Welcome to My Exhibit

Welcome to my submission for the OMRS Exhibition 2021. The topic I have chosen is the Ceylon Medal 1818, a rare medal that was awarded as a reward for gallantry during the Kandyan Wars. I have presented a description of the medal with illustrations of its obverse and reverse, along with other details relating to this medal (including a full list of the recipients) and details about the rebellion in general.

I have also presented details of the 73rd Regiment Medal that was supposed to have been awarded in gold to four men of that regiment and additional details of the 73rd Regiment's service in Ceylon. Please use the tabs at the top of the page to navigate to the relevant pages.

My Thanks to the following for providing me with some of the information used in this exhibit:

Thomas B Smyth, the Archivist, The Black Watch Regt. HQ, for providing details of the 73rd Regiment's time in Ceylon from various regimental histories and for the photograph of the facsimile of the Ceylon Medal 1818 from their museum.

Gale Hawkes for providing me with the details and photographs of the 73rd Regiment Medal in Gold.

Randolph Jones for providing me with the list of recipients and additional details.

A Brief Summary of The Rebellion of 1817-1818 in Ceylon

Even though this conflict was called the Rebellion of 1817-18 by the British, it was an uprising for liberation for the Sinhalese. It was also known as the 1817-18 Uva- Wellassa uprising, after the two places where it originated and as the Third Kandyan War, between the native Kandyan rebels and the British.

The hither to independent Kingdom of Kandy was annexed by the British in 1815 under the terms of the Kandyan Convention at the end of the Second Kandyan War. The convention between the British Government and the chiefs of the kingdom of Kandy made it possible for Britain to annex Kandy to their other holdings in Ceylon, giving them complete control of the island. In addition, the King of Kandy Sri Vikrama Rajasinha (1780 – 1832, born Kannasamy Nayaka,) was deposed and his sovereignty was vested in the British Crown.

The Kandyan chiefs, who had invited the British to intervene and depose their then oppressive king of South Indian origin, had hoped that the Kandyan crown would be passed down to one of them or a king of their choosing and felt there were breaches of promise made by the British in terms of retaining the traditional privileges enjoyed by them during the era of the Kandyan Kingdom. They came to regret this convention and were further angered by the appointment of Hadji Muhandirum, a moor loyal to the British, as Travala Madige Muhandiram of Wellassa. This appointment undermined the authority of Millewa Dissawa and sparked the uprising.

In September 1817, when Sylvester Wilson, the Agent for Badulla heard about the disturbances in Wellassa, he sent the newly appointed Hadji Muhandiram to investigate and report to him about the situation. The disgruntled Kandyans caught the Hadji Muhandiram and killed him. When Wilson heard of the Muhandiram's fate, he set off from Badulla to inquire into the incident at Wellassa. While returning to Badulla, Wilson was shot and his team of soldiers were caught and detained by the rebels.

Keppitipola disawe, a signatory of the convention, was sent by the British government to stop the uprising, but ended up joining the rebellion and becoming its mainspring, and assisted many regional leaders in providing men and material from various regions. The other leaders who supported this independence movement were: Gode Gedara Adikaram, Wilbawe, Pilimatalawe Adikaram, Kohu Kumbure Rate Rala, Dimbulana Disave, Kivulegedara Mohottala, [Madugalle Disave], Butewe Rate Rala, Galagoda family members, Galagedara Mohottala, Meegahapitiya Rate Rala, Dambawinna Disave, and Kurundukumbure Mohottala.

When Maj. Macdonald of the 19th Foot, the officer commanding the garrison at Badulla came across a man's head impaled on a stake near the place Wilson had died, he decided a show of ruthlessness was needed.

"Major Macdonald now thought an example of severity should be shown, the houses all around were therefore burnt, and all the property found, cattle, grain, etc. etc. were either carried off or destroyed. This terrible sight appeared to dismay the natives, they ceased to shout or skirmish at a distance and only ventured upon the skirts of the plain to gaze in silence upon the flames which consumed their habitations." [Brownrigg to Bathurst 27/11/1817]

