Lucky Wijayaratne

Major General Chulabhaya Lakshman 'Lucky' Wijayaratne RWP, RSP, M.Sc, LI was a Sri Lankan army officer, who was one of the most distinguished generals in the Sri Lanka army. Major General Wijayaratne died on 18 December 1990 at the 10th milepost along Trincomalee-Anuradhapura road due to a landmine explosion. He was the commander of 22 brigade based in Trincomalee at the time of his death and played a pivotal role in the government’s counter-terrorism offensive in the district. Major General Wijayaratne was the senior most Sri Lankan military officer to die from a LTTE attack up to that time.

Early life and career Lucky Wijayaratne was born on 30 October 1944 to a well respected family in Galle and his father was a reputed ayurvedic physician in the area. He was educated at Mahinda College, Galle, where he was a member of the school Cadet Corps. After finishing the school education he opted for the military service on 26 March 1964, after joining the Sri Lanka Army as a Cadet Officer in the Sri Lanka Military Academy. After completing the initial training successfully he was proceeded to the Pakistan Military Academy for advanced training. He followed many military courses, both in Sri Lanka and overseas and his high performance levels at those military training centres earned him a scholarship for postgraduate studies (MSc.) in Strategic Warfare at Aberdeen University in Scotland. They were returning from a refugee camp near Horowupatana in Tricomalee, where they had met with refugees to ask them to return to their villages after LTTE had been driven out of the area.

Awards

Rana Wickrama PadakkamaRana Sura PadakkamaPurna Bhumi PadakkamaVadamarachchi Operation MedalPresident's Inauguration Medal

Major General Lakshman Wijayaratne was awarded with several medals and decorations by the government of Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka Army, including Rana Wickrama Padakkama (RWP), Rana Sura Padakkama (RSP), Vadamarachchi Operation Medal, Purna Bhumi Medal and President’s Medal to commemorate his valuable dedication and service to the country.