Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps
| Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps | |
|---|---|
 Cap badge of the SLAWC | |
| Active | 14 September, 1979 – present[1] |
| Land |  Sri Lanka |
| Branch |  Sri Lanka Army |
| Role | Combat support, Combat service support |
| Size | 6 battalions |
| Regimental Centre | Borella, Colombo |
| Nickname(s) | SLAWC |
| Motto(s) | Savi Bala Sith - Avi Bala Deth (Translation from Sinhala: The Powerful Mind is the Strongest Weapon) |
| Anniversaries | 14 September[1] |
| Engagements | Sri Lankan Civil War |
| Insignia | |
| Flag | File:Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps Flag.jpg |
The Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps (SLAWC) is a Sri Lanka Army corps. The headquarters of this corps is in Borella, Colombo and the corps has six battalions. The first battalion was raised in 14 September, 1979.[1]
The regimental insignia of this corps is Viharamahadevi in a boat surrounded by gold colour sea and a vignette.
Übersicht
The corps was set up with the assistance of the Women's Royal Army Corps of the British Army. It was identical in structure to its parent organization, and its first generation of lady officer cadets was trained in Britain. Candidates were required to be between eighteen and twenty years old and to have passed the General Common Entrance (Ordinary level) examinations, while the officer candidates must have passed the Advanced Level. Enlistment entailed a five-year service commitment (the same as for men), and recruits were not allowed to marry during this period. In the training course at the Army Training Center at Diyatalawa, recruits were put through a program of drill and physical training similar to the men's program, with the exception of weapons and battle craft training. Female soldiers were paid according to the same scale as the men, but were primarily limited to service in nursing, communications and clerical works.
One officer, three nurses and four other soldiers participated in the Vadamarachchi operation, which lasted from 27 May 1987 to 11 June 1988. This was the first time that the women in the Sri Lanka Army participated in combat operations.[1][2] Over 25 female soldiers have been killed in action with the first in 1997.[3]
Units
Regular battalions
- 1st Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps
- 7th Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps
Volunteer battalions
- 2nd(v) Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps
- 3rd(v) Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps
- 4th(v) Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps
- 5th(v) Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps
- 6th(v) Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps (disbanded)[4]
Notable members
- Susanthika Jayasinghe - Sri Lankan Olympic athlete
- Nadeeka Lakmali - Sri Lankan Olympic athlete[5]
Order of precedence
References
- ^ a b c d "History of 1 SLAWC". alt.army.lk/slawc.
- ^ "Lankan women choosing the army over marriage". Rediff.com. 1997.
- ^ "War Heroines". army.lk. Sri Lanka Army. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
- ^ "Volunteer battalions". army.lk/slawc.
- ^ "Nadeeka LAKMALI". Olympics.com. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
External links
Further reading
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