The late Mrs. Doris Abel – Details of Funeral Service Deeply regret to inform you that DORIS, wife of BINKY ABEL, Royal Ceylon Navy (Retd.), passed away this afternoon. They were both senior voluntary workers and Office Bearers in The Ceylon Welfare Organisation here in Noble Park. Their residence: Unit 19 , 43 – 47 , Doveton Avenue, Eumemmerring, Vic. 3177 Phone: Mob. 043 228 4537 Land : 03 9792 2404 Chris Lawton. FUNERAL SERVICE Commencing 10 a.m. on FRIDAY 14th. OCTOBER 2022 at the Anglican Church of St. Michael and St.Luke, Heatherton Road, Dandenong North. Chris Lawton ...
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“HOORAY FOR COORAY” – by Des Kelly Dayal Cooray, the author of this little piece, which I thought was quite funny in it’s own way, is the only son of Denis Peiris Cooray, a ‘Supply Commander’ of the Royal Ceylon Navy, under whom I served. D.P. Cooray was truly an Officer & a Gentleman, as the saying goes, and I was proud to be the Supply Assistant he chose, to visit our Government Stores daily in order to procure everything our Navy needed to keep ourselves going, at the time. It was a ‘special job’ and I was proud to do it, keeping out of trouble, which I seemed to be prone to, whenever I was not at work. Until quite recently, I knew Dayal only as a young lad, at his Dad’s home in Torrington Square, Colombo, very close to one of the oldest and most famous Radio Stations ...
Sep 6, 2022
Posted by eLanka admin In
Articles, DESMOND KELLY
Tagged Ajith Dissanayake, Dayal Cooray, Denis Peiris Cooray, Royal Ceylon Navy
ENGLISH-PERSONIFIED – by Des Kelly This extremely interesting article was sent to me, by my good friend Dayal Cooray, whose dad Denis P. Cooray was my immediate boss when I joined the Royal Ceylon Navy in 1953 as a Supply Assistant. Because both Dayal & myself do love correct English both spoken & written, I could plainly see that, after WW2, Winston Churchill, who was always a busy man, made good use of his “writing-talents” in order to keep his faculties in top-shape, so, as a result, he penned fascinating articles such as this, in addition to writing “books of knowledge”, as I call them. As a matter of fact, I am the proud owner of 3 TOMES of Churchillian education of the English Language, and with due thanks to Dayal, I would like every one of e’Lanka’s members to read & study what “English Personified” is all about. Desmond ...
May 24, 2022
Posted by eLanka admin In
Articles, DESMOND KELLY
Tagged Desmond Kelly, Royal Ceylon Navy
The HMS Ceylon was built in Glasgow – by Des Kelly It seems that our esteemed contributor to e’Lanla, Keith Bennett was somewhat surprised to realize that there was indeed a Ship named after our Island in the sun. Well Keith, there was such a Ship, and also, before the Royal Ceylon Navy was “born”, some of our worthy Sailors actually served on her. These individuals went under the title of the Ceylon Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve (C.R.N.V.R.), and most of them transferred to the Royal Ceylon Navy, which was established on the 9th of December, 1950, after the Navy Act was passed by the British, for the formation of what I always prefer to call “The Senior Force”, or the Royal Ceylon Navy. A few years later, the Royal Ceylon Navy was presented with our first real Ship (also from Britain), a Minesweeper, originally named H.M.S. Flying Fish, immediately ...
May 9, 2022
Posted by eLanka admin In
Articles, DESMOND KELLY
Tagged Keith Bennett, Royal Ceylon Navy, Ship
“VALE’ EDDIE BAPTIST” – By Des Kelly There is not very much more that I could add to the excellent tribute to Eddie, by Chris. Lawton, simply to say that, as another Royal Ceylon Navy man, I too had the pride and privilege of serving with Eddie who was at our main Naval Land Base, H.M.Cy.S. Gemunu, Colombo Fort. If I remember this correctly, Eddie was a “Killick” or Leading Seaman in the Executive Branch of the Navy in which I joined up as a Supply Assistant in 1953. This, I remember very clearly. Eddie Baptist was one Sailor, admired, looked up to, and totally respected by both the Officers and Men of all branches of the Navy, and we had many of them. He had this certain Charisma, afforded to very few. Even as a Leading Seaman, he could “order” junior ratings like us to do our ...
Apr 24, 2020
Posted by eLanka admin In
Articles, DESMOND KELLY
Tagged Edward Charles, Naval Headquarters, Royal Ceylon Navy
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“THE DRINK” – By Des Kelly Vadakaha Sudhiya” was a drink that was so famous in “Olde Ceylon”, I later recorded a song about it. Although I am 100% tee-total @ my present stage of life, I have to admit that, had I stayed in My Lovely Island Home, and remained in the Royal Ceylon Navy, I would certainly not be writing this article, right now. In fact, I would have been “pushing up daisies” a long time ago. To make a long story short, during those halcyon days, alcohol & I were very good friends indeed. The reason for this was simple. It was a legacy left by my grandfather, Jack Kelly, born in Dublin, who drank everything but water, plus the fact that, if you joined the Navy, you were supposed to follow the lead of most of the “senior guys” and drink, smoke & be ...
Dec 5, 2019
Posted by eLanka admin In
Articles, DESMOND KELLY
Tagged Royal Ceylon Navy, The Drink - 3D - By Desmond Kelly, Vadakaha Sudhiya'
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“VALE’ HILARY” – By Des Kelly He was a genuine Navy mate of mine, and this tribute to him is richly deserved. The ultimate “family man”, to my knowledge, he looked after Maureen, his beloved wife & his daughters, and, was in turn, loved to the max, by them. There are very few of us ex-Royal Ceylon Navy boys left now but Hilary was known to all of us, as a good friend, and, speaking for myself, it was always a pleasure to have a chat with him from time to time. Hilary, it was a privilege to know you, and you will be sorely missed by your family, your many friends, among whom, I was just one. Rest in peace now, and may the good Lord bless & keep you, as the song says, and I humbly add to your tribute. This beautiful song is dedicated especially to ...
Nov 9, 2019
Posted by eLanka admin In
Articles, DESMOND KELLY
Tagged Hilary Mervyn Berenger, Royal Ceylon Navy
Comments 0
“EYE-TEETH & E.JAGS”, & E.LANKA” – By Des Kelly The “E’s, are quite definitely in the forefront of this true story. “Eye-teeth, E-Jaguars, & E.Lanka”, all NAMES which bear thinking about. Strangely, even as a lad, I could not STAND dentists & dentistry, which is quite a common fact with most people I know. Later on, after I joined the Royal Ceylon Navy, it was agreed by our Chief Medical Officer, that Supply Assistant Kelly (Official number “E”635), another bloody”E”, needed to have a couple of Eyeteeth out, & because there was no Dental Officer at the R.Cy.N., Headquarters,”Gemunu 1″ & our only “Warship” of that era, was a “Mine-sweeper”, the former “Flying-Fish” of the good old British Navy, presented to Ceylon, henceforth to be known as H.M.Cy.S. Vijaya (after King Vijaya-Bahu, I suppose), did not have a Dentist on board ...
