Archive of stories published by Tales from the Long War

Homepage

Open in app

Tales from the Long War

All

2021

2022

2023

Suren Ratwatte in Tales from the Long War

Apr 19, 2023

Visit to the Somme

The D163 is a quiet rural road in eastern France that runs from the village of Auchonvillers east towards the small town of…

4 responses

Suren Ratwatte in Tales from the Long War

Jan 1, 2022

The Pucará at war

By the late 1980s, the insurgency in Sri Lanka’s north was taking on aspects of a significant conflict. The Liberation Tigers…

2 responses

Suren Ratwatte in Tales from the Long War

Feb 12, 2023

The Battle of the Somme — a new perspective. Part 1

The Great War

2 responses

Suren Ratwatte in Tales from the Long War

Jan 14, 2022

SLAF Helicopters at war

The Royal Ceylon Air Force (RCyAF) was formed in 1951 with a small fleet of de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunks. The…

Suren Ratwatte in Tales from the Long War

Feb 2, 2022

MiGs over Ceylon

In response to an urgent request for assistance from the Ceylon government in 1971, the USSR gifted five MiG-17F fighters and a…

Suren Ratwatte in Tales from the Long War

Mar 11, 2022

Operation Poomalai

By June 1987 the separatist struggle in Sri Lanka was taking on the characteristics of a greater conflict. Armed groups of…

Suren Ratwatte in Tales from the Long War

Feb 13, 2023

The Batle of the Somme — Part 2

Sometime in late 1914 the four boys from Trinity College embarked on a ship to Britain. We do not know…

Suren Ratwatte in Tales from the Long War

Jan 27, 2022

SLAF Choppers at War — Part 3

A token military

Suren Ratwatte in Tales from the Long War

Aug 1, 2022

Flying the A4 Skyhawk with the Royal Australian Navy

Guest column by Peter (‘Purps’) Greenfield

1 response

Suren Ratwatte in Tales from the Long War

Jan 21, 2022

SLAF Choppers at War -Part 2

Mi-17s in the tropics

1 response

These were the top 10 stories published by Tales from the Long War; you can also dive into yearly archives: 2021, 2022, and 2023.

About

Tales from the Long War

A compilation of oral histories from the combatants on both sides of Sri Lanka’s long running conflict. We aim to be impartial and record the memories of those who were involved, with no political judgements offered.

More information