Arnolis (Arnold) Alexander Weerasooriya (Sinhala :අර්නෝලිස් වීරසූරිය; 20 September 1854 – 18 May 1888)[1] was the first Ceylonese Colonel of the Salvation Army, also serving as Second in Command of the Indian sub-continent 1887–1888.

[12] Whilst a student at Trinity College, Weerasooriya was hoping to train as a barrister when he met Captain William Gladwin[14] of the Salvation Army who was preaching in Kandy at the time.

In Weerasooriya's words, "It changed my life": instead of pursuing a career in law, he opted to follow a calling to serve the Lord Jesus Christ.

[12] Although he kept company with Gladwin, Weerasooriya was warned by the Principal of Trinity College that he would be expelled from school, due to his influence on students.

Following his training, he was selected to accompany Commissioner Frederick Booth-Tucker, the leader of the Salvation Army in India, going on tours of Gujarat and Ceylon.

Dedicated to his work in the Lord, Weerasooriya rose within the ranks of the Salvation Army and was an inspiration to and a courageous member of the Indian church.

This gave him a legitimate rank and place within the Salvation Army, which also included duties such as managing funds, and considerable authority in the hierarchy.

[citation needed] Within a week of being appointed, Weerasooriya sent Booth-Tucker a telegram requesting reinforcements as he had many new converts and people from neighboring villages wanting the Salvationists to visit.

[citation needed] Shortly after returning to India with the Jubilee Fifty, Weerasooriya went on to serve cholera patients with little regard to his own safety.