| Bertram Russell Heyn | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 1, 1912 |
| Died | February 3, 1998 |
| Allegiance | Sri Lanka |
| Service/branch | Ceylon Army |
| Years of service | 19??-1967 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Unit | Ceylon Light Infantry |
| Commands held | Commander of the Sri Lankan Army , Chief of Staff of the Sri Lankan Army |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | War Medal 1939–1945 |
| Other work | President of the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka |
Major General Bertram Russell Heyn, idc, psc, CLI (October 1, 1912—February 3, 1998) was a Sri Lankan general and a cricketer. He was a former Commander of the Ceylon Army.
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Educated at Royal College, Colombo, he played for the cricket team at Royal College, debuting in 1930 and played in the Royal-Thomian. He played for the Ceylon cricket team and his most famous feat was getting Sir Donald Bradman out on his last appearance in Colombo, in an unofficial Test match between Australia and All-Ceylon on 27 March 1948. Bradman was able to score only 20 runs before being caught out by R.L. de Kretser off Heyn's bowling. Heyn also played hockey. He was graduated from the Staff College, Camberley and the Imperial Defence College.
He was joined the Ceylon Defence Force and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Ceylon Light Infantry before World War II, by the end of the war he was a Captain. When the Ceylon Army was formed in 1949 he was commissioned as a Major in the regular force. In the early 1950s he took command of the Ceylon Light Infantry with as a Lieutenant Colonel.
Promoted to the rank of Brigadier he was serving as chief of staff of the army, when in 1962 an attempted military coup took place. The following year the army commander was forced to retire and Colonel A.R. Udugama was appointed as army commander by passing the more senior Brigadier Heyn, even thou he wasn't involved in the coup. On 11 November 1966 he was appointed Commander of the Ceylon Army and promoted to the rank of Major General. He held the post till his retirement in 30 September 1967.
For wartime service, he had earned the War Medal 1939–1945, and for service in the Ceylon Army, he received the Ceylon Armed Services Long Service Medal, the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal and the Ceylon Armed Services Inauguration Medal.
In his later years he managed the Sri Lanka cricket team and served as the head of the Cricket Board, as well as on the Sri Lanka Olympic Council.
General Heyn and his wife Edna had two sons, Richard and David. Richard represented Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) at Field Hockey and played Cricket at top-grade club level. David represented Sri Lanka at Cricket and played Field Hockey at top-grade club level.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Richard Udugama |
Commander of the Sri Lankan Army 1966 - 1967 |
Succeeded by D. S. Attygalle |