sri Lanka Army General Service Corps (Later 1st Battalion Sri Lanka Army General Service Corps) was raised as a battalion on 1 December 1996 under the command of Lt Colonel W. P. R. Senarathne.
  • 5th(v) Sri Lanka Army General Service Corps
  • 6th(v) Sri Lanka Army General Service Corps

Notable members

Order of precedence

Preceded by Order of Precedence Succeeded by

See also

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