First year death anniversary :Desamayana Air Chief Marshal P H Mendis,idc,psc,FBIM,qfi

“Desamanya is the second-highest national honour of Sri Lanka awarded by the Government of Sri Lanka as a civil honour. It is a Pride of the Nation Honour award for “highly meritorious service”, and is used as a title or prefix to the recipient’s name.

ACM PH Mendis (affectionately known as “Paddy”) was educated at  S.Thomas’ College, Mt Lavinia .He joined the newly formed Royal Ceylon Air Force on August 8, 1951 as an Officer Cadet in the General Duties/Pilot Branch ,being its fifth recruit . He, together with Officer Cadet D. de S. Seneviratne were sent to the UK for their training at  Royal Air Force College Cranwell, Lincolnshire.

After graduating on April 6, 1954, the ACM specialized in the Vampire Jet aircraft until he returned home in December 1954. The government decided to deploy more transport aircraft instead of the Vampires. Mendis thus underwent training in the aircraft .

In 1959, Flight Lieutenant Mendis and Flight Lieutenant SMV Situnayake were sent to the RAF Central Flying School in UK for training as flying  instructors and on their return they were posted as flying instructors at the RCyAF Flying School in Katunayake. In 1961,when the Flying Wing was divided into two Flying squadrons, Squadron Leader Mendis was given command of the newly formed  No.2 (Transport) Squadron.

He then attended a military staff course at the  Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, India in 1961/62. On his return to Ceylon, he was promoted to the rank of Wing Commander and appointed as the Senior Air Staff Officer at Air Force Headquarters in 1963. When promoted to the rank of Group Captain, he attended the Management & Leadership Course at the Imperial Defence College in London in 1968 .On his return to Ceylon in December 1969, was appointed Chief of Staff of the Air Force

On January 1, 1971, he was appointed Commander of the Air Force in the rank of  Air Vice Marshal, at the age of 38. Three months later, the RCyAF was mobilized for internal security duties for the first time when the JVP Insurrection  erupted in 1971.Though unprepared for a full-scale insurrection, with limited aircraft, the Air Force responded effectively.

At first, it carried out troop and supply transport to stations under threat of attack. The insurrection was brought under control in a few months. The insurrection resulted in military spending being drastically cut as a result of major economic problems faced by the country. AVM Mendis was thus prompted sometime in August 1971 to obtain the concurrence of  Prime Minister Srima Bandaranaike to start  a civilian airline  alongside  Air Maldives, to operate between Colombo and Male in the Maldives. This was also mainly because there were a large  number of Maldivian  businessmen and students in Sri Lanka and also to cater to the  local  tourism industry and supplement  Air Maldives  and Air Ceylon that were often not  able to provide the regular scheduled flights  to Male.

As RCyAF passenger aircraft  had to be piloted  by RCyAF Officers.  there was the  need to have officers for passenger handling and cabin crew duties. Approval  was  then  obtained  to select and commission Lady  Officers in the Volunteer Force. Four ladies were selected. They were Pilot Officers Indira Samarasinghe, Sarojini Jayatilleke, Chris Jacobs and Shamila Wickremeratne. They  underwent training  in Katunayake, Diyatalawa and  with the RAF in Gan Island in the Maldives. Helitours was then formed  by  the end of 1972, initially  with  the destinations being Male, Jaffna, China Bay  and  Batticaloa .

Of his major contributions to the Air Force were the creation of the first Air Force Management Structure including its Board of Management, the establishment of the School of Administration & Aeronautical (SAAT) Training at Katunayake, where the first ever four lady officers (any of the Tri forces) were commissioned and attached to Air Force Headquarters for duty with the newly formed Helitours .

The SAAT was also the precursor of the fully-fledged Air Force Academy at SLAF China Bay for advanced training .He was also responsible for setting up the Electronic Maintenance and Training School at SLAF Ekala. ACM

Mendis retired from service after serving as Commander from 1971 to 1976 . He was succeeded by his Chief of Staff, AVM Harry Goonetilleke who continued to take the Air Force forward in its functional and new expansion roles.

After retirement, ACM Mendis served as Chairman Air Ceylon, Commissioner General Civil Defence and Chairman Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka.

ACM Mendis married Charmaine Walles in 1957, and they had three children. He passed away on January 18, 2022, at the age of 88.

For his service to the Nation and to the Air Force he was he was promoted to the rank of Air Chief Marshal  He also received the following service medals :- Republic of Sri Lanka Armed Services Medal, The Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal and  Ceylon Armed Services Long Service Medal.

The ACM was a good boss and friend , indeed !!

Wg Cdr E H Ohlmus (SLAF Retd)