Ceylon Rifle Regiment
Encyclopedia
Ceylon Rifle Regiment was a regular native regiment formed by the British
in Ceylon. Its history goes back to 1795 when five independent companies of Malays where transferred from Dutch
to HEIC service. Since then the regiment under deferent names had fought for the British in the Kandyan War
and the Uva Rebellion
of 1818
The action the Ceylon Rifle Regiment saw was in the Matale Rebellion
in 1848. Since it served no practical application and was disbanded in 1873.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in Ceylon. Its history goes back to 1795 when five independent companies of Malays where transferred from Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
to HEIC service. Since then the regiment under deferent names had fought for the British in the Kandyan War
Kandian Wars
The Kandyan Wars refers generally to the period of warfare between the British colonial forces and the Kingdom of Kandy, on the island of what is now present day Sri Lanka, between 1796 and 1818...
and the Uva Rebellion
Uva Rebellion
The Great Rebellion of 1817-1818, also known as the 1818 Uva-Wellassa Uprising, , or simply the Uva Rebellion was the third Kandyan War with the British, in what is now Sri Lanka...
of 1818
The action the Ceylon Rifle Regiment saw was in the Matale Rebellion
Matale Rebellion
The Matale Rebellion, also known as the Rebellion of 1848 took place in Ceylon against the British colonial government under Governor Lord Torrington, 7th Viscount Torrington. It marked a transition from the classic feudal form of anti-colonial revolt to modern independence struggles...
in 1848. Since it served no practical application and was disbanded in 1873.
Trivia
- The regiment's officers' messMessA mess is the place where military personnel socialise, eat, and live. In some societies this military usage has extended to other disciplined services eateries such as civilian fire fighting and police forces. The root of mess is the Old French mes, "portion of food" A mess (also called a...
is now part of the Sri Lanka Air Force headquarters, SLAF ColomboSLAF ColomboSLAF Colombo is the Sri Lanka Air Force headquarters in Colombo. In this capacity it has the offices of the Commander of the Air Force, Chief of Staff, the Board of Management and Board of Directors of the Sri Lanka Air Force...
. - The regiment's barracksBarracksBarracks are specialised buildings for permanent military accommodation; the word may apply to separate housing blocks or to complete complexes. Their main object is to separate soldiers from the civilian population and reinforce discipline, training and esprit de corps. They were sometimes called...
, known as the Rifle Barracks, after being abandoned for a long time has been refurbished and in 2007 turned into the National Defence Services’ School, Colombo.