Francis Light and George Town, Penang

"In his capacity as Governor the settlers and natives were greatly attached to him and by his death had deplore the loss of one who watched over his interests and cares as a father." - Inscription on Light's memorial at St. George's Church.

The Light dims . . .

Francis Light’s term as the first Superintendent of the Prince of Wales Island came to a premature end. By the middle of 1794, he was very ill.

Eight years after establishing a thriving settlement, he died at the age of fifty-four. He is buried in the old cemetery on Northam Road, now called Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah.

His memorial is engraved in the pavilion erected to his memory in front of St. George’s Church. Today, he is commonly known as the “founder of Penang”.

Light’s Memorial . . .

The statue of Captain Francis Light is cast in bronze and was commissioned in 1936 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the founding of Penang

Unable to find representational images of Light, it was sculpted after the likeness of his son, Colonel William Light, Surveyor-General and founder of Adelaide, Australia.

The statue suffered a setback during the Japanese Occupation when its steel sword was stolen - presumably to be melted and made into ammunition for the Second World War.

Today, it stands on the grounds of the Penang Museum and Art Gallery at Lebuh Farquhar.