Ernest Tipson

Ernest Tipson (1883–1958) was a Brethren missionary and linguist who compiled a dictionary of Cantonese.

Born into a large Brethren family in Enfield, England, Tipson began his working life, at the age of 14, as an architect's clerk and typist, but was called to missionary service in the early 1900s.

His first posting was to Penang and he sailed there from the UK in November 1908. In October 1909, he traveled to Canton (now Guangzhou) in China where he spent just over a year mastering the Cantonese dialect. This was to be a vital tool in his missionary work and he went on to acquire the Hokkien dialect.

On his return from Canton (March 1911), he married Agnes Millar in Penang and they settled in Kuala Lumpur. His missionary work involved preaching the Gospel, evangelism, and visiting lepers and prisoners. As with most missionaries, in those times, there was the ever-present danger of ill-health and death due to the heat and humidity of British Malaya. In August 1914, his youngest child, Teddie, then one, fell ill with gastro-enteritis and died. Teddie was namesake of Tipson's 15-year-old brother who had died some 20 years previously.

By 1917, Ernest became seriously ill, and suffered a nervous breakdown, leaving immediately for Sydney, Australia, despite Agnes his wife being eight months' pregnant. He could not return home to England due to the conflict with Germany; the First World War was consuming Europe at that time. Finally, he arrived back in England in December 1918.

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