Dhanesh Wisumperuma
The Nation, 2014 May
The photograph accompanying this article is situated in the old cemetery close to the Main Bus Stand of Hambantota and by the side of the A2 highway. This simple monument is short obelisk made from granite blocks arranged in a particular order which is tapering and ending in a pyramid-like stone. There is a plaque, probably made out of bronze that bears the following inscription.
“THIS MONUMENT WAS ERECTED BY RELATIVES AND FRIENDS IN MEMORY OF
GEORGE MCKERROW CLARK
IRRIGATION ENGINEER, AGED 33 AND
EDWARD RUSSELL AYRTON
ARCHAEOLOGICAL COMMISSIONER, AGED 32
WHO WERE DROWNED, ON MAY 18TH 1914, IN TISSA TANK, S.P.
WHILE SHOOTING, AND UNDER CIRCUMSTANCES TENDING TO SHEW
THAT EACH GAVE HIS LIFE IN AN ATTEMPT TO SAVE THE OTHER.”
The plaque says the entire story behind this monument. It was built in memory of E.R. Ayrton and G.M. Clark who were drowned in Tissa Wewa tank in Tissamaharama exactly one hundred years ago from today. These two young gentlemen were holding responsible offices under the British Administration of Ceylon at that time. Of them, Ayrton was the head of a Department, the Department of Archaeology.
What happened on that day
The unfortunate incident was reported in Times of Ceylon two days after the incident under the heading of “Sad Drowning” describes the incident. It described what happened on that unfortunate day.
Ayrton and Clark went out shooting in a boat in Tissa Wewa tank in the afternoon at about five of 18th. This wewa was famous for teals, one of the favourites of sportsmen of that day. Since they did not return, a search party went out in the evening, led by the headmen but they were unable to find any information about the missing persons. On the next day, they were able to find two hats and the empty boat floating in the tank water. By that time the Assistant Government Agent of Hambantota and the modeliar was also at the scene. Finally, the bodies were found floating in the tank on the morning of 20th morning only.
The two bodies were motored to Hambantota and were buried at the Church of England cemetery on the next day. Some government officials were present at the funeral, where E.T. Millington, the Assistant Government Agent represented the Governor.
The cause of death was determined as accidental drowning and it was suggested one fell and the other was drowned in an attempt to help him. Who felt first and who attempted to help the other one is a mystery forever. However, what actually happened remained unknown as there were no eyewitnesses. This is what mentioned in the plaque on the monument dedicated to these two gentlemen.
The Young Archaeological Commissioner
E.R. Ayrton has been mentioned as a promising young archaeologist and was just 32 years of age when he was drowned. He was well known for his talents in archaeology during his career in Egypt before his appointment to Ceylon. He has some publications on subjects related to Egyptology.
He succeeded H.C.P. Bell (the first Archaeological Commissioner in Ceylon) in December 1912. Ayrton was the first properly trained archaeologist for Sri Lanka. He was appointed to succeed Bell in 1909 and went under training which was suggested by the authorities in Britain for his appointment. This training included learning Pali and Sanskrit at oxford and then at Germany under Professor Wilhelm Geiger. He went on a tour in India to understand oriental archaeology and then proceeded to Sri Lanka and worked as the assistant to Bell for six months.
Ayrton was in Sri Lanka for only about two years, and during this time he was engaged mostly in the work of Anuradhapura and also at Polonnaruwa and Sigiriya – at that time the activities of the department were entirely limited to these few places. He compiled one annual report as the Archaeological Commissioner, i.e. for 1912-13. The idea of a series of Memoirs detailing archaeological work of the department originated in this time and mentioned in this annual report as a publication to present “the results of the excavations, with full photographs and plans” which was to be similar to the ones issued by the Archaeological Survey of Java. The first memoir was to be titled as “Ratana Pasada and the Monasteries of the Tapovana”, mainly the work of Ayrton himself. This memoir was published a few years later in 1924 and was edited by his successor A.M. Hocart, who traced the documents in the department. It included two articles on Ratna Pasada and Western Monasteries and some others which were somewhat incomplete.
Ayrton’s other academic writings on Sri Lanka seem to be small in number and were mostly on historical issues and show his understanding or the interest of the country and its history. He has contributed mainly to the Notes and Quarries of the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society (Ceylon Branch). He kept a diary of a circuit to the Southern Province during February and March 1914. He returned to Southern Province from Anuradhapura (where he was stationed) again in May, and that tour ended with his death. Some of these diary notes were published in parts in the Ceylon Antiquity and Literary Register, in 1920 and 1921. This provides a glimpse of the state of those places he visited as they stood about a century ago.
The calibre of Ayrton was obvious to the people who knew him and who worked with him at that time. John M. Seneviratne, the Co-Editor of the CALR mentioned the loss of Ayrton as “a promising career and deprived a scholar”. Writing a letter to the Times of Ceylon as a tribute to Ayrton, H.C.P. Bell mentioned the thoroughness or the great capacity for taking pains was the quality that marked Ayrton’s qualities. Sri Lankan archaeology didn’t see the expected results of this man. However, we still speak of this person even after one hundred years of his death.
Pic: Upul Wijesuriya
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