Rohan Amarasekera was a daring pilot

He flew bombing raids over Hitler's Germany

By Wijitha NAKKAWITA

The Sri Lanka Air Force celebrated its 58th anniversary a few days back prestigiously as a professional fighting air force. There were several articles in the newspapers about the valiant pilots and men of the force who had made it strong and capable.

Yet going through most of those articles written for the newspapers one did not find the mention of the name of the first Sri Lankan Commander of SLAF Air Vice Marshall Rohan Amarasekera, the most decorated Asian pilot of the RAF during the second world war, an ace who flew bombing raids over Hitler's Germany 53 times and manoeuvred his aircraft when anti-aircraft fire criss crossed the skies. Even during the night raids on Germany his successful manoeuvring the aircraft when the German search lights dotted the clouds brought him back to base safely though on two of those sorties his aircraft was hit by enemy fire, once severely.

When one rakes through the old newspaper files one reads a reference to the Royal Ceylon Air Force by the satirical writing on our Air Force that was called `Air Farce' during the time that the British Commander headed it. However, when Rohan Amarasekera was the chief of staff of the SLAF in 1962, he made it a real fighting force and was able to get new aircraft and have the officers and his men trained in combat and flying with his unique experience.

The RAF records had these citations among other regarding Amarasekera's valour and dedication to duty. Rohan Amarasekera flew on 20 missions with Flight Sgt. Emms from June to September, 1943 and this crew was decorated for their bravery and courage after the flights, especially for their bravery on November 11, to Cannes. And he was to be awarded a second Distinguished Flying Cross.

"This officer displayed a high degree of courage and determination navigating his aircraft to the target and back. In November, 1943 whilst on a flight to a distant target, the oxygen supply failed early in the sortie. Pilot Officer Amarasekera, though suffering from lack of oxygen and extreme cold, continued his duties and the mission was successfully completed. This officer proved to be a navigator of outstanding ability."In the squadron 158 he was promoted to the rank of Flight Lieutenant and was awarded prestigious bar to the Distinguished Flying Cross, the only Asian pilot of the RAF to win the award during the second world war."

This officer has completed the second tour of the operational duty. In December, 1944 on route to Essen his aircraft was engaged by searchlights and heavy anti-aircraft fire causing severe damage to the aircraft. Despite shell splinters entering his compartment Flying Officer Amarasekera took evasive action and completed his allotted task. His other targets have been Ruhr Valley, Chemnitz and Hanover. On all occasions FO Amarasekera had a set a fine example by his tenacity and devotion to duty."Among the other records of the RAF there are references made to him by his contemporaries who wrote about this great son of Sri Lanka with glowing tribute. The RAF officer Alex Sydall recalls an incident. "The only time I ever saw `Amer' look disconcerted was when on our return from either Essen or Chemnitz, he picked up his parachute which he had stowed under his navigator's seat to find pieces of flak embedded in it! But for that parachute he would have been somewhere uncomfortable."

RAF bomber 640 squadron colleague Ian Roberts remembered him in his article `Leconfield's League of Nations' like this: "Handsome and dapper, with hair swept back and parted precisely in the middle Amarasekera hailed from Ceylon. He completed 52 operations requesting permission from the CO to stay with the Jeeves crew to do so.

He flew 22 missions with the New Zealander Jeeves and Papple. I remember most vividly with red nose and red cheeks as he was rolled in the snow during one of the inventable snowball flights between Sergeants and Officer Messes.

After the war he completed the pilots course and eventfully rose to Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Air Force. He was an unforgettable man."In 1962 he became the first Sri Lankan Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force, proving an astrological prediction made when he was born.

In 1941 though he wanted to join the British Army his family did not give their consent to it, but he sailed to England with a group of Sri Lankans and joined the RAF as an aircraftsman and was promoted to U/T Observer and Leading Aircraftsman. In February, 1942 he was posted to the Empire Air Navigation School and in September that year to the Advanced Flying Unit RAF.His 35th death anniversary also falls on March 20 and one cannot forget a man who brought the highest honour to his country during the second world war, awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross twice and the Bar to the Flying Cross on the third occasion for his valour and dedication to duty that no other pilot in Asia received from the RAF.

Born to an eminent family of Kegalle as a Christian he lost his parents early in life.In 1970 when he retired as the Commander of the SLAF he did not even own a house of his own.He died on March 20, 1974 and is survived by his widow Aloma and two children.

Even at this late stage the attention of the authorities should be drawn to posthumously promoting him to the rank of Air Chief Marshall Rohan Amarasekera who made our Air Force a professional fighting force.