During World War II Sri Lanka had a dominating power and control of the Indian Ocean and it was strategically important as a ‘stepping stone’ to India. Following the attack on Pearl Harbour, the East Indies fleet of the Allied forces was rushed to Trincomalee, the world’s best natural harbour. The other airbases at that time were the Koggala, Ratmalana and China Bay in Trincomalee. Sir Geoffrey Layton arrived in March 1942, as the Commander-in-Chief of Ceylon, who enhanced recruitment of military personnel.
The first few days of April 1942 were extremely busy with Australian troops in the Middle East on their way home and East African troops also arriving in Colombo around the same time and took up ‘positions’. Squadron Leader Leonard Joseph of the Canadian Air Force arrived in Ceylon too on April 2, 1942. On April 4, 1942, after completing his search mission, Joseph was on his way back to base; around 4 pm Joseph noticed a chain of “sticks” mounting up on the horizon and against the evening skies. Taking a closer look he saw the objects as seven Japanese aircraft carriers, two cruisers, three warships, and a great number of destroyers heading towards the East coast, about 300 miles away.
Anti-aircraft gunfire
His SOS was picked up and the whole island was alerted. Joseph’s sea plane was hit by bullets from Japanese aircrafts and it crashed into the sea. Joseph and five other survivors were rescued and transferred to the Japanese aircraft carrier and to Japan, where they were subjected to intense interrogation to ascertain if they have already made an SOS to allied forces inland. All the captured soldiers denied the fact.
Next day, April 5, 1942, the Japanese raided Colombo and Ratmalana. However, the Japanese were amazed when they were driven off by anti-aircraft gunfire. They bagged 31 Japanese aircraft and damaged 24 others. Twenty inmates of the Angoda Hospital and another 18 casualties were recorded.
Several buildings in the vicinity of harbour, two ships; a submarine depot ship, an armed cruiser which were in harbour were badly damaged. It also crippled the Ratmalana airstrip and the railway workshop and running shed. On that fateful Sunday morning when the air raid sirens sounded people preferred to stand and watch at the aircraft formation, overhead Colombo streets instead of taking cover in the underground shelters, located in various parts of the city.
The planes broke formation and dived to bomb and machine gun the noted signs and targets in Colombo. In a second round of high-level attacks, they damaged a number of factories and workshops, as the defence forces found effective anti-aircraft firing a complex job. Several fighter aircrafts were destroyed at Ratmalana. Only the airfield at Racecourse remained untouched during the raids. A merchant cruiser and a destroyer were sunk in Colombo harbour, whilst two cruisers were destroyed some 200 miles west of Colombo. The British suffered heavy losses in aircraft.
The Allied forces in Ceylon next anticipated an attack on Trincomalee and a large Japanese armada -- both warships and aircraft carriers -- was spotted by reconnaissance planes, about 30 miles off the east coast. That same day, On April 9, 1942 Japanese attacked and caused heavy damage to Trincomalee airport buildings and harbour, resulting in many casualties among the sailors and dockyard’s civil workers. The Allied force engaged in fights with the enemy causing loss of 21 warplanes, and crippling 18 in the Battle for Trincomalee.
House arrest of the Malwatte and Asgiriya Prelates averted
Dr. H.S.S. Nissanka, the scholarly author recollecting his nostalgic memories of Second World War, wrote in 2009 revealing a secret told to him by Ven. Welivita Saranankara Thera of Malwatta Chapter in a casual conversation he had with him. He says, he was only 11-years-old when the war broke out in 1939. The Japanese bombed Colombo on April 5, 1942. The head of the South East Asia High Command, was staying in the King’s Pavilion. He further says, Lord Mountbatten had his war office at Peradeniya in the Botanical Gardens, and the Headquarters at Kundasale.
The accuracy of Dr. H.S.S. Nissanka’s version however, was disputed by the most senior journalist in the Kandy region, S. B. Senaratne, who responded to an earlier article by me to another newspaper. He says,“Lord Louis Mountbatten rarely lived at King's Pavilion and he lived there only officially…. He was never at Kundasale, BUT at Pogolla and travelled to the Gardens at 10 am in an open Jeep…
You have quoted H.S.S. Nissanks as saying that a secret had been said by the Mahanayake of Malwatta Venerable Weliwita Saranankara around 1939 - 1945. But, there was no Weliwita Saranankara Mahanayake during that period.
During 1927 to 1945 was Venerable Pahamune Sri Dharmakirthi Sarankara Sumangala Thera and from 1946 to 1955 Venerable Rambukwelle Dharmakirthi Sri Dharmarakshitha Sobhitha Thera. There was NO Weliwita Saranankara Thera during the period of Second World War.
I went further to look into the Mahanayake's of Asigiri at that time. From 1929 to 1947 , it was Venerable mullegama Dharmkirthi Sri Chandajothi Gunaratne Thera. From 1947 onwards was Mahanayake Yatawatte Thera.
The only Venerable Weliwita Sarnanakara of Malwatta Chapter was instrumental in spearheading the bringing of Upasampada into the country from Siam. This Thera was NEVER a Mahnayake of any of the two Maha Vihare's.”
Back to our story…, the War Council consisting of Gaeoffry Layton, Lord Mountbatten, Sir D.B. Jayatilake, and Sir John Kotelawala had met in Colombo after the Japanese bombed Colombo. The British officials had been suspicious of Asgiriya and the Malwatte Maha Nayake theras that they would support Japanese due to their Buddhist connections.
Therefore, the British High Command had decided to imprison the Maha Sangha of Asgiriya and Malwatte Chapters to house arrest and also some members were to be executed. Sir John Kotelawala and Sir D.B. Jayatilake who realized the unprecedented consequences of the decision if implemented, rushed to Kandy and conveyed the plot to prelates and got the monks to sign a document affirming their allegiance to the British crown, thus averting an extraordinary situation.
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