Weeratunge Edward Perera MBE (; 22 June 1898 – 23 September 1982) was a Malaysian Sinhalese educator, businessman and social entrepreneur. He brought some semblance of peace to Teluk Anson (now Teluk Intan, Perak, Malaysia) during its occupation by the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II and the Malayan Emergency that followed. W. E. Perera oversaw the restoration of water, electrical supplies, medical services and governance to Telok Anson after its invasion by Japanese forces following the withdrawal of the British forces to Singapore.
With the surrender of the Japanese and during the tumultuous Malayan emergency that followed, he was responsible in restarting and extending the Anglo Chinese School (ACS), Telok Anson (now Sekolah Kebangsaan Horley Methodist, Teluk Intan) with the help of the returning British administration and local philanthropists. He was the first non Methodist post war principal of the Anglo Chinese School in Telok Anson and was also responsible in organising the first teachers housing cooperative in Malaya at Telok Anson (now the suburb of Kampong Guru (Teacher's Village), Teluk Intan).
Early life and education
W. E. Perera was born in Telok Anson, Perak, to Weeratunge Charles Perera and his wife, Galgodliynage Marthina Perera. His father a contract railway engineer from Kotahena, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) settled in Malaya (1880s) after accepting the permanent position as Head Guard of the railway between Teluk Anson and Tapah and later retiring as Chief Inspector, Permanent Ways, of the Malayan Railways. He and his siblings, elder sister Margaret, and younger brothers Samuel, Joseph and Daniel grew up in Seremban, Negri Sembilan where his father was subsequently transferred. W. E. Perera started his education at St. Francis Institution, Malacca and then moved to St. Xavier's Institution, Penang to complete his Junior Cambridge exams. After passing the local government school leaving exams at Standard VII, at the direction of his father, he continued his studies whilst living in Prai, Penang with his parents. He passed his Senior Cambridge Certificate exams on a second try during the height of World War I.
World War I (1914–1918) The First World War came to Malaya at the battle of Penang on 28 October 1914. As he describes in his memoirs,
During this time W E Perera was a member of the Cadet Corps and through his friend Pertha Singh, befriended all the petty officers of the local guarding regiment frequently meeting with them in "one famous bar in those days known as Kee Kee Hotel", Penang. Although being in the Commonwealth the sympathies of the locals were with the Germans during the early part of World War I.
After leaving school and short apprenticeships in engineering and surveying, his father arranged for him to join the Government service to apprentice under the Chief Clerk of the Railway Traffic office and later the Lands Office in Teluk Anson. Here, W. E. Perera learnt to buy and sell land, plant rubber and became conversant in the Malay language. He also applied to join the Army in an Anglo-Indian regiment being formed in India with volunteers from Malaya much to the disapproval of his father. However, his departure was delayed and later cancelled when the Armistice was ratified with Germany. On being transferred to Batu Gajah, he lived in his own quarters, socialised with the local Eurasian community, studied and experimented in psychology, parapsychology, took up athletics and even music, playing the clarinet in a local band. He passed his clerical examinations and then completed a teaching diploma alongside doing a course in bookkeeping.