AJSAHistoryVol6Iss2 September 2021

of that body of expatriate staff underwent a significant change. It now included a significant number
of lay workers, the majority of whom were soldiers of The Salvation Army.

Traditionally, most mission stations were staffed by ordained members of the sponsoring
church or religious order or by specifically dedicated members of a given missionary society. In the
case of The Salvation Army, commissioned officers were appointed to overseas territories and they
made up most of the staff of any Salvation Army mission station anywhere in the world. In earlier
times they were referred to as ‘missionaries’ but as local work progressed, they were referred to as
‘reinforcement’ officers. Expatriate lay workers, that is, persons not ordained or dedicated by a
religious body were recruited from time to time to work on a mission station and contribute to the
furtherance of the mission’s objectives but proportionately they were few in number and generally
they were recruited for specific specialist skills and on a shorter term basis than that applying to
officers.

Prior to 1970, Zambian nationals and Salvationist expatriate lay workers made up only a small
proportion of the staff of the Chikankata Mission. For example, the 1968 photograph of the staff of
Chikankata Secondary School shows 15 expatriate Salvation Army officers, four Zambians and nine
expatriate lay staff.7 Of the nine expatriate laymen and women in the photograph, only School
Business Manager Rodney Bates (UK) and his wife, school nurse Jacqueline Bates (Switzerland)
were soldiers of The Salvation Army. Two of the nine, Paul Epp and Rod Wiens (USA), along with
their wives, were Mennonites who served at Chikankata as an alternative to being drafted into the US
army at the time of the war in Vietnam.

In the 15-year period, 1970 to 1985, 147 non-ordained expatriates from 11 different countries
volunteered to serve for various periods at Chikankata. Overwhelmingly they were teachers, doctors
and nurses but others were engineers, medical laboratory specialists, radiographers, pharmacists,
social workers, tradesmen, accountants, business managers, radio broadcasters, hospital
administrators, physiotherapists, agriculturalists, a psychiatrist and a microbiologist. Some 60% of
these 147 lay workers were soldiers of The Salvation Army.

The close of the age of transition may be validly marked by the appointment in 1985 of
Zambian, Mr Daniel Kalichi, as principal of the secondary school. By the end of 1985 there were no
expatriate classroom teachers at the school for all such positions could now be filled with qualified
Zambians. The Zambianisation of the hospital staff and support roles took place gradually over the
following 15 years, the number of expatriate officers and lay workers gradually diminishing. A
significant marker in this period was the appointment in 1996 of Zambian Mr Elvis Simamvwa as
Hospital Administrator. Both Daniel Kalichi and Elvis Simamvwa were soldiers of The Salvation
Army.

7 Photograph courtesy of Lieutenant-Colonel Rodney Bates.

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Australian Salvation Army nurse Lieutenant Sonja Southwell administers tetanus inoculations to
students of the Chikankata Secondary School in 1970. Tetanus was an infection widespread in the

district at the time. The inoculation program also included the oral Sabin polio vaccine.8

Finding the expatriate staff of the Chikankata mission 1970 – 1985

The first task in this study to identify the expatriate staff of Chikankata was to compile a roll of those
who served on the mission station in the 1970 to 1985 period. The author had maintained personal
contact with 65 ex-Chikankata expatriate staff and this network produced another 63 email addresses
of expatriates known to have served at Chikankata either as officers or lay workers.

These expatriates of Chikankata were emailed and each contact was asked to state:
• How did they find out about Chikankata?
• Why did they volunteer?
• Nationality
• Officer or lay worker
• Date of arrival at Chikankata and date of departure
• Role and tasks while at Chikankata
• Brief details of life post-Chikankata
• Any details on ex-Chikankata persons known to you whose whereabouts is unknown
or is deceased.

From the responses it was determined that at least 51 of the expatriates who served at
Chikankata in the period 1970 to 1985 are now deceased, or ‘promoted to Glory’ as Salvationists say.
Individual ex-staff members added names by reporting “that person taught History with me” or “that
nurse worked in the children’s ward”. As memory can be a fickle thing, any such assertion was
checked against the testimony of others and, if possible, against available document or photographic
evidence. All information received was stored on an excel spreadsheet against the name of the person
concerned.

Some ex-Chikankata personnel had kept lists of “people who were there in my time” while
others had kept diaries and guest books recording dates and names. In his diary the author has a list

8 Photograph courtesy of Lieutenant-Colonels Ian and Sonja Southwell. The photograph was originally published in Ian
Southwell and Sonja Southwell, Safely led to serve. A joint biography, (Bloomington, USA: Balboa, 2017). Chapters
seven and eight are a comprehensive report on the Southwells’ service in Zambia.

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headed “Teaching Staff of Chikankata Secondary School, Term 1, 1977”. Particularly valuable were
“life at Chikankata” pamphlets sent to home corps and supporters. In a 1978 letter, hospital matron
Iona Rainer listed each ward in the hospital and the name of the nurse in charge. In addition, this
letter contained the names of staff being welcomed and names of those being farewelled. Reports and
obituaries in The war cry and other Salvation Army publications were also valuable sources.

Photographs taken by staff members at the time were not only a valuable source of names but
they could also be studied for factors such as age, gender, occupation, and fashion of the times! The
author has received photographs of the staff of Chikankata Secondary School for 1968, 1974, 1976,
1977, 1978, 1979, 1982, 1983, and 1993. Such a series not only produced names for the roll but also
indicated leadership changes and staff turnover.

Staff of Chikankata Secondary School, 1977
(Back row L-R) Charles Rice, Ian Roberts, Kingsley Sampson, David Cowan, Elsie Boniface, David

Wells, Ken Bonnar, Ron Inglis.
(Third row L-R) Colley Jackson, Jan Roberts, Barbara Sampson, Betty Cowan, Emmet
Hantukumane, Danny Kalichi, Kath Wells, David Hamulumbu, Glennice Bonnar, Rowland Sewell,

Joy Inglis, Dawn Sewell.
(Second row L-R) Pat Jackson, Janet Rice, Sharon Berry, Frances Creswell, Ruth Mulongo, Hilda
Loongo, Joyce Chikandi, Margaret Sutherland, Colleen Morton, Howard Morton, Dean Greenberg,

Susan Greenberg.
(Front row L-R) Ivy Maguswi, Ken Maguswi, Simeon Mhende (retired), Margaret Hay, Laurence Hay

(Principal), Ruth Chinchen (Deputy), Jean Gulston, Mel Gulston.
(Absent) Pingo Homela.9

It needs to be noted that school-staff photos such as the one above included non-secondary-
teaching personnel: accompanying spouses/nurses and persons holding such positions as engineer,
accountant, business manager and teacher in the staff primary school.

9 Photograph courtesy of Ron Inglis.

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The contribution of Salvationist lay workers to the staff of Chikankata was particularly strong
in the 1970s. Of the 17 expatriate lay workers in the 1977 photo of the staff of Chikankata Secondary
School, 15 were soldiers of The Salvation Army.

Major Lesley Baker (UK) has long collected names of anyone who served in The Salvation
Army in Zambia and this list was a source of names and some limited detail for each person. Elsie
Boniface (UK), a teacher at Chikankata Secondary School 1977 – 1979, not only produced a list, with
photographs, of “people who were there in my time” but, as she had spent her childhood at Chikankata
as the daughter of Lt.-Cols. Les & Miriam Pull, she was able to produce lists of names and
photographs of many more people who, at one time or other, served on the Chikankata Mission.

