General Officer Commanding, Ceylon

General Officer Commanding, Ceylon (also known as  Commander of Troops ) was the designation of the General Officer appointed to command all British Army units stationed in the island of Ceylon during the British colonial administration of the island.

History
The post entitled the holder a seat in the Executive Council of Ceylon and advised the Governor of Ceylon on military matters.

Apart from British Army units that were deployed for garrison duty in the island, the officer held command over the Ceylon Defence Force if mobilized. However mobilized could be carried out only under orders from the Governor.

Following independence in 1948, the command was split. With the creation of the Ceylon Army, it head had was referred to as the Commander of the Ceylon Army and the British troops in Ceylon came under the command of the Commander, Ceylon Garrison and UK troops in Ceylon until the withdrawal British troops from the island.

Former General Officers Commanding, Ceylon

 * Brigadier General Smelt
 * Brigadier General Alfred James Whitacre Allen
 * Brigadier General Henry Huntly Leith Malcolm
 * Lieutenant General Sir Henry Pownall (1942–1943)
 * Lieutenant General Sir Francis Tuker (1944)
 * Lieutenant General Sir Harry Wetherall (1943–1945)

Commander-in-Chief, Ceylon
The above post should not be confused with that of Commander-in-Chief, Ceylon that was created during World War II to form a unified command for all British military, naval and air units in Ceylon. The first to be appointed to this post was Admiral Sir Geoffrey Layton, whose powers exceeded that of the Governor, in 1942. He was succeed by Lieutenant General Sir Harry Wetherall in 1945.