Basil Fonseka was my godfather.
My grandfather was the manager of Mawatte Estate, a large coconut plantation, in the 1930s and early 40s. One of the main products of the estate was copra, which had to be sent to Colombo for export. For this purpose, the estate owned two barges, which traveled along the Hamilton Canal, which flowed not far from the estate.
The "captain" in charge of these barges, known in Sinhala as "thandale", was a Fonseka. Basil was his son and thus became good friends with the Braine children. He was in and out of "The Meet", their home at nearby Boralessa.
This is what my father "Teddy" Braine wrote:
"The British navy called for applicants to open a Fleet Air Arm Unit to work in co-ordination with the Royal Navy. I thought this was a good opportunity to achieve my ambition of flying and having obtained Daddy’s permission went along with a few classmates for an interview at Maharagama. Only Basil Fonseka was selected as he was over 20 years in age. ... The camp buildings at Maharagama were subsequently used as the teachers training college."
That's why Basil Fonseka is wearing a uniform, that of the Fleet Air Arm.
Basil uncle, as we called him, was in and out of our home. Later, he joined the Public Works Department (PWD) as an overseer, a lucrative job, got married, and fathered a number of children. Towards the end of his life, he faced financial difficulties.
The photo was given to my sister, who lives in Negombo, by Basil uncle's niece, who is my age.
