Maj. Gen. D.W. Hapuarachchi (Retd), an outstanding military leader and a respected senior officer in the Sri Lanka Army, passed away peacefully at his home in Peradeniya, Kandy on May 9, 2021.

Maj. Gen. Hapuarachchi had his primary and secondary education at the English School of Gampaha and at the Bandaranayake College, Gampaha where he excelled in sports and cadetting. 

He joined the Ceylon Army in 1958 as an Officer Cadet and was trained at the prestigious Mons Officer Cadet School, Aldershot, England. Upon the successful completion of his military training and becoming the First in Order of Merit, he was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Ceylon Army and was posted to the 1st Battalion Sinha Regiment.

He held many command and staff appointments at regimental and extra regimental employment (ERE) levels including the appointments of Commanding Officer Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment, Officer Commanding Troops TAFII Headquarters Jaffna, Commandant Sri Lanka National Guard, Military Coordinating Officer for Kegalle District, Military Coordinating Officer for Kurunegala District, Military Liaison Officer to His Excellency Kurt Waldheim – 4th Secretary General of the United Nations.

Whilst sacrificing his youth to the Sri Lanka Army, he experienced the 1971 Insurrection, Sri Lankan Civil War and the Insurrection 1987–89 during his tenures of office as an Army Officer, contributing significantly towards ending the conflicts. 

With the outbreak of Eelam War II in 1990, he gave leadership in forming the Sri Lanka National Guard Regiment and increasing the number of battalions to 16; thus making it the largest Regiment in the Sri Lanka Army at the time. This large military outfit provided the required security to protect captured areas in the war zones from falling back to the hands of the enemy. 

The Sinha Regiment complex in Ambepussa to be equipped with all facilities has been the farsighted brainchild of Maj. Gen. Hapuarachchi for a large buildup of troops in a strategic location, where rapid deployment of troops could be done in Gampaha, Kegalle and Kurunegala districts in any emergency. 

As the Commanding Officer of Sinha Regiment he made arrangements to obtain a Lion Cub as the Regimental Mascot. After taming and training the Lion Cub to adapt to the traditions, glamour and requirements of Sinha Regiment, this Lion Mascot was seen by the public for the first time when it took part at the ‘Army Search Light Tattoo’ held in Colombo from the 18th to 22nd January 1978. Later, on 4th February 1978, it took-part in the Independence Day Parade where the first Executive President of Sri Lanka was the Chief Guest.

Maj.Gen. D.W. Hapuarachchi was awarded with the Ceylon Armed Services Long Service Medal, Republic of Sri Lanka Armed Service Medal, Republic of Sri Lanka Army 25th Anniversary Medal, Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Medal and the President’s Inauguration Medal as military decorations in recognition of his unblemished service, integrity and loyalty to the motherland.

The last rites of Maj. Gen. D.W. Hapuarachchi took place at 10 am on May 14 at the General Cemetery Mahaiyawa Kandy.
(Sunanda Karunaratne)