Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps

The Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps (SLAWC) is a corps of the Sri Lanka Army. The headquarters of this corps is in Borella, Colombo and the corps has four battalions. The first battalion (1 SLAWC) was raised on 1 September 1979.

Every year, in 17th November the corps anniversary day is celebrated as in 1997's 17 November the regimental headquarters was created in Borella, Colombo.

History
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 lady 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.

Women's corps members participated in the war for the first time was in the Vadamarachchi Operation, which lasted from 27 May 1987 to 11 June 1988; in this operation one officer, three nurses and four soldiers participated. Over 25 female soldiers were killed in action in 1997.

Regular battalions

 * 1 Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps, 1 SLAWC (formed on 1 September 1979)
 * 7 Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps, 7 SLAWC (formed on 1 August 2010 in Myliddy, Jaffna)

Volunteer battalions

 * 2(V) Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps, 2(V) SLAWC (formed on 1 January 1996)
 * 3(V) Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps, 3(V) SLAWC (formed on 15 November 1997)

Notable members

 * Susanthika Jayasinghe - Olympic silver medalist at the 2000 Summer Olympics.
 * Nadeesha Ramanayake - Gold medalist at the Asian Championships.
 * Nadeeka Lakmali - Silver medalist at the Asian Championships and South Asian Games.
 * Dilhani Lekamge - Silver medalist Asian Championships.
 * Lieutenant Colonel K.C. Weerasekara - The first female battalion commander (1 SLAWC) of the Sri Lanka Army.
 * Corporal M.L.K.R. Wilson - One of the first recruited female soldiers of the army.