{{Short description|Commander of the British Army in Ceylon until World War II}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} '''General Officer Commanding, Ceylon''' (also known as '''''Commander of Troops''''' or '''''Officer Commanding His/Her Majesties Troops, Ceylon''''') was the designation of the [[General Officer]] appointed to command all [[British Army]] units stationed in the island of [[British Ceylon|Ceylon]] during the British colonial administration of the island.<ref name="British Commanders">{{cite web|title=British Commanders|url=http://ceylondatabase.net/military.html|publisher=Ceylondatabase.net|access-date=21 March 2014|archive-date=22 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140322002146/http://ceylondatabase.net/military.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==History== The post entitled the holder a seat in the [[Executive Council of Ceylon]] and the [[Legislative Council of Ceylon]], advised the [[British governors of Ceylon|Governor of Ceylon]] on military matters.
Apart from British Army units that were deployed for garrison duty in the island, the officer held command over the [[Ceylon Defence Force]] if mobilized. However mobilization could be carried out only under orders from the [[British governors of Ceylon|Governor]].
Following independence in 1948, the command was split. With the creation of the [[Ceylon Army]], it head had was referred to as the [[Commander of the Army (Sri Lanka)|Commander of the Ceylon Army]] and the British troops in Ceylon came under the command of the ''Commander, Ceylon Garrison and UK troops in Ceylon'' until the withdrawal of British troops from the island.
==Official Residence== The GOC Ceylon was entitled to a Class A Quarters issued to government officers for the use of his official residence in [[Colombo]] and had the [[General's House, Nuwara Eliya]] as a [[country house]].
==List of General Officers Commanding, Ceylon== {| class="wikitable" style="width:95%; margin:0 auto;" !width=6% |Portrait ! Rank ! Name ! Appointment ! Left office ! Unit |- | || [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|Captain]] || [[Patrick Alexander Agnew]] || 31 August 1795 || 1 March 1796 || [[Madras European Regiment]] |- | || [[Major general (United Kingdom)|Major-General]] || [[James Stuart (British Army officer, born 1741)|James Stuart]] || 1 March 1796 || 1 January 1797 || [[78th Regiment of Foot]] |- | || Major-General || [[Welbore Ellis Doyle]] || 1 January 1797 || 2 July 1797 || [[14th Regiment of Foot]] |- | || [[Lieutenant colonel (United Kingdom)|Lieutenant-Colonel]] || [[Peter Bonnevaux]] || 2 July 1797 || 12 July 1797 || [[10th Madras Native Infantry]] |- |[[File:Pierre-Frédéric de Meuron 1805.jpg|80px]] || Major-General || [[Pierre Frédéric de Meuron]] || 12 July 1797|| 12 October 1798 || [[Regiment de Meuron]] |- |[[File:General Sir Josiah Champagne.jpg|80px]] || [[Colonel (United Kingdom)|Colonel]] || [[Josiah Champagné]] || 14 March 1799 || 22 July 1799 || [[80th Regiment of Foot]] |- | || Colonel || [[Hay MacDowall]] || 22 July 1799 || March 1804 || 78th Regiment of Foot |- | || Major-General || [[David Douglas Wemyss]] || March 1804 || 19 July 1805 || [[18th Regiment of Foot]] |- |[[File:John Hoppner (1758-1810) - Portrait of Sir Thomas Maitland (1760-1824).jpg|80px]]|| Major-General || [[Thomas Maitland (British Army officer)|Thomas Maitland]] || 19 July 1805 || 19 March 1811 || [[62nd Regiment of Foot]] |- | || Major-General || [[John Wilson (British Army officer, died 1819)|John Wilson]] || 19 March 1811 || 11 March 1812 || [[5th Garrison Battalion]] |- |[[File:Lieutenant-General (later General Sir) Robert Brownrigg, 1810 (c).jpg|80px]]|| [[General (United Kingdom)|General]] || Sir [[Robert Brownrigg]] || 11 March 1812 || 1 February 1820 || |- |[[File:Sir Edward Barnes by William Salter.jpg|80px]]|| [[Major general]] || [[Edward Barnes (British Army officer)|Edward Barnes]] || 1820 || || [[47th (Lancashire) Regiment of Foot]] |- | || Major general || [[James Campbell (governor)|James Campbell]] || 22 July 1822 || || [[94th Regiment of Foot]] |- |[[File:Sir Hudson Lowe (page 8 crop).jpg|80px]] || Major general || [[Hudson Lowe]] || 1826 || || [[50th Foot]] |- | || Major general || [[John Wilson (governor)|John Wilson]] || 14 October 1831 || || [[28th Foot]] |- |[[File:General Sir Robert Arbuthnot.jpg|80px]]|| Major general || [[Robert Arbuthnot (British Army officer)|Robert Arbuthnot]] || 1839 || || [[76th Regiment of Foot]] |- |[[File:Sir Colin Campbell by William Salter.jpg|80px]] || [[Lieutenant general (United Kingdom)|Lieutenant general]] || [[Colin Campbell (British Army officer, born 1776)|Colin Campbell]] || 16 April 1841 || || [[78th (Highlanders) Regiment