The Salvation Army itself contributed little information. Commissioner Margaret Sutherland
wrote,

I can confirm that in the time period you are referring to [1970 – 1985], there was no ‘roll’ as
such at IHQ for those serving overseas. The information will be there, but it would take a great
deal of searching through old filing to find it! Every person had their own file folder in which all
correspondence relating to them was stored. The ruling then was that anything relating to
personnel would never be destroyed. Most of the old IHQ hard copy files are now in a warehouse
away from the IHQ building. It would be easier now of course with electronic filing. I think that
started to come in the early 1990s.

With regard to the International Heritage Centre, … it eventually ended up under the
auspices of the UK Territory but I don’t know how ‘international’ it actually is. Certainly as far
as officer records are concerned, historically they have only held those of UK officers, and as I
think I mentioned to you before, these records only gave the date transferred to IHQ (for overseas
service) and the date returned to UK – no details of appointments held in between. All sounds a
bit chaotic, doesn’t it? There were so many departments, each doing their own thing. And I
suppose it had grown like topsy over the years.10

A given Salvation Army HQ will readily supply a list of officers and lay-workers from the territory
currently serving overseas and the territory will frequently have a missionary support group, but a
register of all who served in a particular location overseas at some time in the past is rarely kept. The
old Australia Eastern Territory (1921 – 2018) had no register of lay persons who served overseas but
did have a Missionary Honour Board (now in the Sydney annex of The Salvation Army Australia
Museum) on which is recorded the rank and name of every officer from the territory who served “in
missionary lands” overseas. The Honour Board shows the date of their appointment and the land to
which they were sent. However, there is no indication of subsequent appointments nor any indication
of how long the officer remained “on the mission field”.

After a year of investigating, cross-checking with document and photographic sources, and
extensive use of the informal ‘Salvation Army grapevine’, I am confident that the excel spreadsheet
now contains the name of every one of the 233 persons who served at Chikankata between 1970 and
1985. Of the 233 persons there are around 40 persons presumed to be still alive yet whose
whereabouts are unknown. Almost all of these were not Salvationists when they served at Chikankata.

While it was not possible to record the exact time of arrival and exact time of departure of
everyone of the 233 expatriates recorded on the roll, it was possible to confirm that each of the 233
persons had in fact served at Chikankata at some time during the study period. From the questionnaire
detailed above and reports from colleagues, it was possible to record basic details such as when they
were there, the various roles they had on the mission and some brief details of their life post-
Chikankata. Excluded from the roll were visitors, people serving on short-term mission teams,

10 Email from Commissioner Margaret Sutherland to author, (14 June 2021).

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students fulfilling study or experience requirements and persons recruited only for a particular project.
Of course, not all 233 expatriates were at Chikankata at the one time. On average, over the study
period, there were around 50 to 60 expatriate persons living on the mission station at any given time.

Age of expatriate staff

The exact age on arrival is known for only a few of the 233 persons on the roll but even a cursory
glance at hospital and school staff photographs from the period reveals that the staff of Chikankata at
the time was made up overwhelmingly of young adults. Almost all were in their late twenties or early
thirties on first arrival. Out of the 233 names on the roll, fewer than 30 persons could be positively
identified as being over 35 years of age on arrival.

Many officers appointed to Chikankata came straight from their respective officer training
colleges or were appointed within a few years of being commissioned. Likewise with lay workers.
Most arrived at Chikankata either directly from their respective tertiary institutions or after only a
few years’ experience in their profession. Clearly dedication, flexibility and enthusiasm had to make
up for limited experience and the absence of older mentors.

Teachers Elsie Boniface, Charles Rice and Janet Rice were just 21 years of age on arrival.
Perhaps the youngest was Ruth Winsor (now Vermeulen) who was just 20 when she arrived from
Canada to take up duties in the hospital office in 1975.

Further evidence of the young age grouping is the fact that in the period 1970 to 1985, 51
children were born in Chikankata Hospital to expatriate parents on the staff of the mission. Two of
those children would themselves return to Zambia in adult life and serve as Salvationist lay workers.
Peter Weymouth served as a project officer both at Chikankata and at The Salvation Army’s
Headquarters in Lusaka from 2006 to 2009. He was still in Zambia when his parents, Majors Jim and
Marion Weymouth returned to take up appointments in The Salvation Army’s Training College in
Lusaka. Philip Bates, together with his wife and four children, returned to Zambia in 2010. Bates was
programme consultant with The Salvation Army for “Southern Africa Region Capacity
Building”. The family returned to Switzerland in 2014. Parents Lieutenant-Colonels Rodney and
Jacqueline Bates were able to spend Christmas 2012 with them in Zambia.

The number of primary school age children accompanying their parents also rose during the
study period. Prior to 1972 such children were either home schooled by their parents or were week-
day boarders in Lusaka, 100 kms away, but with the increased number of primary school children at
Chikankata, a staff primary school was set up at the mission in 1972 and a primary teacher, Janet Rice
(UK) appointed. This staff primary school continued to operate, with occasional interruptions, up
until 1994. By then the number of staff children of primary school age had dropped to the extent that
a staff children’s primary school on the mission was no longer viable. The few primary school age
expatriate staff children remaining were either home schooled or boarded at the international Musikili
Boarding School in Mazabuka.

The cohort demographics

The overwhelming majority of the 233 expatriates who served at Chikankata from 1970 to 1985 were
part of the demographic cohort referred to in Australia as ‘post-war baby boomers’. They were part
of the surge in the birth rate in the 15-year period immediately following the Second World War.

The parents of some of the Chikankata expatriate staff had actively participated in the war. Ken
Bonnar’s father was in Europe in the Canadian army, participating ultimately in the liberation of the

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2021. Page 55

Netherlands. He didn’t return to Canada until Ken was five years old. Brenda Cottrill’s father was a
prisoner of the Japanese in Singapore for four years. Howard Morton’s father joined the Australian
6th Division and saw service in the Middle East. He became a Salvation Army Red Shield officer and
ended the war in the Philippines assisting with the repatriation of Australian prisoners-of-war.

Joanne Bunton’s father landed on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day with the Canadian army
while Peter Belcher’s father was a navigator in the RAF, flying 36 operations over enemy territory
with 640 Squadron. Kath Wells’ father, military bandmaster Dean Goffin was on Crete during the
German invasion of May 1941, as was Kingsley Sampson’s father, a medic in the 2NZEF. The two
New Zealand soldiers escaped to Egypt and avoided becoming POWs.

Sue Greenberg’s father served in the British army, including a posting to Kenya in East Africa.
Ron Inglis’ father enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force. He participated in the Syrian campaign
then returned to Australia and was sent to the Kokoda Track in New Guinea defending Australia
against the Japanese.

Having been born to Dutch Salvation Army officers, Adjutants Ryer and Johanna van
Kralingen, serving in the Netherlands East Indies (Indonesia), Chikankata boys’ clinic sister Sonja
Southwell was interned with her mother and sister in appalling conditions on Java from 1942 to 1945.
Her father was interned in prison camps on Tarakan, Borneo. Miraculously, the family was re-united
on Spencer Street Railway Station in Melbourne, Australia in 1946.11

One Chikankata teacher was born in occupied territory. Jean Gulston (UK) stated

My parents, Percy and Maisie (Margaret) Standley, were Salvation Army [SA] officers in Canton
(Guangzou), China, where they married. The Japanese occupation was comparatively benevolent,
for foreigners at least. The SA was allowed to operate soup kitchens. Their religious activities
were clandestine. My father told a tale of taking a body for Christian burial after curfew at great
risk. I was born in the hospital on the American concession and on one occasion was cuddled by
a Japanese commander who was inspecting the British concession. We were repatriated on a
Japanese ship and exchanged for Japanese nationals in Lorenço Marques (Maputo), Mozambique.
Thence, via Cape Town, to spend the war in Tadley, Hampshire and Southall, London. Dad went
back to Hong Kong as soon as possible and we followed. I spent a wonderful childhood there
returning, reluctantly, to the UK in 1957.12

The Christian names of the persons on the Chikankata staff roll are typical of their generation.
The most common names among the 233 persons set the birth dates of the cohort clearly in the 1940s
and 1950s. The most common female names were Margaret, Jean/Jeanette, Ruth, Mary/Marianne,
Dorothy, Catherine, Joan and Joy. The most common male names were Alan, Peter, David, Ian, Paul
and Robert. (Surprisingly for such a large group of Salvationists, no Bramwells!)

