Richard Udugama

The Honourable Major General Deshamanya Alexander Richard Udugama MBE, psc, CSR, MP

Member of the Sri Lanka Parliament for Matale
In office 7 June 1970 – 18 May 1977
Preceded by	Alick Aluwihare
Succeeded by	Alick Aluwihare
Personal details
Born	11 November 1911 Matale
Died	14 May 1995(1995-05-14) (aged 83)
Nationality	Sri Lankan
Political party	Sri Lanka Freedom Party
Occupation	Soldier
Religion	Buddhist
Awards	MBE, Burma Star, Defence Medal, War Medal 1939–1945
Military service
Allegiance	Sri Lanka
Service/branch	Ceylon Defence Force Ceylon Army
Years of service	1940–1966
Rank	Major General
Unit	Ceylon Light Infantry, Ceylon Sinha Regiment
Commands	Commander of the Ceylon Army
Battles/wars	World War II

Major General Deshamanya Alexander Richard Udugama, MBE, psc, CSR (11 November 1911 – 14 May 1995) was a Sri Lankan military leader, politician and diplomat. Former Commander of the Ceylon Army (1964–1966), he was elected as Member of Parliament for Matale in 1970 and served as Sri Lankan Ambassador to Iraq from 1979 to 1982. He was accused of an alleged coup d'état in 1966.

Early life

He was born on 11 November 1911 in Matale to a rich family, who claimed to be linked to the Uva Rebellion. Educated at Trinity College, Kandy and won a Trinity Lion.

Military career

With the out break of World War II, he joined the Ceylon Defence Force and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Ceylon Light Infantry in 1940. Thereafter he was posted to the 1st, 3rd and 4th Battalions of the Ceylon Light Infantry and undertook several infantry courses in Ceylon and India. He was promoted to the rank of Captain on 1 January 1943. In November 1943, he was transferred to the British 14th Army operating in Burma Campaign. During this time he served with the 7/2nd Punjab Regiment in the Arakan area, on the eastern side of Mayu Range. At this point he was captured Japanese and held in a POW camp until the end of the war in 1945. For his war service he was awarded the Burma Star, the Defence Medal and the War Medal 1939–1945. After the war, he was demobilized and became a planter. However he joined the new Ceylon Army when it was established in 1949 as a regular officer with the rank of Major.

By the early 1960s he had reached the rank of Colonel and was attached to the Ceylon Sinha Regiment as its commanding officer and was stationed in Jaffna as Commanding Officer, Troops Jaffna. There he was noted for breaking up a protest organized by the Federal Party.

Following the 1962 attempt coup d'état he was brought back to Colombo and appointed Commander of the Ceylon Army in 1964, by passing seven more senior officers after Major General H.W.G. Wijeyekoon had to retired in 1963. He was the first Sinhala-Buddhist Army Commander with the rank of Brigadier.

Arrest

Major General Udugama was recalled while on an official tour in Europe, and arrested on his arrival at the Bandaranaike International Airport. He was arrested on the charges of plotting a coup against the government of Prime Minister Dudley Senanayake in what was known as the Bathroom coup.^[1]

He was held at the Welikada Prison for three years as the trial took place and the Supreme Court found him not guilty and acquitted him of all charges. His councils were Neville Samarakoon, QC and Tissa Wijeyeratne.

Later years

Following his acquittal he contested the Matale seat from the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and was elected as a Member of Parliament which he held till 1977. By the late 1970s be came a supporter of the United National Party and in 1979 he was appointed as Sri Lankan Ambassador to Iraq until 1982. The government of Sri Lanka bestowed the title of Deshamanya and on his death in 1995 a State funeral was granted with full Military honours.^[2]

Family

General Udugama married Rita Nugawela Kumarihamy, daughter of Tikiri Banda Nugawela Rate Mahatmaya of Udu Nuwara and sister of Colonel Allan Nugawela. They had a son and a daughter.

Honors

He was awarded the title Deshamanya from the Government of Sri Lanka.
He was a Member of the Order of the British Empire.
Trinity Prize from Trinity College, Kandy

References

External links

Remembering the dark hour

Military offices
Preceded by H.W.G. Wijeyekoon	Commander of the Ceylon Army 1964–1966	Succeeded by Bertram Heyn

Commanders of the Sri Lankan Army

1 Sinclair 2 Reid 3 Muttukumaru 4 Wijeyekoon 5 Udugama 6 Heyn 7 Attygalle 8 Perera 9 Weeratunga 10 Seneviratne 11 Wanasinghe 12 Waidyaratne 13 De Silva 14 Daluwatte 15 Weerasooriya 16 Balagalle 17 Kottegoda 18 Fonseka 19 Jayasuriya 20 Ratnayake 21 De Silva

Parliament of Sri Lanka from Matale (1947–1989)