Keppitipola went up to Alupotha and joined the fighters and Rev. Wariyapola Sri Sumangala of Asgiriya fled to Hanguranketa with the casket containing the tooth relic of the Buddha, resulting in a more vigorous phase of the fight for liberation as the Sinhalese believed that whoever possessed this tooth relic would be the rightful ruler of the country. By September 1818, two leaders, Madugalle Basnayake Nilame and Ehelepola Nilame, surrendered to the British, and Pilimatalawe led the rebellion. The British captured Ellepola, who was the Dissawa of Viyaluwa and his brother and both were beheaded in Bogambara on 27 October 1818. The fighters captured Matale and Kandy before Keppetipola fell ill and was captured and beheaded by the British. The uprising failed due to a number of reasons. It was not well-planned by the leaders. The areas controlled by some pro-British chiefs provided easy transport routes for British supplies. Wilbawe, who was said to have a claim to the Sinhalese throne, was found out to be an imposter.

Dr. Henry Marshall wrote: "Neither of the belligerents seemed much disposed to take prisoners, and that the atrocities of a force trained in the usages of civilized warfare, were not less flagrant than those of an uncivilized population. White and black races, the invaded and the invaders, Christian and Pagan, vied with each other in promoting the horrors and barbarities of mutual destruction. Probably this was considered the only effective mode of carrying on the war, and that the end justified the means. Did not the means condemn the end?" [Marshall, Ceylon, 1846]

The rebellion led the British colonial government to adopt a scorched earth policy in order to suppress it. This included the killing of cattle and other livestock, the destruction of private property (including homes and stocks of salt) and the burning of rice paddies. In addition to the scorched earth policies, the colonial government also confiscated properties owned by rebels. After the uprising was suppressed as a measure of stopping future uprisings the entire able bodied male population , at the time was stated to be around 100,000 were killed. It is estimated that more than 500,000 people who were children, women, elderly died due to the scorched earth policy of the government.

The Governor, Robert Brownrigg justified this policy as "The Kandyans would not stop to be defeated. There is no resource left but to burn and lay waste to the property of the headmen, their leaders - revolting as such vigorous measures are to my heart, they are the only means left to reduce the refractory to submission." [Brownrigg to Bathurst 27/11/1817]

Dr. John Davy, [the brother of Sir Humphrey Davy], serving as a doctor in Ceylon during this time, wrote: ". . . The sufferings of the natives were of a more severe kind and complicated nature. In addition to the horrors of war in its most appalling shape, they had to encounter those of disease, want and famine, without chance of relief." [Davy, An Account of the Interior of Ceylon, 1821].

British Regiments present in Ceylon during the Rebellion of 1817-18

73^rd Foot (2^nd Batt., the Black Watch)

19^th Foot

83^rd Foot

1^st & 2^nd Ceylon Regiments

7^th , 15^th & 18^th Madras Native Infantry

The 1^st Battalion of the 73^rd Regiment (The Black Watch) was ordered to Ceylon, from Van Diemen’s Land, in late 1813 and arrived in 1814. They were among the British troops that invaded the Kingdom of Kandy in 1815. While the 1^st Battalion was thus occupied, the 2^nd Battalion had fought in the Battle of Waterloo. A detachment of the 2^nd Battalion arrived in Trincomalee in 1817 and joined the 1^st Battalion in suppressing the rebellion, in which the 73^rd lost 10 officers and 366 men, of whom only one officer (Lt.John Maclaine) and about 20 men were killed or died of wounds inflicted by the enemy, the remainder had fallen victim to sickness. Four of their men were awarded the Ceylon 1818 Medal. The 73^rd was ordered to England in 1821.

The 19^th Foot, The Green Howards, were stationed in Ceylon from 1796 to 1820 and played an active role during the Rebellion, but according to the records at their Regimental HQ, none of their men were awarded this medal.

This is the same with the 83^rd Foot. Their Regimental History mentions that “No event of importance occurred during this desultory campaign” and gives the casualties as 12 killed or wounded. There is no mention of the Ceylon 1818 Medal, so it is presumed that none of their men received it. The 83^rd Foot (which, in 1881, was amalgamated with the 86^th Regiment to form The Royal Irish Rifles. This name was changed to Royal Ulster Rifles in 1921, and in 1968 it was amalgamated with other Irish regiments to form The Royal Irish Rangers. It was further amalgamated, in 1992, with The Ulster Defence Regiment to form The Royal Irish Regiment.)

The above is a painting by Prasanna Weerakkody depicting the ruthlessness employed by the colonial government to put down this rebellion.