Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps
The Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps (SLAWC) is a Sri Lanka Army regiment. The headquarters of this corps is in Colombo and the corps has seven battalions.
| Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps | |
|---|---|
 Regimental Insignia of the SLAWC | |
| Active | 1979 – present |
| Country |  |
| Branch |  |
| Type | Combat support, Combat service support |
| Size | 7 battalions |
| Regimental Centre | Borella, Colombo |
| Nickname(s) | SLAWC |
| Motto(s) | Savi Bala Sith - Avi Bala Deth (Translation from Sinhala: The Powerful Mind is the Strongest Weapon) |
| Engagements | Sri Lankan Civil War |
| Insignia | |
| Regimental Insignia | Viharamahadevi in a boat surrounded by gold colour Sea and a Vignette |
Overview
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The corps was set up with the assistance of the Women's Royal Army Corps of the British Army. It was identical in structure to its parent organization, and its first generation of officer cadets was trained in Britain. Candidates were required to be between eighteen and twenty years old and to have passed the General Common Entrance (Ordinary level) examinations, while the officer candidates must have passed the Advanced Level. Enlistment entailed a five-year service commitment (the same as for men), and recruits were not allowed to marry during this period. In the training course at the Army Training Center at Diyatalawa, recruits were put through a program of drill and physical training similar to the men's program, with the exception of weapons and battle craft training. Female soldiers were paid according to the same scale as the men, but were primarily limited to service in nursing, communications and clerical works.
One officer, three nurses and four other soldiers participated in the Vadamarachchi operation, which lasted from 27 May 1987 to 11 June 1988. This was the first time that the women in the Sri Lanka Army participated in combat operations.[1][2]
Units
Regular battalions
- 1st Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps
- 7th Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps
Volunteer battalions
- 2nd(v) Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps
- 3rd(v) Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps
- 4th(v) Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps
- 5th(v) Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps
- 6th(v) Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps
Notable members
- Susanthika Jayasinghe - Sri Lankan Olympic silver medalist
Order of precedence
| Preceded by Sri Lanka Army General Service Corps |
Order of Precedence | Succeeded by Sri Lanka Rifle Corps |
See also
References
- "History of 1 SLAWC". alt.army.lk/slawc.
- "Lankan women choosing the army over marriage". Rediff.com. 1997.
