Richard Aluwihare

Sir Richard Aluwihare, KCMG, CBE, CCS, JP (23 May 1895 – 22 December 1976) was a Sri Lankan civil servant and diplomat. He was the first Ceylonese Inspector General of Police and Ceylon's High Commissioner in India.

Born 23 May 1895 to T B Aluwihare and Panebokke Tikiri Kumarihamy, he was educated at Christ Church College, Matale and Trinity College, Kandy. At Trinity College he was a Senior Prefect, won the Ryde Gold Medal and the Trinity Lion for cricket in 1915. With the outbreak of World War I, he enlisted in the British Army serving in the Flanders, 1916 and was severely wounded in the Battle of the Somme. He return to Ceylon in 1920. He was the Secretary to the Kandyan deputation on constitutional reforms that set went to England.

Joining the elite Ceylon Civil Service, he served as Assistant Director of Agriculture, Assistant Registrar Cooperative Societies in 1922, Acting Police Magistrate, Dandagamuwa in 1923, Police Magistrate in Point Pedro and Panadura in 1924. Second Landing Surveyor, HM Customs in 1926. Commissioner of Requests, Additional District Judge, Additional Police Magistrate, Kandy. Government Agent of Kegalle and Settlement Officer in 1929. He was appointed District Judge of Nuwara Eliya in 1931. In 1934 was transferred to the General Treasury. In January 1947 he was appointed first Ceylonese Inspector General of Police of the Ceylon Police Force. For his services to Ceylon he was Knighted in 1948. After retiring from civil service in 1957 he became Ceylon's High Commissioner in India till 1963.

He married Lucille Moonemalle in 1920, they had two daughters Phyllis Sita Aluvihare, who married Jayampathy Charitha Ratwatte II and Ena Aluvihare who married Osmund De Silva, who later became an Inspector General of Police.

References

• ALUWIHARE - Family