Douglas Dawson 1922 – 2019
My friendship with Douglas Dawson began
nearly 70 years ago when in 1952 he came
to speak at our newly-formed Fellowship of
Youth group at Zion, Trowbridge.
Doug’s life began in East London. There
were six children in the family connected
with the chapel in Hainalt Road, Leyton.
Doug left school at 14 and in 1941 he volunteered for the RAF reserves.
John Appleby, 1925-2011
The sudden homecall of John Appleby on July 24 came as a shock to his family and friends. So has ended the earthly life of a devoted servant of the Lord.
After a brief pastorate at Wood Green, John answered the call of God to service in South India. Little did he realise, when serving with Fleet Air Arm as a radio mechanic, that this was to be a vital part of his preparation for the work of radio evangelism in India which would develop in the late 1950s. When Strict Baptist Mission — now Grace Baptist Mission (GBM) — was presented with a challenge from the Far East Broadcasting Co. (Manila) to consider the possibility of a radio ministry, John was the only serving missionary qualified for this type of ministry. The potential was immense. The Mission accepted and Tamil programmes to India and beyond commenced in November 1958. The blessing of God was evident as enquirers began to respond. The early days were tough. There was no studio, just a tape recorder, microphone, seven-inch tapes and a stopwatch! It was a case of finding the quietest place for recording programmes. Imagine that in India!!