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. Career and marriage W. E. Perera was employed by the Rev. W. E. Horley as a teacher at the Methodist High School in Telok Anson. By heeding the sound advice of his mentor Mr W. A. Rabel and friends, he saved enough money to invest in coconut and rubber plantations which he successfully ran whilst continuing his career as a teacher. This gave him financial independence to pursue various social activities like helping organise the Boy Scouts of Lower Perak and the Methodist Youth Fellowship, Telok Intan. In 1922, he created "The Cosmopolitan Club" in Telok Ansen, a multi-racial, secular social club. This gave him the opportunity to interact and befriend influential people from various social and ethnic groups like the Japanese, Chinese, Eurasians, Indians, Europeans, Malays and the Royalty of Teluk Anson.In 1928 after a brief visit to see his mother and sister in Taiping, he met and eventually married Meepaygamay Kankananga Joci Perera (7 March 1908 – 6 January 1994) on 11 January 1929. They had 10 children: Minona, Jothika, Abhay, Wimala, Susimal, Tissa, Kimsuke, Jinamal, Kusala and Jaya in the years 1930 to 1947. The war years Japanese invasion of Malaya (1942-1945) The war arrived to Telok Anson in form of air bombing raids by the Japanese Air Forces. Despite being