Ceylon Mounted Rifles
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| Ceylon Mounted Rifles | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1887-1938 |
| Country | Ceylon |
| Branch | Ceylon Defence Force |
| Type | Mounted Infantry |
| Role | Cavalry, Mounted Infantry |
| Part of | British Army |
| Garrison/HQ | RHQ - Rifle Green, Colombo |
| Nickname | CMR |
| Engagements | Second Boer War World War I World War II |
Ceylon Mounted Rifles was the only cavalry regiment attached to the Ceylon Defence Force which was the predecessor to the Sri Lanka Army prior to 1949 when the Ceylon Army was formed. It was a volunteer (reserve) regiment was based in Colombo made up of only of British.
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[edit] History
The regiment start out as the cavalry element of the Ceylon Light Infantry attached to the Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteers in 1887 (that was in 1910 renamed Ceylon Defence Force) and was named as the Ceylon Mounted Infantry (CMI) .
The first deployment of the regiment can in 1900 a company sized force under the command of Major Murray Menzies, was sent to South Africa experiencing combat at Stinkhoutboom, Cape Colony, Driefontein, Johannesberg, Diamond Hill and Wittebergen. After the CMI was withdrawn, another company sized force from the Ceylon Planters Rifle Corps was in 1902 dispatched to South Africa. The overall conduct of Ceylon troops received accolades from General Kitchener, Chief of Staff to Lord Roberts in South Africa, who affirmed, “The Ceylon Contingent did very good work in South Africa I only wish we had more of them.”
In 1906 the CMI was renamed the Ceylon Mounted Rifles. It was mobilized for war in 1914 when World War I started. With the demise of cavalry warfare the regiment was disbanded in 1938
[edit] Trivia
- The regiment's officers' mess is now part of the Sri Lanka Air Force headquarters in Colombo.
- The regiment's barracks, known as the Rifle Barracks, after being abandoned for a long time has been refurbished and in 2007 turned into the National Defence Services’ School, Colombo.
