General Officer Commanding, Ceylon
Introduction '''General Officer Commanding, Ceylon''' (also known as '''''Commander of Troops''''' or '''''Officer Commanding His/Her Majesties Troops, Ceylon''''') was the designation of the General Officer appointed to command all British Army units stationed in the island of Ceylon during the British colonial administration of the island.
History The post entitled the holder a seat in the Executive Council of Ceylon and the Legislative Council of Ceylon, advised the Governor of Ceylon on military matters.Apart from British Army units that were deployed for garrison duty in the island, the officer held command over the Ceylon Defence Force if mobilized. However mobilization could be carried out only under orders from the Governor.Following independence in 1948, the command was split. With the creation of the Ceylon Army, it head had was referred to as the Commander of the Ceylon Army and the British troops in Ceylon came under the command of the ''Commander, Ceylon Garrison and UK troops in Ceylon'' until the withdrawal of British troops from the island.
Official Residence The GOC Ceylon was entitled to a Class A Quarters issued to government officers for the use of his official residence in Colombo and had the General's House, Nuwara Eliya as a country house.
List of General Officers Commanding, Ceylon PortraitRankNameAppointment Left officeUnitDecorations  Captain  Patrick Alexander Agnew  31 August 1795  1 March 1796  Madras European Regiment  80px  Major-General  James Stuart  1 March 1796  1 January 1797  78th Regiment of Foot    Major-General  Welbore Ellis Doyle  1 January 1797  2 July 1797  14th Regiment of Foot    Lieutenant-Colonel  Peter Bonnevaux  2 July 1797  12 July 1797  10th Madras Native Infantry  80px  Major-General  Pierre Frédéric de Meuron  12 July 1797 12 October 1798  Regiment de Meuron  80px  Colonel  Josiah Champagné  14 March 1799  22 July 1799  80th Regiment of Foot  GCH  Colonel  Hay MacDowall  22 July 1799  March 1804  78th Regiment of Foot    Major-General  David Douglas Wemyss  March 1804  19 July 1805  18th Regiment of Foot  80px Major-General  Thomas Maitland  19 July 1805  19 March 1811  62nd Regiment of Foot  GCB, GCMG, GCH, PC  Major-General  John Wilson  19 March 1811  11 March 1812  5th Garrison Battalion  80px General  Sir Robert Brownrigg  11 March 1812  1 February 1820  Coldstream Guards  GCB80px Major general  Edward Barnes  1820    47th (Lancashire) Regiment of Foot  GCB  Major general  James Campbell  22 July 1822    94th Regiment of Foot  80px  Major general  Hudson Lowe  1826    50th Foot  GCMG, KCB  Major general  John Wilson  14 October 1831    28th Foot  80px Major general  Robert Arbuthnot  1839    76th Regiment of Foot  KCB80px  Lieutenant general  Colin Campbell  16 April 1841    78th (Highlanders) Regiment of Foot  KCB  Major general  William Smelt  28 January 1847    103rd Regiment of Foot  CB  Major general  Philip Bainbrigge  23 May 1852    7th Regiment of Foot  CB  Major general  Thomas Reed  13 September 1854    12th Light Dragoons  CB  Major general  Henry Frederick Lockyer  1856  1860   97th (The Earl of Ulster's) Regiment of Foot  CB, KH 80px  Major general  Terence O'Brien  1860  1865      Major general  Studholme John Hodgson  1865  1869  54th Regiment of Foot    Major general  Henry Renny  1869  1874  81st Regiment of Foot  CSI  Major general  John Alfred Street  1874  1879   68th Regiment of Foot  CB  Major general  William Wilby  1879  1882  King's Own Royal Regiment  CB80px  Major general  John Chetham McLeod  1882  1887  42nd Regiment of Foot  KCB80px  Major general  Wilbraham Lennox  1887  1888  Royal Engineers  VC, CB 80px  Major general  William Massy  1888  1893  19th Regiment of Foot  CB  Major general  W. Clive-Justice  1893  1897  75th Regiment of Foot  CMG  Major general  F. T. Hobson  1897  1902    80px  Major general  Hector MacDonald  1902  1903  92nd Gordon Highlanders  KCB, DSO  Brigadier general  G. L. C. Money  1903  1905  Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders  CB, DSO  Brigadier general  R .C. B. Lawrence  1905  1909  1st King's Dragoon Guards    Brigadier general  A. J. Whitacre Allen  1909  1913  The Buffs  CB  Brigadier general  Henry Huntly Leith Malcolm  1913  1915  Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders  CB, DSO  Brigadier general  F. Hackett-Thompson  1915  1918  Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders  CB  Brigadier general  F. A. MacFarlane  1918  1920    CB80px  Colonel commandant  Clifford Coffin  1920  1924  Royal Engineers  VC, CB, DSO & Bar   Colonel commandant  Harold Higginson  1924  1927  Royal Dublin Fusiliers  CB, DSO & Bar  Brigadier  Austin Claude Girdwood  1927  1931  Northumberland Fusiliers  CB, CMG, DSO & Bar  Brigadier  E. F. Shewell  1931  1934  Royal Artillery  CMG, DSO  Brigadier  C. A. Lyon  1934  1937  Royal Artillery  DSO  Brigadier (local rank)  J. O. Thurburn  1937  1941  Royal Artillery  MC  Major general  Tim Inskip  1941  1942  13th Frontier Force Rifles  CB, CIE, DSO, MC 80px  Lieutenant general Henry Pownall 1942  1943  Royal Artillery   KBE, DSO & Bar, MC  Major general  Francis Tuker March 1944 September 1944  Royal Sussex Regiment, 2nd Gurkha Rifles  KCIE, CB, DSO, OBE
See also *Commander of the Ceylon Defence Force*Commander-in-Chief, Ceylon
References
External links * British Commanders