Duenuge Disan Pedris was a Ceylonese, entrepreneur and mine owner. He was a successful graphite mine owner and trader. Making his fortune in mining and expanded into other ventures, D. D. Pedris became one of the wealthiest men in the island at the time. The execution of his only son CaptainHenry Pedris by the British colonial government under martial law during the 1915 riots, initiated the movement toward independence and providing motivation and a martyr for those who pioneered the movement.[1]
Born in Galle, he started his business ventures in 1872 by venturing into graphite mining and later open several mines in Galle, Kaluthara and Aluthgama areas. He later expanded into agriculture, real-estate and trading. A Buddhist, D. D. Pedris was a member of the Theosophical Society. In 1882, he married Mallino Fernando Pedris, daughter of Peace Officer Margris Fernando of Karandeniya, they had four daughters and one son.[2] His brother-in-law was N. S. Fernando Wijesekara were leading businessmen of the time.[3][4] Following the death of his son, Pedris built the Isipathanaramaya Temple in Havelock Town in his memory.
Don Stephen Senanayake was a Ceylonese statesman. He was the first Prime Minister of Ceylon having emerged as the leader of the Sri Lankan independence movement that led to the establishment of self-rule in Ceylon. He is considered as the "Father of the Nation".
General Sir John Lionel Kotelawala was a Sri Lankan statesman, who served as the 3rd Prime Minister of Ceylon from 1953 to 1956.
Duenuge Edward Henry Pedris was a Ceylonese militia officer and a prominent socialite. Pedris was executed for treason by the 17th Punjab Regiment of the British Indian Army under martial law during the 1915 Sinhalese-Muslim riots. Convicted in a three day Field General Court Martial under the terms of the Army Act, by passing the local legal system, his execution was viewed as unjust by the local population and a warning to local leaders. It hastened the movement toward independence, providing motivation and a martyr for those who pioneered the movement.
Admiral Wannakuwatta Waduge Erwin Clancy Fernando VSV, USP, MNI was a senior Sri Lanka Navy officer. He served as the Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy from 1 November 1991 to 16 November 1992, when he was assassinated by the LTTE he was the most senior officer in the Sri Lankan armed forces to be killed in the line of duty.
Fredrick Richard Senanayake was a Ceylonesen lawyer and independence activist. A leading member of the Sri Lankan independence movement, he was an elected member of the Colombo Municipal Council. F.R Senanayake, who would go on to lead Sri Lanka's independence movement, becoming a Barrister of independent Sri Lanka in 1947.
Charles Henry de Soysa Dharmagunawardana Vipula Jayasuriya Karunaratna Disanayaka popularly known as Charles Henry de Soysa, JP was a Ceylonese entrepreneur and philanthropist. He was a pioneering planter, industrialist and was the wealthiest Ceylonese of the 19th century. He was instrumental in the establishment of the first Ceylonese bank, the Moratuwa carpenters guild, the Ceylon Agricultural and National Associations. He is widely regarded as the greatest philanthropist of the island for contributions which includes the De Soysa Maternity Hospital, the Prince and Princess of Wales Colleges, the Model Farm Experimental Station and many other institutions and acts of charity, establishing infant-maternal healthcare and secular education for girls in the country. He would have been the island's first Knight Bachelor, but having died prior, his widow was given the rare honor of the use of the style and dignity of wife of the Knight Bachelor and was known as Catherine, Lady de Soysa.
Edward Walter Perera was a Ceylonese barrister, politician and freedom fighter. He was known as the "Lion of Kotte" and was a prominent figure in the Sri Lankan independence movement, served as an elected member of the Legislative Council of Ceylon and the State Council of Ceylon.
Sir James Peiris was a prominent leader in the Sri Lankan independence movement, the first elected Vice-President of the Legislative Council of Ceylon and the first native Governor of Ceylon (Acting).
Sir Henry Lawson De Mel, was a Ceylonese industrialist, lawyer, philanthropist and politician. He was a member of the Legislative Council and founder of the H.L. De Mel & Co.
Alexander Ekanayake Gunasinha trade unionist and politician. A pioneering trade union leader, known as the "Father of the Labour Movement", he was the founder of the Ceylon Labour Party, Sri Lanka's first labour organisation. A former mayor of Colombo, he served as the Minister without portfolio, Minister of State and Chief Government Whip in the First Parliament of Sri Lanka and Ceylon's Ambassador to Burma and Indonesia.
The 1915 Sinhalese-Muslim riots was a widespread and prolonged ethnic riot in the island of Ceylon between Sinhalese Buddhists and the Ceylon Moors. The riots were eventually suppressed by the British colonial authorities.
John Kotelawala was a Ceylonese police officer and businessmen. He was known for the murder of Francis Dixon Attygalle, one of the first sensational murder trials in Ceylon. His son General Sir John Kotelawala was the 3rd Prime Minister of Ceylon.
Muhandiram N. S. Fernando Wijesekera was a Ceylonese entrepreneur and philanthropist.
The Senanayake family is a Sri Lankan family that is prominent in enterprise and politics. Along with many members who have been successful politician across generations, the family includes two Prime Ministers of Sri Lanka.
Mudaliyar Don Charles Gemoris Attygalle was a Ceylonese entrepreneur and mine owner. He was a successful graphite mine owner and was given the titular title of Mudaliyar for social service by the British Governor of Ceylon. Through the marriage of his daughters, the Senanayake family and the Jayewardene family were connected and played a major part in the Sri Lankan independence movement and in post-independence politics, due in part to the wealth he had accumulated.
The murder of Francis Dixon Attygalle took place on 5 December 1906, after he was shot in the abdomen and later succumbed to his injuries in hospital. The murder became Ceylon's first sensational trial, which lay blame on Attygalle's brother-in-law John Kotelawala Sr, who committed suicide in jail before the verdict was given.
Graphite mining in Sri Lanka has occurred since the Dutch occupation of the country. It is the only country in the world to produce the purest form of graphite, vein graphite, in commercial quantities, currently accounts for less than 1% of the world graphite production. Graphite mines were mostly located in north western and south western parts of the island, with working pits located in Aluketiya, Meegahatenna, Matugama and Agalawatta. The Geological Survey Department, started in 1903, maintained records of all graphite pits, shallow workings and mines under the Inspector of Mines. However these records were lost when the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau was established in 1992. The miners were Singhalese peasants, using primitive methods for driving shafts, adding to local folklore. Through plumbago mining, entrepreneurs such as Don Charles Gemoris Attygalle, Don Spater Senanayake and Duenuge Disan Pedris made their fortunes leading to many of the larger mines coming under the control several business families such as the Senanayakes, Kotalawelas and De Mels. These families dominated the pre-independence and post-independence political landscape in Ceylon, with membership in the United National Party. Many of these politicians established their constituencies in these mining areas, where they traditionally had influence over the villages employed in their mines. Sri Lanka's current annual production is 9,000 to 10,000 tons for two underground mines, one of which is Kahatagha and Bogala.
Alice Elisabeth Kotelawala, CBE was a Ceylonese businesswoman and philanthropist. She was the mother of Sir John Kotelawala, third Prime Minister of Ceylon.
Sir Ernest Peter Arnold Fernando, was a Ceylonese businessman and mine owner. He was the owner of the Bogala Graphite Mine, one of the largest graphite mines in Ceylon. A patron of the arts, he gifted the building to establish the first school of national dance, the Kalayathanaya by Chitrasena.
Bogala Graphite Mine is a graphite mine located near the village of Aruggammana in Kegalle District, Sabaragamuwa Province. It is one of the largest graphite mines in Sri Lanka, with commercial mining at this location first commencing in 1847.
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