Welcome to CeylonMedals. com
Decorations and Medals of Deshamanya Gen. Don Sepala Attygalle LVO adc, psc
Left to Right: Royal Victorian Order (LVO), Defence Medal, War Medal, Coronation Medal 1953, Ceylon Armed Services Long Service Medal;, Efficiency Medal [Ceylon] and the Ceylon Armed Services Inauguration Medal
This website is dedicated to my hobby of collecting and researching military medals and to several projects that I am currently researching. Its purpose is to inform others of my research and to obtain information, input and feedback from them. I have been collecting and researching military medals since 1993, and have seen many books about Orders, Decorations and Medals to various countries, but none dedicated solely to awards relating to Sri Lanka (Ceylon). In order to correct this deficit, I have started, in 1996, a project to collect data of awards relating to Sri Lanka (Ceylon) from 1795 to the present. At that time I was not aware of how many different awards there were, and anticipated the result to be a booklet of about 100 pages. Today, there is enough data in my files to fill a huge volume of over 3,000 pages, and now I have information not only about the medals, but photos of medals, many photos and biographical data of the recipients, and in most cases, complete lists of recipients for each type of award. As a result of this research I am planning to publish several books. Proposed covers of the books are shown below. Please click on them or the tabs shown at the top of this page, to access details of each project.
I have had the support and contributions from a large number of people from all over the world. (Please see the Acknowledgement sections) who have generously shared with me information from their own research or about Ceylon related items in their own collections. Many of these are Medal Collectors and Genealogists, and others are people who had served in the Armed Forces and the Police, in Sri Lanka, or relatives of such personnel.
Yet, I am missing some important data, especially about Honours and Awards of the present Republic of Sri Lanka, without which my book will be incomplete. I would be grateful if any one who reads this can help me obtain these details (Please see the ‘Assistance Needed’ section for a list of items I am looking for).
Since it is an enormous undertaking, I am still in the process of collecting data, and would like to hear from anyone who is a recipient of any of the above awards, or know of any recipients. I would also like to hear from you if you have any Orders, Decorations and Medals in your collection, that relate to Sri Lanka (Ceylon) in any way.
The objective of these projects is to record the names and the deeds of the recipients of Orders, Decorations and Medals relating to Ceylon / Sri Lanka (both military and civil), for posterity.
I hope you will enjoy viewing the contents of this website, which contains samples of my research, which will give you an idea of what the finished products will look like. By contributing information and photographs, you can help me make it even better.
You can contact me at: Ceylon_Medals@hotmail.com
Group of 6 medals to Sergeant Maharambe Enderage Simon, Ceylon Police Dept.
From Left to Right: Imperial Service Medal (GVIR), Jubilee Medal 1935 (engraved 1406 M.E.Simon.) issued as Police Sergeant, Coronation Medal 1937, Coronation Medal 1953, Colonial Police Long Service Medal (GVR) (1406 Sgt. M.E. Simon, [C/G 29 May 1936]), St John's Ambulance Brigade Service Medal (1487 M.E Simon Ceylon Police Cps. S.J.A.B.O. 1934); Medals in the author's Collection
An article about my hobby that appeared in the Sri Lankan newspaper Ceylon Today on Sunday June 2, 2013
The title banner from my original website designed in 1996. It shows the Capture of Ceylon 1795-96 medal (Left) and five current Sri Lankan medals on the right.
An Article that I wrote in the OMRS Journal - December 2014