of Foot]] |- | || Major general || [[William Smelt (British Army officer)|William Smelt]] || 28 January 1847 || || [[103rd Regiment of Foot (1806)|103rd Regiment of Foot]] |- | || Major general || [[Philip Bainbrigge]] || 23 May 1852 || || [[7th Regiment of Foot]] |- | || Major general || [[Thomas Reed (British Army officer)|Thomas Reed]] || 13 September 1854 || || [[12th Light Dragoons]] |- | || Major general || [[Henry Frederick Lockyer]] || 1856 || 1860 || [[97th (The Earl of Ulster's) Regiment of Foot]] |- | || Major general || [[Terence O'Brien (British Army officer, died 1865)|Terence O'Brien]] || 1860 || 1865 || |- | || Major general || [[Studholme John Hodgson]] || 1865 || 1869 || [[54th Regiment of Foot]] |- | || Major general || [[Henry Renny]] || 1869 || 1874 || [[81st Regiment of Foot]] |- | || Major general || [[John Alfred Street]] || 1874 || 1879 || [[68th Regiment of Foot]] |- | || Major general || [[William Wilby]] || 1879 || 1882 || [[King's Own Royal Regiment]] |- |[[File:Sir John Chetham McLeod.jpg|80px]] || Major general || [[John Chetham McLeod]] || 1882 || 1887 || [[42nd Regiment of Foot]] |- |[[File:VCWilbrahamOatesLennox.jpg|80px]] || Major general || [[Wilbraham Lennox]] || 1887 || 1888 || [[Royal Engineers]] |- |[[File:Indian Celebrities- General Dunham Massy WDL11438.png|80px]] || Major general || [[William Massy]] || 1888 || 1893 || [[19th Regiment of Foot]] |- | || Major general || [[W. Clive-Justice]] || 1893 || 1897 || [[75th (Stirlingshire) Regiment of Foot|75th Regiment of Foot]] |- | || Major general || [[F. T. Hobson]] || 1897 || 1902 || |- |[[File:Maj. Gen. Hector Archibald MacDonald.png|80px]] || Major general || [[Hector MacDonald]] || 1902 || 1903 || [[92nd Gordon Highlanders]] |- | || [[Brigadier (United Kingdom)|Brigadier general]] || [[G. L. C. Money]] || 1903 || 1905 || [[Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders]] |- | || Brigadier general || [[R .C. B. Lawrence]] || 1905 || 1909 || [[1st King's Dragoon Guards]] |- | || Brigadier general || [[A. J. Whitacre Allen]] || 1909 || 1913 || [[Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment)|The Buffs]] |- | || Brigadier general || [[Henry Huntly Leith Malcolm]] || 1913 || 1915 || [[Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders]] |- | || Brigadier general || [[F. Hackett-Thompson]] || 1915 || 1918 || [[Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders]] |- | || [[Brigadier general]] || [[F. A. MacFarlane]] || 1918 || 1920 || |- |[[File:THE BATTLE OF PASSCHENDAELE, JULY-NOVEMBER 1917 Q79783.jpg|80px]] || [[Colonel commandant]] || [[Clifford Coffin]] || 1920 || 1924 || [[Royal Engineers]] |- | || Colonel commandant || [[Harold Higginson]] || 1924 || 1927 || [[Royal Dublin Fusiliers]] |- | || Brigadier || [[Austin Claude Girdwood]] || 1927 || 1931 || [[Northumberland Fusiliers]] |- | || Brigadier || [[E. F. Shewell]] || 1931 || 1934 || [[Royal Artillery]] |- | || Brigadier || [[C. A. Lyon]] || 1934 || 1937 || Royal Artillery |- | || Brigadier (local rank) || [[J. O. Thurburn]]<ref>{{cite web |title=THE LONDON GAZETTE, 30 JULY, 1937 |url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/34422/page/4881/data.pdf |website=thegazette.co.uk |access-date=1 September 2021}}</ref> || 1937 || 1941 || Royal Artillery |- | || Major general || [[Tim Inskip]] || 1941 || 1942 || [[13th Frontier Force Rifles]] |- |[[File:Henry Royds Pownall.jpg|80px]] || [[Lieutenant general]]|| [[Henry Pownall]]<ref>{{cite web |title=King's Collections : Archive Catalogues : POWNALL, Lt Gen Sir Henry Royds (1887-1961) |url=https://kingscollections.org/catalogues/lhcma/collection/p/po90-001 |website=kingscollections.org |publisher=King's College London |access-date=17 March 2020}}</ref>|| 1942 || 1943 || Royal Artillery |- | || Major general || [[Francis Tuker]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Officers of the Indian Army 1939-1945 -- T |url=https://www.unithistories.com/officers/IndianArmy_officers_T01.html |website=www.unithistories.com |access-date=17 March 2020}}</ref> ||March 1944 ||September 1944 || [[Royal Sussex Regiment]], [[2nd Gurkha Rifles]] |- |}
==See also== *[[Commander of the Ceylon Defence Force]] *[[Commander-in-Chief, Ceylon]]
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[http://ceylondatabase.net/military.html British Commanders] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140322002146/http://ceylondatabase.net/military.html |date=22 March 2014 }}
{{General Officer Commanding, Ceylon}} {{British Ceylon period topics}}
[[Category:General Officers Commanding, Ceylon| ]] [[Category:Ceylonese military personnel]] [[Category:Senior appointments of the British Army]] [[Category:British military commanders in chief]]