The History of the Old Cannons at the Hilir Perak District and Land Office

On July 18, 2018, while I was attending to some business at the Hilir Perak District and Land Office, my eyes were drawn to two cannons located in front of the building, which have long served as decorations there.

Then, the idea struck me to uncover the story behind these cannons so they wouldn't just be mere landscape decorations, as I was certain they held 1,001 hidden and fascinating stories waiting to be explored. For a long time, anyone visiting the Hilir Perak District and Land Office would notice these cannons. Consequently, I felt compelled to chat with the officers there and ask about them. The verbal information I gathered was brief; some of the staff knew that these cannons were taken from Kampung Terengganu in Teluk Intan. They did not have any further information regarding dates or other details.

After finishing my business at the Hilir Perak District and Land Office, I conducted a search for information and found several records in the old Straits Times newspaper archives related to the two cannons.

Here is the story: based on their appearance, the larger cannon is referred to as the 'male' cannon (meriam jantan). The one beside it, which is longer and slightly smaller in size, is referred to as the 'female' cannon (meriam betina). These cannons were discovered by Mr. Wan Ali Bin Wan Sulaiman in 1953 while he was digging in his orchard, located about 60 yards from the tomb of Sultan Abdullah Muhammad Shah I (the 22nd Sultan of Perak) in Kampung Terengganu, Durian Sebatang.

Mr. Wan Ali Bin Wan Sulaiman also found several cannonballs alongside the two cannons. After the cannons were successfully excavated, photos of them were shown to a museum official in Singapore, who stated that the cannons were likely manufactured in Britain for use by the British military or the Indian military.

It turns out that what we see before our eyes today actually holds many hidden stories. It is not impossible that these cannons were used during the Perak War, which erupted after

the assassination of J.W.W. Birch

. It is hoped that there will be an initiative to install an information board regarding these cannons so that they do not remain mere garden ornaments.