×
Home Intro People Events Equipment Places Maps Books Photos Videos Other Reference FAQ About
     

World War II Database


Rohan Amerasekera

SurnameAmerasekera
Given NameRohan
Born21 May 1916
Died20 Mar 1974
CountryCeylon, United Kingdom
CategoryMilitary-Air
GenderMale

Contributor:

ww2dbaseEkanayake Edward Rohan Amerasekera was born in 1916 as one of seven children of Edward Henry Ekanayake Amerasekera and Joslina Amerasekera, and was raised by his maternal uncle Victor de Silva Siriwardena and aunt Eda de Silva Siriwardena after the death of his parents at a young age. He attended Wesley College in Colombo, Ceylon between 1925 and 1929; Kingswood College, Kandy, Ceylon between 1929 and 1932; St. Mary's College, Kegalle, Ceylon between 1933 and 1934; and Pembroke Academy, Ceylon between 1935 and 1939. As the Japanese threat loomed large on the Crown Colony of Ceylon, Amerasekera joined the Ceylon Defence Force, only to be forced by his family to quit. Undeterred, he secretly joined the British Royal Air Force in Sep 1940. Accepted, he departed Ceylon in Jun 1941 for Britain. He initially served with No. 158 Squadron as a ground-based navigator, then was assigned to a Halifax bomber crew, and then finished the war with No. 640 Squadron at the rank of flight lieutenant. As a navigator, he saw action in bombers over France and Germany. He returned to Ceylon in early 1946 and served at RAF Kandy until Aug 1946. He retired from the British Royal Air Force in Nov 1946.

ww2dbaseAfter the war, Amerasekera worked at the Ratmalana Airport in Ceylon until May 1951, when he joined the newly established Royal Ceylon Air Force. He married Aloma Dender in 1958, with whom he would have a son and a daughter. He eventually rose to the rank of vice air marshal in the Royal Ceylon Air Force. He passed away in 1974. He was given a funeral with full military honors by the government of Sri Lanka.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia

Last Major Revision: Feb 2013

Rohan Amerasekera Timeline

21 May 1916 Rohan Amerasekera was born in Kegalle, Ceylon.
19 Sep 1940 Rohan Amerasekera signed up for the British Royal Air Force.
29 Jan 1944 Rohan Amerasekera was promoted to the rank of flying officer in the British Royal Air Force.
20 Aug 1946 Rohan Amerasekera became the assistant aerodrome officer at the Ratmalana Airport in Ceylon.
1 Oct 1950 Rohan Amerasekera was promoted to the acting airport controller at the Ratmalana Airport in Ceylon.
15 May 1951 Rohan Amerasekera was promoted to the rank of pilot officer in the Royal Ceylon Air Force.
12 Nov 1958 Rohan Amerasekera married Aloma Dender.
1 Jul 1959 Rohan Amerasekera was promoted to the rank of group captain in the Royal Ceylon Air Force.
13 Nov 1962 Rohan Amerasekera was promoted to the rank of temporary air commodore in the Royal Ceylon Air Force.
1 Jan 1964 Rohan Amerasekera was promoted to the rank of air commodore in the Royal Ceylon Air Force.
1 Oct 1967 Rohan Amerasekera was promoted to the rank of air vice marshal in the Royal Ceylon Air Force.
20 Mar 1974 Rohan Amerasekera passed away in Colombo, Sri Lanka.




Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you.

Share this article with your friends:

 Facebook
 Reddit
 Twitter

Stay updated with WW2DB:

 RSS Feeds




Posting Your Comments on this Topic

Your Name
Your Email
 Your email will not be published
Comment Type
Your Comments
 

Notes:

1. We hope that visitor conversations at WW2DB will be constructive and thought-provoking. Please refrain from using strong language. HTML tags are not allowed. Your IP address will be tracked even if you remain anonymous. WW2DB site administrators reserve the right to moderate, censor, and/or remove any comment. All comment submissions will become the property of WW2DB.

2. For inquiries about military records for members of the World War II armed forces, please see our FAQ.

Change View
Desktop View

Search WW2DB
Famous WW2 Quote
"Since peace is now beyond hope, we can but fight to the end."

Chiang Kaishek, 31 Jul 1937


Support Us

Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 a month will go a long way. Thank you!

Or, please support us by purchasing some WW2DB merchandise at TeeSpring, Thank you!