V. T. Nanayakkara Bernard Aluwihare Nimal Karunatilake Bernard Aluwihare Alick Aluwihare Richard Udugama Alick Aluwihare

Current District: Matale Electoral District

← Members of the 7th Parliament of Sri Lanka (1970 (1970)–1977) →

Speaker: Stanley Tillekeratne Prime Minister: Sirimavo Bandaranaike Leader of the Opposition: J. R. Jayewardene

Central Province (23)	M. S. Aluthgamage P. G. Ariyatillake Gamini Dissanayake A. G. Fernando Monty Gopallawa Abdul Cader Shahul Hameed T. B. M. Herath Thamara Ilangaratna D. M. Jayaratne T. B. Jayasundera U. P. Y. Jinadasa Hector Kobbekaduwa R. Kulatillake H. M. Navaratne E. L. Senanayake Hemachandra Sirisena P. Tennakoon T. B. Tennekoon Richard Udugama P. B. Unantenne J. D. Weerasekera N. Wimalasena S. B. Yalegama

Eastern Province (11)	M. C. Ahamed K. W. Devanayagam A. L. Abdul Majeed M. A. Abdul Majeed M. M. Mustapha B. Neminathan C. Rajadurai P. R. Selvanayagam Senerath Somaratne S. Thambirajah A. Thangathurai

Northern Province (13)	V. A. Alegacone S. A. Raheem V. Anandasangaree C. Arulampalam S. J. V. Chelvanayakam V. Dharmalingam K. Jeyakody S. Kathiravelupillai C. X. Martyn V. N. Navaratnam K. P. Ratnam X. M. Sellathambu A. Thiagarajah K. Thurairatnam

North Central Province (8)	T. B. Herath A. M. Jinadasa R. B. Ratnamalala A. M. S. Adhikari K. B. Ratnayake Maithripala Senanayake Ratna Deshapriya Senanayake P. M. K. Tennakoon Leelaratne Wijesinghe

North Western Province (16)	S. M. Asenkudhoos M. H. Naina Marikkar Tissa Balalla Augustheenu Fonseka M. Herat S. B. Herat S. D. R. Jayaratne L. B. Jayasena G. W. Samarasinghe Tikiri Banda Subasinghe Mudiyanse Tennakoon Protus Tissera P. B. Wettewa D. P. Wickramasinghe M. A. J. Wijesinghe P. Wijesinghe S. Wijewardena

Sabaragamuwa Province (16)	B. A. P. B. Balasuriya Nanda Ellawala Piyadasa Harischandra P. B. G. Kalugalla V. T. G. Karunaratne Sarath Muttetuwegama Vasudeva Nanayakkara N. M. Perera P. R. Ratnayake Mallikka Ellawala Ratwatte Dudley Senanayake Rukman Senanayake Athauda Seneviratne W. A. A. Sirisena Dharmadasa Wanniarachchi Dhanapala Weerasekera P. O. Wimalanaga

Southern Province (19)	Sumanapala Dahanayake Wijeyananda Dahanayake Neal de Alwis Ronnie de Mel L. C. de Silva Pettagan Weerasinghe de Silva Henry William Dissanayake Prins Gunasekera Panini Ilangakoon Albert Kariyawasam M. G. Mendis Aelian Mahanaga Nanayakkara George Rajapaksa Lakshman Rajapaksa Mahinda Rajapaksa Roy Don Rajapaksa Senapala Samarasekera Edirisuriya Tennyson B. Y. Tudawe S. A. Wickramasinghe

Uva Province (10)	R. M. Appuhamy W. P. G. Ariyadasa K. Y. M. Wijeratne Banda B. H. Bandara R. M. Bandara W. M. R. S. B. Delungahawatta A. M. Jayawardena S. A. S. Somapala Raja Welegama D. D. E. Wickremaratne

Western Province (35)	Kusala Abhayawardana Felix Dias Bandaranaike Sirimavo Bandaranaike A. T. Basnayake I. A. Abdul Cader Falil Caffoor Somaweera Chandrasiri Dharmasena Attygalle Wimalasiri de Mel Colvin R. de Silva K. C. de Silva Wijayapala Mendis Denzil Fernando Cholmondeley Goonewardena Leslie Goonewardena Vivienne Goonewardena Chandra Gunasekera T. B. Ilangaratne Lakshman Jayakody Bonnie Jayasuriya J. R. Jayewardene Pieter Keuneman A. D. J. L. Leo Mangala Moonesinghe S. Obeyesekera Dayasena Turnolius Pasqual Paris Perera Joseph Michael Perera R. S. Perera Ranasinghe Premadasa Wilfred Senanayake M. P. de Z. Siriwardena Bernard Soysa V. A. Sugathadasa Vincent Perera S. K. K. Suriarachchi Stanley Tillekeratne Herbert Wickramasinghe Ratnasiri Wickremanayake

Appointed (6)	Abd al-Aziz M. D. S. Jayawardene S. S. Kulatilake Badi-ud-din Mahmud J. E. J. Rodrigo M. C. Subramaniam Chelliah Kumarasuriyar *Appointed MPs were abolished in 1972 by the First Republican Constitution

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