Lightbourne Avenue

Archdeacon Francis Lightbourne was the rector of St. James Anglican Church from 1930 t0 1962. Born in Toronto in 1896, he served in France and Belgium during the First World War and was chaplain of the Perth Regiment for 23 years. He also edited a combination hymn and prayer book for officers and men in the Perth Regiment.

During the Second World War, he served with the Canadian Captain Service. He was made a canon in 1946 and became the  Archdeacon of Perth in 1951.  He was chairman of the Stratford board of education in 1939, and a founding member of the Stratford Shakespearian Festival board of governors. He played a major role in the revision of the Anglican book of common prayer, accepted in 1959. He died in 1976.  Source: Streets of Stratford 2004.