Duenuge Edward Henry Pedris (Sinhala: ; 16 August 1888 7 July 1915) 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.
Colombo Town Guard was a regiment attached to the Ceylon Defence Force which was the predecessor to the Sri Lanka Army prior to 1949 when the Ceylon Army was formed. It was a volunteer (reserve) regiment was based in Colombo.
1915Jul, 7
Colombo Town Guard officer Henry Pedris is executed in British Ceylon for allegedly inciting persecution of Muslims.
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Events on 1915
- 12Jan
Women's suffrage
The United States House of Representatives rejects a proposal to require states to give women the right to vote. - 28Jan
United States Coast Guard
An act of the U.S. Congress creates the United States Coast Guard as a branch of the United States Armed Forces. - 18Mar
Battle of Gallipoli
World War I: During the Battle of Gallipoli, three battleships are sunk during a failed British and French naval attack on the Dardanelles. - 20Mar
General relativity
Albert Einstein publishes his general theory of relativity. - 17May
Herbert Henry Asquith
The last British Liberal Party government (led by Herbert Henry Asquith) falls.