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APPRECIATION : WPJ SILVA (WILLIE)

By Dr.Tilak S. Fernando in London

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Weerawarnasuriya Patadendige Jinadasa Silva, M.B.E, former Major Ceylon Light Infantry who later became universally known as "Willie" in a veteran role of a British Intelligence Officer passed away on 10th of June 2008, in South London after a sudden heart attack at the age of 97.
Born to an affluent family in Sri Lanka, he had a 'boarding school' education. In 1936 WPJ Silva joined as a territorial 'by accident'. Although he wanted to pursue a refined career in the Civil Service he had to undergo Army training after office hours in barracks and attended military camps at Diyatalawa once a year.

Ceylon was not under threat until the fall of Singapore in 1942. Suddenly when a front line attack by the Japanese was inevitable, WPJ was put in charge of the Defense of Trincomalee harbour at a time most of the ships coming through the Suez canal or South Africa, had to go to Colombo for refueling, loading and unloading. Ceylon being a strategical cynosure the defense of it was considered very important.

When the final air assault became almost catastrophic and British ships were sunk, Silva's troops, protecting the camouflaged guns, had to hide in slit trenches under orders not to reveal their positions. "There were tons of planes over the harbour and I could even see the Japanese faces with their goggles. I lived purely by accident and purely by chance, but clever intelligence had done its trick - the Japanese believed the harbour was much better protected than it was and never again attempted a full-frontal assault, " he always reminisced.

Progressing through the ranks from sergeant to lieutenant, Silva eventually became a military intelligence officer, preparing briefings for the army's senior commanders in the area. Reluctant WPJ took up this role, because he didn't want to work directly under the British. "My feeling as a proud Sri Lankan was very British but we also have our own tradition. We have a written history of 2,500 years, unbroken. When you were a Roman colony, we were an important country. But then I went, and I loved it - I never looked back from then. I was the only Sri Lankan out of 70 officers. Was I treated as an equal? Absolutely - I liked the British, they liked me and we got on very well" he always maintained.

After the war, Ceylon finally achieved independence in 1948 while Silva progressed through a role as recruiting officer, to aide-de-camp to the governor general of Ceylon. In the late 1950s, he became by any standards a very important man, but decided to leave the country.

Working for the UN World Veterans' Federation, Jinadasa Silva met an English lady by the name of Eileen Barratt, who was an interpreter. They got married and lived in Paris for some time before moving London in 1966 where he took up a job in the British Civil Service.

WPJ Silva was honoured by Queen Elizabeth II in 1955 by being made a Member of the British Empire. He always maintained his Sri Lankan nationality and treasured his Sri Lankan passport until his death. He felt at home in South-East London and often said, "My street is very quiet, very nice, I like it here. I even married an Englishwoman. It's quite natural for me to live here, feeling English, and not feel a foreigner at all."

It was nothing but providence that took him away from his beloved wife when he collapsed in his bathroom suddenly and the ambulance who answered the emergency 999 call had to be held up in congested South London traffic. 'Had the ambulance arrived five minutes early, perhaps he could have been still living', said his wife Eileen.

WPJ's loss was indeed a sledge hammer blow to Eileen who adored him for 47 years in matrimonial bliss. At his final moments emotions over powered and she could not possibly let him go even though the ambulance men pronounced him dead and left her home. As her heart burned within her with grief and pain, she could think of nothing else but sleeping alongside the dead body of her dear husband for two days until the body was moved to a funeral parlour.

From 10th June throughout the long nights Eileen had but little sleep, waking up perpetually to the sense of a great shock. Everyone is feeling the same.

WPJ will have his last journey to the Croydon Crematorium on 24th June. May he attain Nibbana.

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