With so much activity developing, the Watch Tower Society’s Australian branch office established a literature depot in Singapore for the convenience of the Kingdom proclaimers and, in 1937, sent up Alfred Wicke to care for this. After his marriage in 1939, he and his wife Thelma spent the next two years, until the war intervened, thoroughly covering the west coast of Malaya. To this day some persons still remember their visits. One of their early contacts was a young Sikh, named Puran Singh, then about sixteen years of age. After reading the booklet Where Are the Dead? and learning that the Wickes were in the vicinity, he cycled about fifty miles (80 kilometers) to meet them. The next day he accompanied them in rural territory to learn how to witness. Some time later the spiritual uplift he had received spurred him to ride another 120 miles (about 190 kilometers) to an assembly of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Kuala Lumpur. Here he disassociated himself from the Sikh religion by having his hair cut and shaving off his beard. After his baptism he decided to be known as George Puran Singh. Full of zeal, he now wanted to witness full time. Circumstances indicated that he could do this best in India. There he has continued to serve faithfully for many years.

To further spiritual interests in Penang, the Society’s branch transferred Alfred and Thelma Wicke there in 1955. Before long a congregation was organized.