Denzil Kobbekaduwa

After undergoing basic training at the Army Training Center in Diyatalawa; he proceeded to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst for officer training, along with G. H. De Silva and two other Ceylonese cadets in the 29th Intake.

Lieutenant General Denzil Lakshman Kobbekaduwa, RWP, RSP, VSV, USP (ඩෙන්සිල් ලක්ෂ්මණ් කොබ්බෑකඩුව; 27 July 1940 – 8 August 1992) was a senior Sri Lankan Army officer who served in the 1971 Insurrection and the Sri Lankan Civil War.

Having trained with the British Army, Kobbekaduwa started his military career as an armoured corps officer.

He received his primary education at Hillwood College and in 1948 entered Trinity College Kandy.

He represented the college at rugby, hockey, and cricket.

He captained the College 1XV in 1959 and won the Trinity Lion for rugby and was a school prefect.

Although he was offered admission to the University of Ceylon, Peradeniya he opted for a military career.

Kobbekaduwa joined the Ceylon Army in May 1960 as an officer cadet.

Returning to Ceylon in 1962, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 1st Reconnaissance Regiment, Ceylon Armoured Corps.

A few months later he returned to the United Kingdom to follow the regimental signal officers course.

The Field Security Detachment was tasked with identifying internal threats to and safe guarding the prime minister, following the Bandaranaike's experience in the 1962 attempted coup d'état.

Based on investigations by the military police unit under his command, Kobbekaduwa warned the government that a youth insurrection was imminent.

Promoted to lieutenant, he was attached to the Royal Armoured Corps training unit at Bovington Camp for a six months armoured fighting vehicle training course in 1964.

Returning in 1965, he rejoined the 1st Reconnaissance Regiment.

He was suspended following an alleged Ceylonese coup d'état attempt in 1966 and was reinstated in 1970 attached to internal security prior to and during the 1971 Insurrection.

Following a brief stint as an officer instructor, he served as a staff officer attached several commands before commanding the 1st Reconnaissance Regiment, Sri Lanka Armoured Corps.

In 1967, Kobbekaduwa was sent on compulsory leave following an alleged coup d'état attempt in which the commander of the Ceylon Army, Major General Richard Udugama, who was a Kandian and a kinsman of Kobbekaduwa was implicated.

He spent his suspension focused farming and on rugby.

Having played rugby in school, he played for the Army Sports Club in the Clifford Cup tournament and then represented Ceylon.

Joining the Kandy Sports Club, he led the team to become runners-up to the Clifford Cup in 1969.

He also coached his school and national rugby teams.

Later he refereed and administered the game on a national level.

He was also a board member of the Duncan White Sports Foundation.

During this time while playing for the Kandy Sports Club Kobbekaduwa met Lalini Ratwatte, younger daughter of Kenneth and Merle Ratwatte.

They married in December 1970.

They had two daughters and a son.

Following the 1970 general elections in which another kinsman Sirima Bandaranaike was elected prime minister, Kobbekaduwa was cleared of all charges and reinstated to active service as a captain.

Thereafter, he was attached to the newly formed Army's Field Security Detachment under the command of the recently promoted Lieutenant Colonel Anuruddha Ratwatte.

The warnings materialized when the JVP insurrection started on 5 April 1971, taking the government and the military unprepared in its scale and magnitude.

Soon after the start of the insurrection, Kobbekaduwa was placed in charge of the security of the Prime Minister Sirima Bandaranaike.

In the mid 1980s he served as district military coordinating officer before joining the general staff of the Joint Operations Command.

At Joint Operations Command, he led the planned of the Vadamarachchi Operation, during which he commanded one of the three brigades.

He served as the general officer commanding, the 1st Division and the 2nd Division; Overall Operations Commander, Eastern Sector before taking up command as Overall Operations Commander, Northern Sector.

During which he held several major military operations such as Operation Gajasinghe and Operation Balavegaya.

He was killed on the eve of launching Operation Final Count Down to recapture the Jaffna Peninsula, when he was mortally wounded and much of his senior staff in his command killed when the Land Rover they were travelling in hit a land mine in the island of Kayts.

He was born in Kandy to a Radala family.

His father was Loku Bandara Kobbekaduwa and mother was Lona Ratwatte.

He was their second child and eldest of three sons.

Spending his early days at the Deldeniya Walauwa in the village of Deldeniya in Menikdiwela, Kadugannawa and at Amunugama Walauwa in the Amunugama village close to Kandy.

His uncle was the politician Hector Kobbekaduwa.