The Perak War (1875–76) took place between British and local forces in

Perak Perak () is a state of Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of Kedah to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, and Selangor to the south. Thailand's ...

, a state in northwestern Malaysia. The sultan of Upper Perak and other local chiefs attempted to end foreign influence in the region and remove the British administrator James W.W. Birch. Following the murder of Birch in 1875, British forces defeated local rebels and restored British control in the region.

The start

After the murder of

James W. W. Birch James Wheeler Woodford Birch, commonly known as J. W. W. Birch (3 April 1826 – 2 November 1875) was a British colonial official who was assassinated in the Malay state of Perak in 1875, an event that led to the outbreak of the Perak War and ...

, the Malays first planned on attacking Bandar Bahru on the night of 2 November, but it is aborted due to heavy rain. British reinforcements started to arrive from Hong Kong and Burma by the 6th. A skirmish happened near a Malay-held stockade near Bandar Tua,

on 7 November 1875 involving around 106 British soldiers. This was the first battle in the war. Encountering unexpected resistance, the battle ended with the retreat of the British detachment, who lost 4 men including Captain Innes, an officer. Reinforcements were sent, and 300 men soon arrived in the state with 80 boats. Most of the army were sent from India and Hong Kong.

The Siege of Pasir Salak

On the 15th, the British army arrived at Pasir Salak. The place was well defended, with a fort that had a six-foot rampart, coupled with a wooden wall on top and with a trench filled with sharpened spikes and traps. The warriors had several

lantaka The ''Lantaka'' (Baybayin: pre virama: ''ᜎᜆᜃ'': post virama: ''ᜎᜈ᜔ᜆᜃ'') also known as ''rentaka'' (In Malay) was a type of bronze portable cannon or swivel gun, sometimes mounted on merchant vessels and warships in Maritime Sou ...

with them, alongside some muskets. The British attacked relentlessly, but the first attack failed, killing Captain Innes. Soon, the attacks gave fruit, and it was captured on 12 December. Pasir Salak was razed by the soldiers under orders from

William Jervois Lieutenant General Sir William Francis Drummond Jervois (10 September 1821 – 17 August 1897) was a British military engineer and diplomat. After joining the British Army in 1839, he saw service, as a second captain, in South Africa. In 18 ...

The Battle of Kota Lama Kanan

The warriors, under

Dato Maharaja Lela Dato Maharaja Lela (died on 20 January 1877) was a Malay nationalist from Perak. A descendant of Daeng Salili, Pandak Limo was the son of a Bugis king from Luwuk District, Sulawesi. During the reign of Sultan Muzaffar Shah III, he came to ...

, soon retreated to Sayong. The British followed them, attacking enemy forts and villages on the way. Then, on 4 January 1876, they were ambushed at Kota Lama Kanan, Sayong. Brigadier H.J. Hawkins was killed during the fight.

Last days of the war

Soon, the warriors began to lose strength. By mid-1876, the war ended with the capture of prominent leaders and warriors, such as

, Sultan Abdullah II and Ngah Ibrahim. The first was captured and hanged in Matang with two followers in 1877, while the latter two were exiled to the Seychelles. Thus ended any direct opposition over British control of

References

* Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1967), ''Stories and sketches''. Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press. * Ghulam Jie M Khan (1992), ''1000 Kisah dan Fakta Raja dan Kerabat Melayu''. Negeri Sembilan: Ainna's Publications

External links

Perak War 1875–1876

{{Perak 1875 in Asia 1876 in Asia 19th-century military history of the United Kingdom Conflicts in 1875 Conflicts in 1876 History of Perak Wars involving pre-independence Malaysia Wars involving the United Kingdom