A wise statesman looked upon by his countrymen "The father of nation" The late Mr. D.S. Senanayake, Prime Minister of the dominion of Ceylon, who died on March 22 from injuries received when he was thrown from his horse on the previous day.
Both Ceylon and the Commonwealth have suffered a grievous loss in the death of Mr. Senanayake, Prime Minister of Ceylon since that country became a dominion in 1947.
Mr. Senanayake, who was sixty eight, was thrown from his horse early on March 21, and taken unconscious to hospital. The news of his death was recieved on March 22, a few minutes before Sir Hugh Cairns, the brain specialist, was due to board an R.A.F Hastings aircraft at Abingdon Aerodome to fly to his bedside. The flight was cancelled
Educated at a Church of England College (S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia) in Ceylon, Mr. Senanayake remained a devout Buddhist. As Minister of Agriculture for fifteen years under the Donoughmore Constitution, which granted a modified from of self-government, he transformed the agricultural system of the country.
In 1942, he was appointed Leader of the State Council, and subsequently organized Ceylon's war effort. In 1950, he became the first Ceylonese to be appointed a member of the Privy council.
He came to London in January last year for the meeting of Commonwealth Prime Ministers. Dr. Senanayake's sagacity, foresight, judgement and tolerance were unexcelled, and under his leadership Ceylon has been the most untroubled country in Asia.
