About: Ceylon Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve

The Ceylon Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve was the volunteer naval reserve of the British Crown colony of Ceylon from 1938 to 1950. Established as the Ceylon Naval Volunteer Force (CNVF) on 1 January 1938 under the Naval Volunteer Ordinance, No, l of 1937. It was made up of volunteers mainly from the mercantile sector of Colombo consisting of 12 officers and 18 sailors, under the command of the newly commissioned Commander W. G. Beauchamp. The first headquarters of the force was set up on 11 January 1939 (formally opened on 14 June 1939), just before the outbreak of World War II, at Kochchikade.