Another feature of the ‘post-war baby boomers’ was that they were the first generation to
complete high school and go on to tertiary education in large numbers. Many of those who served at
Chikankata between 1970 and 1985 noted that they were the first in their family to go to university.
This was particularly so for Salvationists. Prior to the 1960s, few Salvation Army corps in the western
world had soldiers who were university graduates. After all, The Salvation Army was a working-class
movement, one of evangelistic action, not of academic contemplation. Scholarly, academic types such
as General and Mrs Frederick Coutts were not all that common in The Salvation Army of the 1950s
and 1960s. Now a new generation of Salvationists were taking advantage of expanded educational
opportunities, giving The Salvation Army a new type of soldier ready ‘to save and to serve’. A

11 Sonja Southwell, A safe arrival, (Bloomington, USA: Balboa, 2018).
12 Email from Jean Gulston to author, (19 May 2020).

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generation of qualified Salvationist expatriates became available just at the time they were needed by
emerging, third-world countries such as Zambia.

Staff of Chikankata Hospital, December 1978
This is the only photograph of the entire staff of Chikankata Hospital that has come to light.
Seated centre front row in light uniform: Chief Medical Officer, Captain Dr Paul Du Plessis.13

When a number of ex-Chikankata staff were questioned by the author as to their motivation in
volunteering to serve at Chikankata, they gave a variety of religious, humanitarian and personal
reasons, but in all there was some measure of an idealistic desire to make a difference in the world.
Reasons given included the evangelisation of Africans and the growth of the African Salvation Army,
the personal desire to “do something more with my life” and the desire to reduce global economic
and social inequalities. The expatriates who served at Chikankata came from the affluent First World
while Zambia was clearly Third World – subsistence production, limited life-expectancy, few
resources, limited access to medical services, few opportunities for secondary education.

This mix of religious, economic and personal factors, combined with a youthful enthusiasm for
travel and adventure was a clear motivation for those who signed up to serve overseas.

Those brought up in The Salvation Army had additional motivation. Salvation Army culture
has always placed an emphasis on personal commitment and service. The ‘call to officership’ was
strongly put to young Salvationists. Self-Denial week was a big event in the Army calendar. Sunday
School and Corps Cadet lessons included many stories of ‘sterling Salvationists’ ready to ‘do or die’.
Most heard the story of William Booth’s challenge to his son Bramwell on the matter of homeless
people sleeping under bridges in the city of London; ‘And what have you done about it?’

The Salvation Army itself frequently had selected officers undertake professional studies to
increase the number of qualified officers for the Army’s various mission stations. Major Ruth
Chinchen, who taught at Chikankata from 1959 to 1979, was one of several young female officers in
the UK who, at the request of the Army, did a three-year Domestic Science training course in
Edinburgh to equip them for appointments to Army schools in Zambia and Zimbabwe. Dr Graham
Calvert, Medical Officer at Chikankata 1974 – 1981, undertook medical studies after being
commissioned with the express purpose of increasing the supply of qualified doctors for the Army’s
medical work.14

13 Photograph courtesy of Howard Morton.
14 Email from Dr Graham Calvert to author, (26 July 2021).

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Getting to Chikankata
By the early 1970s, Chikankata had grown to be a substantial mission station – a major general
hospital of high repute with numerous medical departments, training schools for Zambian nurses and
laboratory technicians, a leprosy settlement with medical advances in the field of leprosy prevention
and treatment known world-wide, and an established secondary school of some 400 students, most
of whom were boarders.15

Up to late 1972 any expatriate appointed to the Chikankata Mission had an epic journey just to
get there. The voyage by ship from Southampton to Cape Town took two weeks, then there was a rail
journey of around 3,000km up through South Africa and Rhodesia to reach Mazabuka station in the
Southern Province of Zambia. The train journey was equivalent to a longitudinal crossing of Australia
from Adelaide to Darwin. Reinforcements from Australia and New Zealand had a three to four-week
voyage across the Indian Ocean to Durban and then a rail journey of a mere 2,500km up to Mazabuka.
From Mazabuka it was a further 80km journey along mostly unsealed roads to get to the mission
station.

Southern Africa – The rail journey to Mazabuka16
In 1969, young New Zealand doctor, Patricia Cruickshank, out of Auckland Congress Hall had
offered for missionary service and was headed for the International Officer Training College in

15 For information on some of the services conducted out of Chikankata see for example Edith Shankster, “Chikankata
happenings”, All the world, (London, UK: April – June 1973), 112 – 113.; Paul du Plessis, “Africa’s medicine chest”,
All the world, (London, UK: April - June 1978), 50 – 51.; K. M. Bonnar, “Light and progress”, All the world, (London,
UK: July - September 1980), 101 – 102.; Graham Calvert, “Medical aid in the Zambesi Valley”, All the world, (London,
UK: October – December 1980), 111 – 112.; Anon, “The Ibbwe (Zambia) Saga”, All the world, (London, UK: April -
June 1983), 214.
16 Map drawn by Lindsay Cox OAM.

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London. She decided to spend some time at Chikankata Hospital on the way, “just to see what I was
getting myself into.” Cruickshank wrote,

I went by ship, the ‘Southern Cross’ from Wellington. In Sydney Major and Mrs Neil and Dorothy
Young joined the ship en route to teach at the Howard Institute in Rhodesia. After several weeks
crossing the Indian Ocean we disembarked in Durban and stayed at the Salvation Army maternity
hospital there. The heat and humidity were so terrible I thought ‘if this is Africa I will never
survive’. I suggested a photo on the steps of the hospital with the white and black staff – this did
not go down well. To see the seats in the park ‘for whites only’, and separate entrances to train
and bus stations for whites and blacks, was terrible. We travelled by train to Johannesburg then
on into Rhodesia – mine dumps, ant hills, vultures, weaver birds, thorn bushes, goats and kraals
went past. The train was pulled by a steam engine so was very dirty from smoke and ash. At any
stop people came along side selling curios and I bought some. At Bulawayo we were met by New
Zealand officers and taken to the Cecil Rhodes memorial in the Matopos. From Bulawayo the
Youngs carried on with the train to Salisbury and I took the train to Zambia via Victoria Falls. I
have never been so frightened in my life. Liquor was readily available, people got drunk and a
number of young men wanted to come into my cabin. The lock of the door was broken so I tied
the door with my camera strap. Thank God the Business Manager at Chikankata had let me know
how many stops Mazabuka was from Victoria Falls. I counted them and eventually got off safe
and sound.17

Salvationist teachers from the UK, Mel and Jean Gulston, signed up for service at Chikankata
straight after marriage. Jean Gulston reported:

