4-875: Major Noel Weerakoon , CA was a Sri Lankan army officer. He was the first officer of the Sri Lanka Army to be killed in action during the 1971 Insurrection . Trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , Weerakoon was commissioned into the Ceylon Artillery . He played cricket for Sandhurst and the Ceylon Army. In April 1971, with the onset of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna -led insurrection Ceylon Army mobilized for its first combat operations since its formation in 1949. Captain Weerakoon lead
8-486: A supply convoy from Vavuniya to Anuradhapura to deliver ammunition to the besieged town. He was wounded when his convoy was ambushed by insurgents. He succumbed to his wounds at the Anuradhapura hospital, becoming the first Sri Lankan army officer to be killed in the line of duty. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of Major. His widowed young wife, Ramya Weerakoon went on to form Ramya Holdings, which became
12-401: The holding company for many of the manufacturing and export industries she started following the death of her husband. Major (rank) Major is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators, major is one rank above captain in armies and air forces, and one rank below lieutenant colonel . It is considered
16-473: The most junior of the senior officer ranks. Etymologically, the word stems from the Latin word major meaning "greater". The rank can be traced back to the rank of sergeant major general , which was shortened to sergeant major , and subsequently shortened to major . When used in hyphenated or combined fashion, the term can also imply seniority at other levels of rank, including major general , denoting
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