Captain Francis Light—Penang, Malaysia.
Posted by: 
Ianatlarge
N 05° 25.236 E 100° 20.586
47N E 648802 N 599321
A statue of the founder of George Town, on the Malaysian island of Penang.
Waymark Code: WMBJ2T
Location: Malaysia
Date Posted: 05/24/2011
Views: 3
Francis Light (1740-94) was the founder of the British colony of George Town Penang.
From what I gather of his life, he and his family were what could be called colonial adventurers. Francis Light began his career in the British navy and attained the rank of captain, but then he decided to seek his fortune in the far east, spending time in several different countries until he decided that Penang island (which is still filled with English folk, largely retirees these days). The island colony became a wealthy and prosperous enterprise, with a varied and multi-cultural mix of people. Light died on the island in 1794. An interesting life.
The first and principal construction on the island was fort Cornwallis, on the north east corner of Penang, near the harbour. The military function of the fort is now redundant, however, it has been restored as tourist attraction.
This life-sized statue of Captain Light stands inside the entrance to the fort (1 Ringit entry fee- ~30c). He is depicted in British naval garb, standing on a small plinth. There is plaque, with a history of the statue (but not the man) at the base. The statue was emplaced in 1938, at the 150th anniversary (1786) of Light's landing in Penang. Since then the statue has been moved several times (and its sword was melted down by the occupying Japanese for their own weapons—very symbolic), but it is now back in the fort, where it was originally located. Interestingly, the plaque tells us that the face of the statue was based upon the likeness of Light's son (who went on to found the colony of Adelaide, Australia), and not the father. There being no record of Light's actual appearance.
URL of the statue: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
You must have visited the site in person, not online.