Gratien Fernando

Gratien Fernando
Gratien Fernando
Born	1915; Cocos Island Mutiny
Military service
Allegiance	Ceylon Garrison Artillery
Battles/wars	World War II

Wathumullage Gratien Hubert Fernando

independence of Sri Lanka from the British

.

Fernando was born to

Ceylon Telegraph Office

.

He went to school at

Cocos Islands.^[2]

Here, he argued with his officers and agitated for action among his colleagues: his agenda was to create an increase in the support for Sri Lankan independence from British rule. He finally persuaded a core group to rebel, seize the island and signal the Japanese that they had done so; 30 out of 56 soldiers of his unit took part.^[2] On the night of 8/9 May, led by Fernando, men of the unit mutinied. However, their plan failed and the rebellion was suppressed the next day. The leaders of the mutiny were court-martialled and condemned within a week.^[3] The commanding officer on Cocos, Captain George Gardiner, an accountant in Colombo who obtained an emergency war commission, while focus of the mutineers' actions, also presided at the Field General Court Martial which convicted them.^[3]^[2]

Fernando’s father petitioned the army authorities to commute the death penalty and asked Sir

Ceylon. However, when Layton interviewed Fernando, he was adamant that he did not wish to be reprieved or pardoned. He told his family 'I’ll never ask a pardon from the British: that would disgrace the cause. Many years hence the World may hear my story'.^{[citation needed}

]

He was executed on 5 August 1942 at Welikada Prison, Ceylon, and two other mutineers shortly thereafter.^[2] They were the only British Commonwealth troops to be executed for mutiny during the Second World War. Fernando showed defiance to the end, his last words being "Loyalty to a country under the heel of a white man is disloyalty".^[1]^[4] He was buried at the Kanatte Cemetery in an unmarked grave.