Don Sepala Attygalle සේපාල ආටිගල | |
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Born | October 14, 1921 |
Died | January 15, 2001 Colombo | (aged 79)
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Years of service | 1942–1946, 1949-1977 |
Rank | ![]() |
Service number | 0/50010 |
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Other work | Permanent Secretary Ministry of Defence, Sri Lankan High Commissioner to the United Kingdom |
General Deshamanya Don Sepala Attygalle, LVO (14 October 1921 – 15 January 2001) was a Sri Lankan army officer, civil servant and diplomat. The longest serving Commander of the Sri Lankan Army (1967–1977), he went on to serve as the Permanent secretary to the Ministry of Defence and Sri Lankan High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.
He is most notable for successfully crushing the 1971 Insurrection in a matter of months and becoming the first Sri Lankan army officer to be promoted to the rank of full general. He is known as the "Father of the Armoured Corps" and was The Equerry to Queen Elizabeth II during her coronation in 1953.