Death of a patriot

Nationalist leader E. W. Perera is best remembered for his daring act of smuggling a secret document to London hidden in a shoe, at a time when the local British administration was keeping a strict check on those who went abroad.

This was immediately after the unwarranted harshness of the colonial administrators on the Buddhist leaders following the 1915 Sinhalese-Muslim riots.

E. W. Perera went over to London to publicise the miscarriages of justice and to press for the appointment of a commission of inquiry.

A lawyer by profession, he served in the Legislative Council 1921-24 and was a member of the first State Council 1931-36.
Hailing from Galle, he made Kotte his hometown and his residence has been turned into a museum. His death occurred on March 6, 1953 at the age of 78.