In 1970 we went by train from London to Venice, via Paris, sharing a cabin of six bunks. A large,
loud and slightly smelly Parsi commandeered the lower bunks for himself and his wife. My
brother and sister-in-law met us in Venice, where they were holidaying and they waved us off.
We sailed on a Lloyd Triestino ship, stopping to pick up passengers at Brindisi, Barcelona and
Tenerife – wonderful Italian food and a good time. There were two S[alvation] A[rmy] officer
couples on board bound for (then) Rhodesia. They were good company. There was cholera in
Dakar and other parts of West Africa, so we were unable to pick up supplies of fresh food. Menus
were less varied and fresh water was rationed. Disembarked at Cape Town, where, fortunately, a
Salvation Army officer was waving our work permits/visas which hadn’t been obtained before
we left England. We stayed in a Christian guest house for a couple of days and had our eyes
opened. The servants were summoned by bells. When we thanked them as they served us at table
everyone else stared at us as if we had done something terrible. I suppose the mistress spoke to
them sotto voice, but no one else did. Of course apartheid was evident everywhere. We had two
nights on the steam train north, wherein there is another story. We stopped in Bulawayo and then
overnight to (then) Salisbury where we had breakfast on Holy Row with SA officers. Chikankata
School Business Manager Rodney Bates picked us up in a white minibus for the 10-hour drive to
Chikankata, together with sacks of oranges, apples and other supplies - probably including cheese.
What an adventure! Beats 8 hours in a plane with no time to adjust your mind from one continent
to another.18

From late 1972 all new expatriate staff for Chikankata were flown in by air, either London to
Lusaka direct or via Nairobi in Kenya. It was indeed a great culture shock for many to go from the
affluence of Britain, Canada or Australia to the third-world conditions of remote, rural Zambia all in
less than 24 hours. While a handful of Chikankata officers and lay-workers had worked in a third
world country before Zambia and while three lay-workers, Howard Morton, Elsie Boniface (nee Pull),
and Brenda Wood (nee Cottrill), were returning to Africa where they had spent their childhood with

17 Email from Harold Hill and Pat Hill to author, (5 May 2020).
18 Email from Jean Gulston to author, (12 September 2020).

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Salvation Army officer parents, the overwhelming majority of new staff to Chikankata had never
before lived out of their home country. In his memoir Robert Goodwill wrote:

This was a huge leap of faith for us. You see neither of us had ever been outside of the United
States except to Canada. Also, we had never even flown anywhere before. The person that I talked
to about Zambia wasn’t very helpful in telling us about what to expect. We didn’t know whether
we would be living in a grass hut or what. Nevertheless, I was very excited about our coming
adventure. Mary was very apprehensive about the whole thing, but she still didn’t hesitate to step
out in faith.19

In 1973, Salvationists from the Dulwich Hill corps in Sydney, Australia, Dr Graeme Lucas and
his wife Carolyn volunteered to serve at Chikankata. Carolyn reported:

We flew first to India where Graeme’s brother, Captain Dr Walter Lucas had been serving since
1970 in the Salvation Army’s MacRobert Hospital in Dhariwal. We had such a shock. While we
were there Graeme’s brother passed away from mystery complications following an operation.
We were delayed arriving at Chikankata for we were helping Walter’s widow, Olive Lucas, pack
up and return to Australia. Once at Chikankata Graeme was immediately involved in the hospital
rounds and I was kept busy with several jobs including being Personal Assistant to the Chief
Medical Officer, Dr Paul Du Plessis.20

Australian Salvationists Ron and Joy Inglis were among the better prepared for the third world
conditions of Zambia. In early 1976 they flew to the Indonesian island of Bali and from there
backpacked overland by public transport to London. They recalled,

We planned to start our family at Chikankata and were warned that baby gear, indeed almost
anything you could normally buy in an Australian or British store, was rarely, if at all, available
in Zambia. So a year after we had departed Sydney, we landed in Lusaka loaded with baby items,
a complete stoneware dinner set and a brand-new sewing machine. Fortunately for us, the OC,
Colonel Bill Evans was late. By the time he got to the airport with our work permits for
immigration to let us in, all the customs officials had gone home.21

Officers and lay workers

Of the 233 expatriate persons who served at Chikankata in the 1970 – 1985 study period, 86 were
officers of The Salvation Army and 147 were lay volunteers when they first arrived at the mission.
Three of the 147, physiotherapist Marion Campbell (Australia), nurse Joan Gibson (UK) and office
assistant Ruth Winsor (Canada) served a term as a Salvationist lay worker at Chikankata then returned
to their home Salvation Army territory to train as officers. They were commissioned and appointed
back to Chikankata for further periods of service.

Another four of the 147 lay workers, Rodney and Jacqueline Bates (UK/Swiss), science teacher
Rolf Paul (Canada) and nurse Cobi Massbommel (Netherlands) became officers of The Salvation
Army at some time after they left Chikankata and they served elsewhere. Toronto University graduate
Rolf Paul was not long at Chikankata before he fell in love with Chikankata Hospital nurse Captain
Joy Hetherington (Canada). Rolf returned to Canada, trained as a Salvation Army officer then married
Joy, and they were officers to retirement in the Canada territory.

19 Chapter 14 deals with the time American Salvationists Bob & Mary Goodwill spent at Chikankata. Robert Goodwill,
Bobby: The story of a Polio victim, (Kindle Edition, 2015), 59.
20 Telephone conversation between Carolyn Lucas and author, (June 2020).
21 Recalled by the author.

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Staff of Chikankata Secondary School, 1982
(Back row L-R) Fenny Siamusiye, Violet Siamusiye, Sam Kamona, Leocardia Sugauke, Dea Seiler,
Sarah Woodley (short term), Dave Mansfield, Cathy Mansfield, Engelien Bakker, Bert Bakker (with

Tabitha), Catherine Mitch, Alan Mitch, Duncan Dixon.
(Middle row L-R) Apex Mweemba, Rosemarie Cunningham, Cliff Cunningham, Danny Kalichi, Ellie
Kalichi, Margaret Belcher, Peter Belcher, Phanuel Simamba, Kath Wells, David Wells, Allison Smith

(with Rachel), Lex Smith, Ron Zimmerman.
(Front row L-R) Isaac Mweetwa, Martha Mweetwa, Hilda Matongo, Edward Matongo, Margaret
Sutherland (Deputy), Ken Bonnar (Principal), Glennice Bonnar, David Rideout, Ann Rideout, Linda

Mills, Steve Mills, Emmet Hantukumane.
(Absent on homeland furlough) Jim & Marion Weymouth.22

Lieutenant-Colonel Rodney Bates reported:

I come from a Salvationist family from Portsmouth, England and in 1963 I moved to Switzerland
to take up a job as an accountant with Nestlé in Vevey. I met Jacqueline in Vevey where we both
soldiered at the Corps. Jacqueline also came from a Salvationist family and her father was the
Bandmaster and I played trombone in the band.

We became Candidates and in 1966 we were married at the Corps in Vevey. Whilst on
honeymoon we received the regulations for the Training College in London. We were appalled
by the fact that if Jacqueline became pregnant while in College she would have to leave and that
for all the away weekends and campaigns we would be separated, so we postponed our
Candidateship … We settled in the Corps where we were both very active. …

However, we still wanted to do something more with our lives. We contacted IHQ and
eventually were offered work in Chikankata. We had never before thought of Africa, but after
much prayer we decided this was the way forward for us. …

Just before leaving Chikankata at the end of our nearly 4-year term in 1971, we received a
letter from the TC in Switzerland offering me the job of Chief Accountant at THQ in Berne. We
were happy to accept. During this time we were approached by the C[hief] S[ecretary] to become
officers and we were commissioned in 1973. After 11 years in this [Berne] appointment, I was
appointed Financial Secretary in Harare, Zimbabwe.23

22 Photograph courtesy of Duncan Dixon.
23 Email from Lt.-Col. Rodney Bates to author, (2 June 2020).

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2021. Page 61

Length of service – Salvation Army officers

The comparison of the number of officers (89) with the number of lay workers (147) in the study
period is misleading for, on average, officers served for significantly more years than did lay workers.
An officer appointed to ‘the mission field’ in Southern Africa in the 1960s would normally be
expected to serve five years before homeland furlough would be granted. In the mid 1970s the
‘standard term’ for missionary officers in southern Africa was reduced to four years. Several officers,
teacher Laura Dutton (NZ), nurse Ruth Schoch (Swiss), teacher Ethel Carmody (UK), teacher Ruth
Chinchen (UK), nurse Margaretha Erlandsson (Sweden), and nurse Ruth Curtis (UK) all served at
Chikankata for 20 years or more. Other long-term officers included radiographer Jean Fardon (UK)
(19 years), dispenser Lesley Baker (UK) (15 years), teacher Margaret Sutherland (UK) (14 years),
nurse Edith Shankster (14 years), doctor Paul Du Plessis and social worker Margaret Du Plessis
(South Africa) (12 years).

