Grateful memories of General (Retd) Hamilton Wanasinghe, who rendered an invaluable service to the motherland as a full pledged military officer for more than 40 years, was honoured last evening (24) when the main patch of road between Malwana and Dompe which is his residential forte was named as ‘General Hamilton Wanasinghe Mawatha’.
The naming ceremony organized in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Army and the State Ministry of Defence was graced by Hon. Ruwan Wijewardena, State Minister of Defence, General Hamilton Wanasinghe (Retd), Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva, Commander of the Army together with Mrs. Sujeewa Nelson, President Army Seva Vanitha Unit, and a host of Senior Military Officers and other invitees.
The new name board of the road was unveiled by General Hamilton Wanasinghe together with Commander of the Army. The gesture was made possible following a request of the Sri Lanka Army and local residents in the area.
General Hamilton Wanasinghe was the 11th Army Commander of the Army.
Hamilton Wanasinghe was born in Malwana, a suburb in the capital city of Colombo. He received his primary and secondary education at Ananda College. A keen sportsman, he was the Sergeant Major in the Cadet Platoon during his school days. He was also an active member of the College rifle shooting team, which won many coveted trophies and later in the Army. Later he also represented Ceylon Inter Dominion small bore rifle shooting competition.
He joined Ceylon Army as an Officer Cadet in 1954 and was sent to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst for basic training. Later he was commissioned as an Officer in the Ceylon Artillery as a Second Lieutenant.
Prior to being appointed as the Army Commander, he has held various portfolios in the Army’s hierarchical order and in 1988 he became the 11th commander of the Sri Lanka Army. After his retirement, he also held several key positions including Joint Operations Commander and the Secretary of Defence Sri Lanka from which position he retired in 1995.
