Sir Baron Jayatillake, Kt. A distinguished product of Wesley Sir Baron Jayatillake was born on the 13th February 1863. His sheer intellectual ability and handwork reached the top. It was at Wesley Sir Baron passed both the Junior and Senior Cambridge University Examinations, and was the very first winner of the Hill Medal in 1887. DB joined the prestigious Wesley College in 1881, then located in Pettah. He also obtained in 1886 an Honours degree from the University of Calcutta offering Latin and English. He was a brilliant Student, a fluent debater and an impressive speaker. On one occasion during a class exercise he had argued with the Principal Rev Thomas Moscow who graciously conceded that he had got the better of him! He was on the staff of Wesley College for a short Period.

Thereafter, he joined Dharmarajah College straightaway as its Principal. Later, he was compelled to take up duties as Principal of Ananda. He laid down the reins of office at Ananda in 1910 and proceeded for further studies and entered Christ College Oxford where He obtained a BA degree and in 1913 an MA. He was also called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn.

He was six years old when he read his first letters at the Vidiyalankara Pirivena his tutor was the reputed Oriental Scholar the Venerable Ratmalana Sri Dharmaloka. Here his education was in Sinhala, Sanskrit and Pali. At the Baptist English School at Gonawala, Kelaniya, he caught on English language with consummate skill and ease and stood well above his age and class.

Baron's intrinsic genius shone with the simplicity with which be expounded a complex subject. The German media gave him banner headlines and hailed him as the "Apostle of the Dharma". In 1915 the British were on a "war footing" ruthlessly trying to quell an agitation which later escalated into riots and the Temperance Movement workers, along with Sir Baron were jailed, but released later. Again in June 1915 he was arrested by the order of the General Officer Commanding the Troops allegedly for making seditious speeches and writing treasonable articles. The time was ripe potential leader to begin his political career. He got involved in the nationalist movement against Colonial rule, even though his heart was in education and he once remarked, "there is no greater danger to a country than an ignorant democracy".

Then followed the arrests of F.R.Senanayake and D.S.Senanayake and other activists like F. R. Senanayake, E. W. Perera and Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan, who asked for a Royal Commission and all of whom agitated for the emancipation of the country from Colonial rule. It is of great interest to note that Rev. Henry Highfield intervened on behalf of the arrested persons and in a letter to the Governor remarked that British sense of fairplay and justice had not been observed. Very soon thereafter, they were released, and in 1949 the Rt Hon D.S.Senanayake, our first Prime Minister presiding at the Wesley College Prize Giving, recalled gratefully the action taken by Rev Highfield at the time.

He was unanimously elected President of the Ceylon National Congress on 21st December 1923. In 1924, under a new scheme of reforms which provided for a Legislative Council with a clear unofficial majority, territorial representation and an elected Vice President, D. B. Jayatilaka was returned uncontested to represent the Colombo District. At the Congress, D.B pressed for reforms and the outcome was the Donoughmore Commission which recommended a new constitution.

Elections were held under adult franchise in 1931 and Jayatilaka was elected unopposed for Kelaniya. He became Leader of the House and Minister for Home Affairs on 22nd September, the same year. The next year, D. B Jayatilaka was made a Knight by the British Government in recognition of his services to the country. In December the same year he was struck by malaria and fell seriously ill. When World War II broke out in 1939 in Europe, D. B. was so magnanimous towards the British, despite their imprisoning him earlier and treating him harshly, that he persuaded the State Council to pass resolution assuring the British government of whole hearted support.

When the Japanese bombed Colombo on 5th April 1942, Colombo was deserted. By mid-day, there was no one to unload food ships in the harbour. D. B. rushed to Kelaniya and got hundreds of volunteers to immediately came forward to unload the ships. In August the same year India refused to send food to Sri Lanka. D. S. Senanayake, then Minister of Agriculture and Food, followed by G. C. S. Corea, then Minister of Trade and Commerce both went to Delhi to plead Sri Lanka's case. But India was adamant. Sir Baron took up the challenge and went to Delhi himself. He was already known to the Indian leaders as a scholar and a friend of India. D. B. succeeded and the food was obtained. S. Nadesan, then member for Kankesanthurai in the State Council, speaking on the condolence Motion on the occasion of the passing away of Sir D. B., related to the House how a great public figure of India whom he knew had said that the appointment of Sir Baron as the Representative of the Government of Ceylon in New Delhi was an honour done to India by Ceylon. His name was known widely among men of learning and culture in the sub-continent. He took up this post in November 1942 - under pressure, it is said because at that time, the country needed strong leadership and Sir D. B. was already in failing health. So he made way for D. S. Senanayake who became Leader of the House and Arunachalam Mahadeva succeeded him as Home Minister.

He was the first Leader of the House of Representatives and the first Lankan Ambassador to India, which position be held until his death in May 1944 and whilst in service he was taken ill at the age of 76 years. On a special emergency flight back to Ceylon he was eager to know whether he had reached his beloved country, and the plane made a special landing at the site of the present Independence Square.

The then Chief Secretary, a Britisher, said that Sir Baron "had a calmness of outlook on life and its problems, a serenity which was classic....When he spoke as he did on rare occasions with vehemence he spoke from an altitude on which he stood alone". G. G. Ponnambalam, then member for Point Pedro, observed "starting life as schoolmaster, Sir Baron remained to the end of his days a student; and what is more, a scholar - in the remarkable combination of qualities of scholarship, of statesmanship and erudition I think Baron Jayatilaka will be difficult to be surpassed in the near future". Siripala Samarakkody, then President of the Ceylon National Congress, who was a severe critic of Sir Baron, said that the dead leader was "a superb statesman who took criticism in the proper light and never carried a vendetta or animosity against his critics". D. S. Senanayake, who succeeded Sir Baron to the leadership of the country, mentioned that his erstwhile leader "had the courage of his convictions, that it was not popularity that he sought, but that he should act in the way which he thought was in the best interests of the country.... personal considerations never weighed with him. The interests of the country were all that he was concerned with".

There were few peers to match him as a scholar and statesman. Many thousands from all walks of life thronged his funeral procession, and the Wesley Flag was held high preceding the Transitive with a large banner which read ' WESLEY HONOURS ITS HONOURED DEAD" carried by a squad of Senior students of Wesley College.