Light, Alfred Weldon

Composer

b Hants 1873, d Longford, nr Colnbrook, Bucks 1954. Apprenticed to a Basingstoke saddler at 13; in 1888 his work took him to Whitechapel, E London, and in 1895 to Falmouth. In 1898 he was invited by John Kensit to join the Wycliffe Preachers, and travelled with them for many years in both open-air and indoor evangelism. In 1902–03 he worked in Ghana (then the Gold Coast) before resuming his Wycliffe ministry; in 1908 he espoused the Strict Baptist cause and was baptized at Matfield Green nr Tunbridge Wells, leading to his main career with the SBs. For many years an itinerant preacher, mainly in ‘Gospel Standard’ chapels; sec of the Sovereign Grace Union; trustee of Companion Tunes to Gadsby’s Hymnbook (1927), whose committee he also chaired, and which included 4 of his own tunes. A preacher at the 1934 International Calvinistic Congress at Amsterdam, and an English delegate in 1936 and 1938. He edited the periodical The Sower, and wrote Bunhill Fields (vol 1 1913–14, vol 2 some years later), a richly devotional guide to London’s City Rd burial ground for Dissenters. He was also noted for his size (27 st, which in vain he tried to reduce), in contrast to his name; at least in later years he would sit to preach. No.302.