Adding eight years as Nursing Tutor at the Howard Hospital in Zimbabwe to her eight years at
Chikankata, Canadian nurse Dorothy Munday spent 16 years of her officership in southern Africa.
Scotland nurse Joan Gibson has the distinction of being the officer with the longest service in Africa.
Having completed a total of six years at Chikankata, Joan was appointed to The Salvation Army’s
Howard Hospital in Zimbabwe where she served as midwifery tutor and matron for 30 years,
returning to the UK in 2015.

At least 22 of the officers who had served at the Chikankata Mission subsequently received
appointments elsewhere in the Zambia Command, some of them immediately following service at
Chikankata, some after a gap of several years. Laurence and Margaret Hay (NZ), Ian and Sonja
Southwell (AUS), Gwenda Watkinson (AUS), Jim and Marion Weymouth (AUS) were all appointed
to The Salvation Army Training College in Lusaka at various times. Bill and Jean Gold (UK) were
appointed to the Copper Belt in the north of Zambia as were Stan and Eva Morton (AUS). Lesley
Baker (UK), Chris and Clotilda Creek (AUS), Les and Miriam Pull (UK), Roland and Dawn Sewell
(UK), Allan and Moira Tong (NZ), and Elizabeth and Rex Wong Too (NZ) all had appointments
associated with Command Headquarters in Lusaka. Combining service in Lusaka with that at
Chikankata, Major Lesley Baker (UK) served in the Zambia Command for 22 years.

Length of service – Lay workers

The standard contract for lay workers at Chikankata provided that if the volunteer signed up for three
years, The Salvation Army would pay airfares to and from, provide a quarters on the mission station
and pay a stipend equivalent to that for a Zambian Salvation Army officer of six-year’s standing.
(Thus Ruth Winsor noted that when she returned to Chikankata as a first-year-out officer, she received
a slightly lower stipend than she had received as a lay worker!)

Most of the 147 lay workers at Chikankata during the study period served only for the standard
three-year term. This is not surprising as the foregoing of three years of home salary with no guarantee
of employment or housing on return home meant that lay workers had to make a significant financial
sacrifice to serve a term at Chikankata. Doubly so if, as was often the case, both husband and wife
were professionally qualified.

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2021. Page 62

Staff of Chikankata Secondary School, September 1983
(Teaching staff only)

(Back row L-R) Bert Bakker, Lt. Chris Creek, Solomon Mweemba, Edward Matongo, Fred Kalonga,
Fenny Siamusiye, Sam Kamona, unidentified.

(Middle Row L-R) Duncan Dixon, Phanuel Simamba, unidentified, Capt. Jim Weymouth (principal),
Capt. Marion Weymouth, Leocardia Sigauke, Catherine Mitch, Paul Demery, Emmet Hantukumane,

Allan Mitch.
(Front Row L-R) Danny Kalichi, Hilda Nyemba, Stephen Adams, unidentified, Martha

Mweetwa, Simon Mweemba/Ngoma (Hand on chin).24

Only 12 of the 147 lay workers in the study period extended their service to two terms, that is
six years; Pieter and Anna Dam (Netherlands [NL]), Mel and Jean Gulston (UK), Cobi Maasbommel
(NL), David and Cathy Mansfield (USA), Ferne Pyke (Canada), Janet and Charles Rice (UK), and
Brian and Val Smith (NZ). The longest-serving expatriate lay workers at Chikankata were New
Zealanders Philip and Margaret Eichler and American Robin Rader. Philip and Margaret served for
seven years from 1989 to 1996. Margaret was a nurse in the hospital while Philip served as school
engineer then Joint Board officer (renamed Director of Technical Services).

Robin Rader was one of the four daughters of American Salvation Army officers Damon and
June Rader who had served at Chikankata from 1965 to 1968, establishing the radio and broadcasting
studio. All four Rader daughters served at Chikankata for various intervals in the late 1980s/early
1990s, chiefly in the then new, critical area of AIDS care and research. Robin Rader was Chikankata
hospital secretary from 1988 to 1995. As a retired officer, widower Damon Rader returned to serve a
further three years in the broadcasting studio at Chikankata, 1998 to 2000.

24 Photograph courtesy of Duncan Dixon.

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2021. Page 63

Salvationist expatriate staff at Chikankata

70% of the 233 people who served at Chikankata between 1970 and 1985 were members of The
Salvation Army. That is, they were either commissioned officers or soldiers of the Army, attached to
a specific Salvation Army local corps in their home territory. In the everyday life of the mission, the
distinction between officers and soldiers disappeared. Both officers and soldiers were actively
involved in all the worship and evangelistic ministries of the Chikankata Mission as well as working
in their respective professions.

Australian Salvationist teacher Colleen Morton (leader) and Colour Sergeant Simeon Mhende with
the staff Junior Soldiers, 1978.25

The remaining 30% of the expatriate staff were not Salvationists but they had volunteered either
direct to The Salvation Army or they had come through other churches, international development
agencies or missionary organisations. All expatriate appointments to Chikankata, Salvationist or
otherwise, were coordinated by and approved by the Africa section of The Salvation Army’s
International Headquarters in London. Approved names would be forwarded to Command HQ in
Lusaka for work-permit applications to be made to the Zambian government. Understandably, non-
Salvationist staff members, Zambian and non-Zambian, were expected to support the principles and
ethos of the mission and this they did, though there were humorous instances where non-Salvationist
staff were completely mystified by Salvation Army jargon and traditional practices!

Dutch volunteer Science/Maths teacher Bert Bakker reported:
It turned out to be a very formative period for both of us. The first months were a challenge.
Especially I was quite judgemental about the way the Salvation Army conducted worship
services, the preaching especially. Having a background in the Reformed Church and as a Youth
for Christ local leader (attended YFC summer schools for leaders with gifted theologians)
comparing pastor-colleagues to the people I was used to did not turn out favourably. It took me
some three months to see that I would either accept colleagues and have genuine fellowship with
them, or keep benchmarking them and feeling disconnected and alienated. I choose the first and
that turned out very well. Most SA colleagues were older than me (I was 26 when I arrived), and

25 Photograph courtesy of Colleen Morton.

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2021. Page 64

more mature as persons and in their lived faith. A lot of informal mentoring went on. I ended up
being school pastor for the last three months of our stay.26

Some of the agencies channelling volunteers to The Salvation Army included the Mennonite
Central Committee (MCC), the British Volunteer Service Overseas (VSO) scheme, the Churches
Medical Association of Zambia (CMAZ), the Canadian Universities Service Overseas (CUSO)
organisation and the Dutch Dienst over Grenzen (DoG) (Service Across Borders), an organisation
with roots in Dutch churches, matching volunteers with vacancies in what were then called Third
World countries. DoG later merged into Kerk in Actie, the diaconal branch of the Protestant Church
in the Netherlands. The largest non-Salvationist group to work at Chikankata during the study period
were a total of 19 Dutch volunteers, most channelled to The Salvation Army by Dienst over Grenzen.

