Cyril Nicholas

Cyril Wace Nicholas (Sinhala: සිරිල් වේස් නිකලස්) (1898-1961) was a Sri Lankan soldier, civil servant, forester and writer on history and antiquities. Life events Nicholas was born on 5 August 1898 (SP, 1961). He completed his early education at the Royal College, Colombo and went on to study at the University of Cambridge (SP, 1961). However, he couldn't complete his studies, as he was enlisted for service in the First World War (SP, 1961).  Nicholas's military life was short. Began as a subaltern, he was later promoted as a Captain in the King's Royal Rifles (SP, 1961). At the end of two years, he was wounded and invalided out, being awarded the Military Cross (SP, 1961). At the age of 22, he returned to Sri Lanka and sat for the Special Civil Service Examination for War Service personnel (SP, 1961). Although he passed and was placed first on the list, he couldn't secure an appointment to the Civil Service on medical grounds (SP, 1961). However, Nicholas was selected to t…