Sepala Attygalle General Deshamanya Don Sepala Attygalle , LVO , ADC , idc , psc , SLAC ( 1922 — January 2001 ) was a Sri Lankan military leader , civil servant and diplomat . The longest serving Commander of the Sri Lankan Army ( 1967 – 1977 ) , he went on to served 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 a four star General . He is known as the " " Father of the Armoured Corps " " and was The Equerry to The Queen during her coronation in 1953 . Education . Attygalle was educated at the prestigious Royal College , Colombo where he became the Head prefect , won colours in both athletics and rugby and was the Senior Sergeant of the Cadet Contingent of Royal . Thereafter he went on to the University of Ceylon . He graduated from the Staff College , Camberley in 1953 and the Imperial Defence College in 1966 . Military career . With the out break of World War II seeking a King ' s Commission , he joined as a cadet officer taking the Sword of Honour at the Army passing out parade at Diyatalawa in 1941 . Soon after he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Ceylon Light Infantry and underwent advance training in India . After the war , he was demobilized and served as an Assistant Controller of Textiles and Assistant Controller of Exports and Imports . When the new Ceylon Army was established in 1949 he joined in and was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the 1 Battalion , Ceylon Light Infantry as a regular officer , promoted to the rank of Captain on the same day he was assigned as staff officer in the General Staff . In 1950 he was appointed as Aide - de - camp ( ADC ) to Lord Soulbury , the Governor General of Ceylon and was promoted to the rank of Major in 1952 . In mid 1952 , he followed a Company Commanders ' Course at the School of Infantry , Warminster and a Land / Air Warfare Course at the School of Land / Air Warfare . Thereafter he was attached to the 1st Battalion , King ' s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry , in Germany , serving with the NATO Forces in Europe . In 1953 he relinquished the appointment at the Army HQ general staff , left for the United Kingdom for Staff College , Camberley and was thereafter seconded to the 1st The Queen ' s Dragoon Guards . During this time he was appointed Equerry to HM Queen Elizabeth II at her Coronation and served as Military Liaison officer to the High Commissioner for Ceylon in United Kingdom . On his return to Ceylon he took up command of the Echelon Barracks . On 10 October 1955 Attygalle , raised the 1st Reconnaissance ( Recce ) Squadron as the Cavalry Arm in the Ceylon Army in the lines of 1st The Queen ' s Dragoon Guards . On 17 December 1955 a Combined Services Buddhist Mission led by Major Attygalle left for Burma on board HMCyS Vijaya , to represent the Armed Forces of Ceylon at the Buddha Jayanthi Commemoration Celebrations with them a gift of a Bo sapling . In 1958 , the recce squadron was expanded to a regiment and Attygalle was appointed as its first Commanding Officer with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel . The 1st Reconnaissance Regiment became the core of the Ceylon Armoured Corps . In 1962 , he was promoted to the rank of Colonel , he took up command of the Panagoda Cantonment , whilst serving as Commanding Officer , Ceylon Armoured Corps . Thereafter he became the Commander of the Task Force Anti Illicit Immigration in 1963 , later the Inspector of Training , Army Headquarters . He become the Chief of Staff of the Army in 1964 after relinquishing command of the Ceylon Armoured Corps and relinquished command of the Task Force Anti Illicit Immigration in 1965 . On 1 October 1967 Brigadier D . S . Attygalle took over as the as Acting Commander of the Army after the retirement of Major General B . R . Heyn . Promoted to the rank of Major General he was confirmed as Commander of the Army shortly . Under his leadership the army crushed the 1971 Insurrection within two months and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General on 4 April 1974 thus being the first officer of the Sri Lanka Army to hold this rank . When he retired on 13 October 1977 after having served for ten years as Commander , he was promoted to the rank of general , thus becoming the first Sri Lankan army officer to be promoted to the rank of a four star General and longest serving Commander of the Army . Later life . Apron retirement from the army , he took up appointment as Additional Secretary , Ministry of Defence and Chief Co - ordinating Authority in the Ministry of Defence in 1977 . In the early 1980s with the escalation of the Tamil Militancy he was appointed as Permanent Secretary , Ministry of Defence and served as National Defence Advisor to the President of Sri Lanka . He played a major role during the Vadamarachchi Operation until Indian intervention stopped it midway . During this time he was the founding Chairman , Air Ports and Aviation Services and Chairman of Air Lanka . In 1990 he was appointed as High Commissioner for Sri Lanka in the United Kingdom . His military funeral in January 2001 , was well attended by his family members ( His wife Brighty , his son Suraj and his grandsons Damin and Shaminda ) , friends and colleagues who gathered to mourn his loss . Decorations . He was made a Member of the Royal Victorian Order ( Military Division ) ( MVO ) by Her Majesty the Queen in recognition of the services rendered by him , during her Majesty ' s visit to Ceylon in 1954 which was later upgrade to Lieutenant in 1984 . For wartime service in World War II , he had earned the Defence Medal and the War Medal 1939 – 1945 , and for service in the Ceylon Army , he received the Ceylon Armed Services Long Service Medal , the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal and the Ceylon Armed Services Inauguration Medal . For service in the Sri Lanka Army , he received the Republic of Sri Lanka Armed Services Medal and the Vadamarachchi Operation Medal for his later service as Secretary of Defence .