William was born in Bangalore, India, the son of an Irish couple, James and Mary Elizabeth Oldham.

Although he was baptized a Roman Catholic, his earliest religious contacts came from Protestant military chaplains and the headmaster of the Madras Christian College.

His father, though a Catholic, had turned anti-Romanist, and Oldham had absorbed the religious teachings of the Protestants when attending Anglican schools.

The teachings of these Methodist missionaries, led by Bishop William Taylor, were strange yet attractive to Oldham.

Bishop Thoburn also had a Chinese background, and he was to be an influence on Oldham's decision to serve in Southeast Asia and later to assume the mantle of the Bishopric.

The Oldhams were then appointed to accompany Bishop Thoburn to begin pioneering Methodist work in Singapore.

Sometimes pelted by rotten eggs during his outdoor preaching, this gifted orator nevertheless attracted a following, and on Oldham's 32nd birthday in 1886, the first local Methodist Church held its dedication service.

At its stone-laying ceremony in 1907, Oldham remembered, with pride, how the church had been self-sufficient from the day it was established, funded mainly by a small band of believers united by the English language and their faith.

At a meeting held in the home of Tan Keong Saik, Oldham gave a talk on astronomy.

[6] Although these schools were built as American Methodist institutions, the Englishman had good support from the British government in Malaya.

In the setting up of these institutions, Oldham had also received much help from fellow missionaries and educationists such as Dr Shellabear, Rev.

Some of Oldham's noteworthy pupils included Rev Goh Hood Keng, one of the earliest local preachers.

Oldham also continued Ms Cooke's ministry for seamen, holding Sunday services on-board ships.

Unfortunately, with a full day teaching at school and preaching on weekends, the work soon took its toll on Oldham who, after four years of labour, had to take leave for the United States in 1889.

He established a vibrant ministry while serving as a pastor in Butler Street Church in Pittsburgh, and was also the Chair of Missions at the Ohio Wesleyan University.

In 1895, at Ohio Wesleyan University, Oldham founded the Chair of Missions and Comparative Religions, and taught about Southeast Asia from his years of experience.

When he was appointed in 1904 as Missionary Bishop of Southern Asia, Oldham used Singapore as his base for his travels to the Philippines, Indonesia and parts of Malaya.

Oldham also organised the missions into the four key language groups, namely English, Tamil, Malay and Chinese - a structure that continues to exist in the Methodist churches of Singapore today.

In 1909, Nicholas Zamora, an eloquent leader in the Methodist Church in the Philippines, led an attempt to secede from the episcopacy which Oldham had been heading.

Despite his popularity and success, Oldham's term as bishop in Asia came to an abrupt in 1912 when he was appointed a coordinate secretary to the Methodist Board of Foreign Missions in New York.

[2] Oldham died on 27 March 1937 in Glendale, California, United States and was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park.