The First British Resident in Perak

James Wheeler Woodford Birch, better known as J.W.W. Birch, held the position of the first British Resident in Perak in 1874. Born on April 3, 1826, his father, Reverend James Wheeler Birch, was a priest at All Saints Church in Hertford, England. Birch briefly served in the British Royal Navy, assigned to the HMS Alfred to patrol the coast of South America.

In November 1874, J.W.W. Birch was appointed as the first British Resident in Perak. Among his duties were collecting taxes and administering the state of Perak. Birch governed Perak without regard for long-standing state government regulations or Malay customs. He also made no effort to learn about or respect the customs of the Malay people and the Malay Sultans. Birch himself issued directives to claim all tax revenues and state income collected by government officials. Severe penalties were imposed on those who collected taxes without following British regulations. Birch's actions and presence were deeply unpopular with the Malay people. He also faced strong opposition from Sultan Abdullah, who was the Sultan of Perak under British rule at the time.

This first British Resident continued to act aggressively, governing with the help of police to intimidate the people. Dato Maharaja Lela and Datuk Sagor, known as Seri Agar, the head of Kampung Gajah, protested against the orders from Birch and his officers. On November 1, 1875, Birch and his group arrived in Pasir Salak, where the Malay people were already prepared and armed, gathering by the river near Birch's boat.

Birch was killed while bathing in a floating latrine on a British officer's boat. He was killed with the cooperation of Dato Maharaja Lela and his associates, namely Datuk Sagor, Siputum, Pandak Endut, Laksamana Mohamad Amin, Ngah Ibrahim, Ngah Jabor, and others. The British Resident was killed in Pasir Salak on November 2, 1875. Mat Arshad, who worked as Birch's clerk, was also killed in the attack.

The Birch Memorial Clock Tower was built in 1909. This tower was constructed to commemorate J.W.W. Birch, who was killed by Dato' Maharajalela and his followers in Pasir Salak. The memorial is a square-shaped clock tower. It was built by the British at a cost of approximately RM25,000 and is decorated with unique illustrations depicting the development of human civilization, which can be clearly seen in the center of each side of the tower.