Nationalities of the expatriate staff

The nationality of the 233 expatriates who served at Chikankata from 1970 to 1985 is given in the
table below. This table shows that nearly 80% of all expatriate staff who worked at Chikankata
between 1970 and 1985 came from the United Kingdom and her three former colonies of
predominately British population, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. The predominance of Britain
as a supplier of ‘reinforcement personnel’ is not surprising. Prior to independence in 1964, Zambia
had been a colony of Britain and even after independence the imprint of British colonialism was
clearly evident in such things as language, architecture, politics, commerce, resource exploitation,
education, health and legal systems down to everyday matters such as street signage and driving on
the left-hand side of the road. Moreover, Britain was the homeland of The Salvation Army. In 1970
the British and Scotland Territories combined were far and away the Army’s largest territory with
1065 Corps and 2826 Officers.27

COUNTRY OFFICERS LAY WORKERS TOTAL

AUSTRALIA 10 19 29

BELGIUM 22

CANADA 12 31 43

NIGERIA 11

NETHERLANDS 2 19 21

NORWAY 3 3

NEW ZEALAND 14 10 24

SOUTH AFRICA 2 2

SWEDEN 2 1 3

SWITZERLAND 2 2 4

UGANDA 22

UNITED KINGDOM 34 49 83

USA 5 11 16

TOTAL 86 147 233

Table showing the counties of origin of expatriates serving in Chikankata, 1970 to 1985

26 Email from Bert Bakker to author, (29 November 2020).
27 C. Gauntlett, The Salvation Army Year Book 1970, (London, UK: Salvationists Publishing and Supplies, 1969), 64 –
68.

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2021. Page 65

There were at least six different language groups in Zambia and no lingua franca (such as
Swahili in East Africa). English was the only option. While most of the students in Chikankata
Secondary School came from the surrounding Southern Province and therefore spoke Chitonga, they
knew that, as everywhere else in Zambia, English was the passport to the modern world and higher
status. Communicating in English to patients, students and the general public was always a
professional challenge for every staff member of the mission. To further complicate matters,
expatriate staff members spoke a whole variety of dialects, from BBC English to Australian English
to Dutch English to the distinctive dialects spoken by those from the north of England or the deep
south of the United States.

The long-established British mission field of Southern Rhodesia/Northern Rhodesia/Nyasaland
had drawn personnel from the strong Salvation Army territories of Australia and New Zealand right
from the earliest pioneering days. Every one of the 29 lay workers from Australia and New Zealand
that served at Chikankata during the study period were Salvationists. The table also shows the quite
remarkable contribution of personnel from the small, remote nation of New Zealand. This
contribution came in addition to the pioneering work in Zambia of New Zealand officers Philip Rive
OF (Head of the Educational Institute at Ibbwe Munyama), Dr Kingsley Mortimer (first CMO of
Chikankata Hospital) and Thomas McKenzie (first Chemist and Dispenser at Chikankata Hospital).

Contrasting are the surprisingly low numbers for the USA. In the study period not one doctor
nor nurse came to Chikankata from the USA and of the 11 lay worker volunteers, only two, Bob and
Mary Goodwill, were Salvationists. That said, it needs to be noted that the American Salvation Army
territories were most generous in financially supporting various projects at Chikankata over the years.

The volunteers from Uganda and Nigeria had found Chikankata to be a refuge from civil war
and persecution in their respective countries. Dr Julius Okello came to Chikankata from Entebbe,
Uganda after fleeing from the actions of the tyrant Idi Amin. His wife Jane, a nurse, made a similar
but separate journey and they were re-united at Chikankata. Teacher Aaron Owoh and his Canadian
nurse wife Kenna had to leave Nigeria because of the Biafran troubles.

Australian Salvationists in Zambia, 1977
(Rear L-R) Ian Roberts, David Cowan, Major & Mrs Stan Morton (Chikankata 1956-1959, District

officers Copperbelt 1975-1980), Joycelyn Morton (visitor), Ron Inglis, Howard Morton.
(Front L-R) Jan Roberts, Betty Cowan with children Dianne & Russell, Colonel & Mrs Bill Evans
(Rhodesia 1943-1956, OC Zambia 1973-1977), Major Gwenda Watkinson (Chikankata 1962-1975,

Training College Lusaka 1975-1980), Joy Inglis, Colleen Morton.28

28 Photograph courtesy of Ron Inglis.

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2021. Page 66

Al and Wendy Reynolds have dual Canada – Australia citizenship. Originally from Canada, the
Reynolds joined The Salvation Army and volunteered for service at Chikankata while in Australia.
Post-Chikankata they returned to Australia and Al taught in several Christian schools in Victoria and
Queensland.

Marital status of expatriates

Of the 233 expatriate persons who served at Chikankata at some time during the study period, 68
were single and 168 were married (84 couples) on arrival. In these figures teacher Peter Belcher from
Bristol, England, teacher Margaret Stein from Airdie, Scotland and physiotherapist Marion Campbell
from Melbourne, Australia are counted twice. Peter and Margaret arrived in 1979 as singles and were
married at Chikankata in December 1980 in a ceremony conducted in the School Hall by Captain
Margaret Sutherland. Marion Campbell returned to Chikankata, not only as a Salvation Army officer
but also as the wife of Lieutenant Jim Weymouth. Jim & Marion would serve together in Zambia for
a total of 11 years.

The Belchers’ wedding was the second wedding of an expatriate staff member at Chikankata.
In 1973, Australian Salvationist nurse Jeanette Gale married Melbourne Salvationist Doug Smith.
The state legal ceremony was conducted in the School Hall by Major Bennie Musambila and a
Salvation Army ceremony was conducted in the Chitumbi Hall by Captain Lesley Baker. Post
Chikankata, Doug and Jeanette continued as Salvationists in Switzerland and Italy while Doug
worked for the United Nations.

Chikankata teachers of the late 1960s, Peter Darby (VSO from UK) and Linda Papsdoff (CUSO
from Canada) met at the mission. They were married in England immediately after service in Africa
then settled in Canada where they continued their careers in education.

For at least half of the 84 married couples, both husband and wife had the professional
qualifications required by the Zambian authorities for a work permit to be issued. A teacher married
to a nurse or another teacher was a common combination. Spouses without qualifications were a very
valuable support workforce covering office administration, postal and secretarial, stores and supply
management, hospitality for the endless stream of visitors and dignitaries, pre-school and child-care,
support of Salvation Army activities, organising community activities, provision of furniture and
supplies for staff housing, being house-parents for the various school houses and maintaining contacts
with ‘friends of Chikankata’ around the world.

A significant finding of the research into the post-Chikankata lives of all the Salvationist
couples from the 1970 to 1985 era is a very low post-Chikankata divorce rate. One may speculate that
if a couple could survive living in each other’s pockets for years on end in the gold-fish bowl
environment of a remote mission station in Africa with all the attendant stresses of cultural
misunderstandings, personality clashes, annoying habits, material deprivation, pregnancy, power
blackouts, political tensions, health threats and youthful inexperience, then the marriage is likely to
survive anything.

Post-Chikankata lives

As noted earlier, the overwhelming majority of expatriates who served at Chikankata between 1970
and 1985 were in their twenties or early thirties so, on departure, they still had many years to go
before retirement, not only in family life but also in their various professions, trades and callings.

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2021. Page 67

Many ex-Chikankata staff members, officers and lay, reported varying degrees of bewilderment
or ‘lostness’ on returning to their home country. After years of living a frugal life within African
rhythms on a remote mission station, many found the intensity of life and the overwhelming affluence
of their home country to be very disconcerting and stressful. The waste of food, the conspicuous
consumption, the trivial nature of ‘first-world problems’, the racist and parochial attitudes scarcely
veiled, were all a disturbing surprise to those returning home. Many took some time to overcome the
‘culture shock’.29

As the years passed it was clear that the strong sense of community and shared experience of
life at Chikankata had generated lifetime friendships. A growing fellowship continued down the years
leading colleagues to keep in contact, to organise reunions, to give and receive hospitality and to
participate together in holiday journeys.

