Basil Henricus
Personal information
NationalitySri Lankan
Born(1922-10-30)30 October 1922
Colombo, Ceylon
Died4 August 2002(2002-08-04) (aged 79)
Melbourne, Australia
Sport
SportBoxing
Basil Henricus
AllegianceSri Lanka
Service/branchCeylon Defence Force
Ceylon Army
Years of service1943–1946
1949–1967
RankMajor
UnitCeylon Corps of Military Police
Commands heldCeylon Corps of Military Police
Battles/warsWorld War II
AwardsWar Medal 1939–1945

Major Basil Cholmondel Henricus (30 October 1922 – 4 August 2002) was a Sri Lankan boxer. He competed in the men's lightweight event at the 1952 Summer Olympics.[1] At the 1952 Summer Olympics, he lost to Robert Bickle of the United States.[1]

Boxing career

He was educated at Royal College, Colombo. At aged thirteen he took part in the Stubbs Shield Boxing Meet and won his weight. He was named the Best Boxer and won the Jayewardene Cup. In 1940, he participated in the Amateur Boxing Championships and won the Walsmly Trophy. In 1941, he captained the Royal College Boxing Team and won the Stubbs Shield for the College. In 1942, he won the featherweight class at the National Boxing Championships. He retained the National Boxing Championship till 1946, having defeated Eddie Gray and retired due to an injury from a motorcycle accident. He failed to qualify for the Empire Games in 1950, but was able to qualify for the 1952 Summer Olympics.[2]

Military career

Following his schooling and the on-set of World War II, he served as sports instructor from 1941 to 1942 in the Essential Services Corps and in the Ceylon Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. In 1943, he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Ceylon Defence Force. He completed in the Defence Services track and field events held in 1944, where he defeated Duncan White in the 100 yards and came second to White in the 220 yards. He was second in the long jump. After the formation of the Ceylon Army, Henricus transferred to the regular force and was attached to the Ceylon Corps of Military Police and went on to serve as its commanding officer from September 1964 to October 1969 with the rank of Major.[2][3] His medals include the Ceylon Armed Services Inauguration Medal, Defence Medal, the War Medal 1939–1945 and the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal.

His brothers were Chief Inspector Barney Henricus, Captain George Henricus of the Ceylon Army, Alan Henricus, a former Lieutenant in the Royal Ceylon Navy and Derrick Henricus.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Basil Henricus Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Basil Henricus was a top boxer and athlete par excellence". Daily News. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  3. ↑ "1st Regt SLCMP". army.lk. Sri Lanka Army. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  4. ↑ Home is where the heart is
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