Francis light
The birth of Francis Light was unrecorded.
He was baptised in Dallinghoo, Suffolk, England on 15 December 1740. He was the
founder of the British colony of Penang (in modern-day Malaysia) and its
capital George Town in 1786. He passed away from malaria on the 25th
October 1794.
As the founder of the British colony of
Penang, Captain Francis Light marks the start of an important milestone that
transformed this tiny island into a place with growing prosperity. It was the
magnificent journey of one man that makes Penang well known not only for its
beauty & heritage but also economic powerhouse.
Light served as a Royal Navy midshipman
from 1759 to 1763, but went out to seek his fortune in the colonies. From 1765,
he worked as a private country trader. For about ten years he had his
headquarters in Talang, Thailand, near Phuket, reviving a failed French trading
post. While living there he learned to speak and write several languages,
including Malay and Siamese. In 1785, he warned the Thais on Phuket Island of
an imminent Burmese attack. Light's warning enabled the islanders to prepare
for Phuket's defence and repel the Burmese invasion. Without his warning we
might not have Phuket as it is today and the control of Phuket might be under
the Burmese force.
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