Former Chikankata colleagues from Australia and New Zealand on a houseboat holiday together,
River Murray, Australia, 2017

(L-R) Dorothy Nisbet, David & Betty Cowan, Jim & Marion Weymouth, Kevin & Trish Reddie,
Kingsley & Barbara Sampson, Ron & Joy Inglis, Elizabeth Hutson (Wong Too) (and Don Hutson).
Dorothy Nisbet was a nurse at Chikankata Hospital 1997 to 2002. All the others served at Chikankata

in the 1970s.30
Post-Chikankata lives – Salvation Army officers

The vast majority of the Chikankata officers remained officers to retirement or promotion to Glory.
The drop-out rate was extremely low. Of those who resigned their commissions, most remained active
Salvationists in a local corps. Several of the ex-officers were employed by The Salvation Army for
specific jobs in later years. For example, David Wells has been Senior Tutor and Assistant to the
Education Officer at The Salvation Army’s Booth College of Mission in Wellington, New Zealand
since 1999. Of the 89 officers on the roll, only 8 or 9 could be said to have had only informal or no
connection with The Salvation Army in their post-Chikankata life.

A large number of the Chikankata officers had subsequent appointments in nations apart from
their home territory or Zambia. They were very ‘international’ officers serving in Zimbabwe, Nigeria,
Ghana, South Africa, Liberia, Uganda, Rwanda, Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Philippines,

29 Similar experiences have been found in others who have served in non-countries of origin, see Margaret Burt and Peter
Farthing (eds.), Crossing cultures – How to manage the stress of re-entry, (Sydney, Australia: The Salvation Army
Australia Eastern Territory, 1996).
30 Photograph courtesy of Ron Inglis.

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2021. Page 68

Thailand, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Papua-New Guinea, Russia, Sweden, Latvia and in global
regional appointments on International Headquarters in London.

Moreover, ex-Chikankata officers tended to have specialised, leadership appointments in their
subsequent careers; divisional and territorial commanders, training principals, college lecturers,
financial secretaries, staff of the International College for Officers in London, international
secretaries, property specialists, medical advisors on IHQ, directors of international aid and disaster
response, advisors to the General, are just some of the appointments officers received post-
Chikankata. Commissioner Dr Paul Du Plessis has the distinction of attending five High Councils of
The Salvation Army. At one he declined a nomination for General.

Few of the ex-Chikankata officers spent many years as corps officers, if at all. Commissioner
Margaret Sutherland noted that she, along with Major Ruth Schoch OF, Major Joan Gibson, and
Commissioners Paul and Margaret Du Plessis had been lifetime officers without ever having had a
corps appointment. There are other officers who could say they never had a corps appointment after
Chikankata.

Post-Chikankata lives – Lay workers

Lay workers had no guarantee of employment nor housing on return home and many reported that it
took some time to ‘settle down’ and ‘get back into their profession’ once again. Robert Goodwill
(USA) stated:

In one sense, our return home was a little bit scary because we had nothing to return home to. We
had to start all over from scratch. My first priority was to find a job. I was no longer interested in
teaching in Flint. I decided to try to find some laboratory work. I thought it might be possible with
my strong science background and my experience at Chikankata. The Lord was good to us. I
found a job right away at a private lab in Flint. I had a good aptitude for the work and learned a
lot quickly from the people there. They offered me a raise and an opportunity to help with their
new computer system. Mom did not mind having us living with her, but we didn’t want to impose.
We also wanted to have our own place. So, since I had a job, we decided to get an apartment. It
came with a washer and dryer, and mom gave us a few things. We picked up a few more things
from The Salvation Army store and moved into our own apartment. We bought mom’s old car
when she got a new one. Then, since things seemed to be going well at the lab, I went back to
school to get my Master of Science degree at Michigan State University.31

After the initial period of readjustment, the vast majority of lay workers continued to retirement
in the profession they had practised at Chikankata. Most of the schoolteachers continued in schools,
some serving as heads of department, careers advisors, school counsellors and principals. Several
moved to the tertiary level. Duncan Dixon spent 17 years teaching English in universities in Japan
followed by years to retirement as Librarian at Trinity West University in Vancouver, Canada. Ron
Zimmerman became Professor of Biology at the Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina,
USA. Charles Rice worked as an associate lecturer in education at the Sheffield Hallam University
in the UK. Not far away at York University, Fred Lubben worked as a Professor of Mathematics.
Peter Penner became Senior Scholar, Department of Mathematics, University of Manitoba, Canada.

Most lay accountants, engineers, tradesmen, doctors, teachers and nurses eventually ‘got back
into’ their professions but a few took a completely different career path. Maths teacher Paul Demery
became a statistician and worked in that field in the British Civil Service. Geography teacher Howard

31 Goodwill, Bobby, 74 – 75.

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2021. Page 69

Morton owned and managed several businesses including campervan hire to international travellers.
English teacher Colleen Morton worked for The Salvation Army producing youth resources and then
in the critical area of Child Protection. After Chikankata, teacher of French, Brenda Evans, became
an Anglican then a Carmelite nun, entering an enclosed order in Wolverhampton, UK. Medical
Records specialist Joanne Bunton became a funeral director in Toronto, Canada. Science teacher
Steve Houston moved into a career in international development and disaster response with agencies
associated with the Mennonite Church.

As noted elsewhere in this essay, seven of the lay workers became officers of The Salvation
Army at some time after they arrived at Chikankata as lay workers. In the Netherlands Maths/Science
teacher Bert Bakker became a church pastor and a consultant on Christian ministry and leadership.
Returning to the USA, Recording Studio manager David Mansfield attended seminary and has
pastored several churches in Pennsylvania including Benton Christian Church from which he retired
in 2021.

Of the Salvationist layworkers, most were very active in their Salvation Army home territory
in the years following their service at Chikankata. Many took commissions as local officers in their
local corps, served on numerous committees and boards at divisional and territorial level, maintained
a strong interest in missionary activities and in a variety of ways supported the establishment and
growth of local ethnic Salvation Army corps. Many of the Salvationist lay workers became actively
involved in Salvation Army community outreach, youth work, music development, Salvo charity
shops, local social services, prison chaplaincy and in programs equipping soldiers for ministry.

Further, several of the officers and Salvationist lay workers maintained close links with
Chikankata, making return visits, raising funds for the mission, sending various resources for the
school or the hospital, supporting Zambian Chikankata staff studying in their home country and
joining various mission trips working on projects at Chikankata. One example was reported by Bill
Gold who wrote,

Back in the early 70s a Canadian, Dr Blenos Pedersen arrived at Chikankata with his family, wife
and five young children, one of whom was Doug Pedersen. In adult life Doug was Vice President
of an international medical equipment company. He always remembered that part of his childhood
at Chix and was determined at some point in his life ‘to give something back’. Up until 2018,
annually for 16 years, Doug returned to Chikankata with groups made up of students, occasionally
Cadets, and young Salvationists all with various skills who would work on various projects for a
period of three weeks. Each trip and project was self-financing, at no cost at all to the Army.32

A current organisation supporting development projects in Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi is
SwiZimAid set up by Daniel Bates, who arrived at Chikankata as a baby with his parents Rodney and
Jacqueline Bates in 1968. Daniel, bandmaster of The Salvation Army’s Zürich Central Corps band,
set up the society which organises projects and field trips in the three southern African nations.
Projects have included supplying clothing, computers, water infrastructure and running music
camps.33

Conclusion

The research of collecting information about the staff of the Chikankata Mission in the 1970 – 1985
time period enabled the identification of demographic, cultural and religious characteristics of the

32 Email from Bill Gold and Jean Gold to author, (28 May 2020).
33 See SwiZimAid, (2021) http://www.swizimaid.ch.

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cohort of expatriates who served at the mission in the identified study period. Such characteristics
have been explored in this paper. The research also resulted in the accumulation of a large body of
accessible information that would be of great value in any future research into Chikankata and its
history.

