H. A. Maxwell Whyte
Maxwell Whyte was born on May 3, 1908 in London, England. As a child he was raised in a nominally Christian home in which church attendance was encouraged. Raised as a Presbyterian, Maxwell was strongly influenced by the godly pastor of his boyhood parish, and at age sixteen, he made a commitment to the Lord, although his level of understanding of what this decision meant was meager indeed. After completing his education at Dulwich College in London, Maxwell entered the business world as a representative of the Anglo-American Oil Company, and even during the depression years, he enjoyed a measure of success that was the envy of many during those years of economic stress. On June 8, 1934, Maxwell married Olive Hughes in St. Paul's Anglican Church in the London suburb of Beckenham. It was in this peaceful residential area that Maxwell and Olive rejoiced in their comfortable lifestyle, their solid marriage, and the birth of their first two sons, David and Michael. All was going well for this successful and happy couple until son David became seriously ill. In fear that their son might be taken from them, Olive and Maxwell cried out to the Lord in desperation, and they were both dramatically affected when God restored David to good health.
Shortly after this experience, Maxwell was invited by a colleague to attend a small charismatic meeting in Croydon on the outskirts of London. There for the first time, he witnessed the operation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and saw a group of people whose relationship with the Lord was one of vitality not in keeping with religious tradition. Maxwell's life was never the same again as he was truly converted, baptized in water, baptized in the Holy Spirit, and miraculously set free from a smoking habit, all within a few weeks.
Sovereignly led by the Holy Spirit into an understanding of demonic activity and spiritual warfare, Maxwell Whyte embarked on a spiritual journey in ministry that was fraught with uncertainty and an absence of familiar landmarks. Despite great opposition, he forged ahead in the battle against the forces of Satan, convinced that the ministry of deliverance was scripturally based and was being restored to the church in his day. He was active in Toronto and had a summer cottage on Lake Simcoe 50 miles north. He was an officer in WWII in the British Royal Air Force as a communications officer; he continued in life as a "HAM radio" operator.