Indeed, as the research proceeded, the need for someone to write a history of the Chikankata
Mission became increasingly obvious. The difficulties facing anyone taking up the challenge of
writing the history of a Salvation Army institution in a remote part of Africa are considerable. The
author has had experience of writing the centenary history of his corps twice and is aware of the
difficulties when the corps history book has been lost, when there are no documents or photographs
of the early years, when all the pioneers have been promoted to Glory and when headquarters can
supply only a list of past corps officers! There is much scope for persons to add additional information
to the Chikankata staff excel spreadsheet, further enhancing its value for research.

The recording of the names of Zambian staff members in the 1970 – 1985 period was an
important by-product of the research. All information and identification of Zambian staff members
received was recorded in the excel spreadsheet. Some contacts were made through Zambian
colleagues and social media in Zambia.

By contrasting the 1970 – 1985 period with that of today, it is clear that the economic, social
and political conditions of previously termed Third World countries have changed so that the flow of
skills and labour between the affluent world and the developing economies is no longer one way. The
prevalence doctors and nurses of African origin in Britain’s National Health system and the
widespread employment in Australia’s Aged Care facilities of people of Asian and Pacific Islander
origin are but two examples of reverse currents. The political, economic, and social reasons for this
change in global labour flows is something that could be further explored.

The nature of missionary activity has greatly changed as indigenous leaders and institutions
have taken leadership of their local churches and evangelistic endeavours. Here also we can find
evidence of reverse currents as Christians from emerging nations may now be found as evangelists
and pastors of many churches in the western world. An examination of theological, social, and
economic factors underlying these changes in church governance and mission strategy is also worth
exploring. 34

34 An assessment of mission station strategy from the study period is David Wells, “Chikankata: An Assessment of the
Past and a Vision for the Future”, The Officer, Vol. 26, No. 10, (October 1975).

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2021. Page 71

WWW.SUSSEX-ACADEMIC.COM

The Mob and The Mayor

Persecution of the Salvation Army at the Victorian seaside

STEPHEN HUGGINS

The Salvation Army is well known for its work with the poor and disadvantaged. There is, however,
much more to the story of the Salvation Army than their highly commendable good works. They have
been so closely identified with a programme of social action that their wider history has been
marginalized. This history includes a period of astonishing levels of opposition and religious persecution
which the Army faced in its early years. Many Salvationists were badly injured in violent street riots
against them while at the same time facing imprisonment as the force of the law was brought to bear on
their evangelism.

Among all those places in Britain where the Salvation Army was persecuted, that in the south-
coast town of Eastbourne during the 1880s and 1890s stands out as worthy of attention. The Sussex
seaside resort played a hugely important part in the wider anti-Salvation Army narrative as it was in
Eastbourne that opposition was among the most violent and protracted. Significantly and surprisingly,
the vehemence and savagery was supported by the local Council and Mayor. The narrative of The Mob
and The Mayor is chronological and entirely evidence based. It includes: Eyewitness accounts;
newspaper reports; Parliamentary papers; Eastbourne Council & Watch Committee Meetings Minutes;
and Salvation Army documents.

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The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2021. Page 72

The first volume of a
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Author of more than 20 books
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Catherine Booth: From Timidity to Boldness 1829- 1865 tells the story
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The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2021. Page 73

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The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2021. Page 74

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2021. Page 75

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The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2021. Page 76

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The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2021. Page 77

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The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2021. Page 78

A P.O.W.’s Letters:
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Copp's letters are supplemented with research by
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The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2021. Page 79

A MEMOIR OF SALVATION ARMY
DISASTER SERVICES

SOMEONE

CARES

By

ALAN H RITSON

Someone Cares shares the moving account of Alan Ritson’s
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led up to that moment. With humour, honesty, and insight about
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Who can say where the Lord’s hand will lead us?
Someone Cares shares many examples of angelical
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the Lord is the strength behind those convictions.

Paperback available from the publishers, Xulon Press:
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The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2021. Page 80

A MISSIONARY MEMOIR

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A gripping, richly illustrated account of dedication, hardship,
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The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2021. Page 81

Lieutenant-Colonels Sonja and Ian Southwell in 2006, just prior to retirement1

1 Photograph courtesy of the author.

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2021. Page 82

MEET THE AUTHOR

Publications about The Salvation Army and by Salvationists are often referenced, cited, critiqued
and evaluated without the reviewer knowing anything about the author. In an attempt to introduce
the authors of Salvation Army works to their readership, The Australasian journal of Salvation
Army history will, from time to time, ask authors to contribute to this section of the journal, “Meet
the author”. This paper introduces an internationally recognised Salvation Army author, editor and
educationalist, Lieut-Colonel Ian Southwell BSc, GradDipEd, BEd (Melbourne), CRK (London),
MACE.

Ian Southwell

David Ian Southwell was born in June 1942 to the then Adjutant David John Southwell and Mrs
Adjutant Florence (Florrie) Burgess Southwell (née Lonnie) at The Salvation Army Bethesda
Hospital in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. To save confusion between his father and himself,
David Ian has always been known as Ian and written all his published articles and books under that
name.

Ian’s parents were relatively well-educated for Salvation Army officers in those days. David
John had at least four years of high school study, having gained a Victorian Intermediate Certificate.
He also studied at the Leaving Certificate level (Form Five) and was a competent typist before
commencing work for the Victorian Railways in their administrative office in Ballarat. Florrie had a
little less formal secondary education but loved teaching children and was a proficient pianist for
congregational singing. As an officer she successfully trained as a general, midwifery and diets
nurse at the Bethesda and the Melbourne hospitals. David, who had been discharged due to ill
health from his appointment as military chaplain, was currently serving in the Chief Secretary’s
Department at Territorial Headquarters (THQ) in Melbourne compiling records of Salvation Army
involvement in the war. His previous officer service was as a training college sergeant, corps officer
and in the THQ finance department. During his time at THQ he was a playing member of the
Melbourne Staff Band and either secretary or treasurer of that band.

Three months after Ian was born, his parents were moved to Western Australia where his
father became the divisional young people’s secretary. Ian’s grandmother, Mrs Lieut-Colonel
Jennie Lonnie joined the family in Perth after the promotion to Glory of her husband and Ian’s
grandfather, Lieut-Colonel George Lonnie, in 1943. She lived with them until her own promotion to
Glory in 1954. As the eldest child in her family Jennie was encouraged to study to high school level
in the 1880s. As an officer she fully supported her husband, eventually becoming the territorial
home league secretary and writing articles for The war cry. As well as their own respective
enthusiasms for Christ and for a good education, his parents owned many books that lined the
shelves of their quarters2 to which they referred frequently. Ian was encouraged to be a reader and
valued that opportunity. His parents and grandmother encouraged Ian with his studies and
particularly the essays he needed to write for school, even offering to check his work to see how
these could be improved. Ian learned early that a dictionary and a book of synonyms and antonyms
were helpful tools.

Reference citation of this paper; Ian Southwell, “Meet the author”, The Australasian journal of Salvation Army
history, 6, 2, 2021, 82 – 92.
2 The home of a Salvation Army officer.

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2021. Page 83

Ian travelled with David and Florrie to many of their specialling appointments in Salvation
Army corps around large areas of Australia when they were divisional leaders in the Western
Victoria (1946 – 1950) and Melbourne Metropolitan (1950 – 1955) divisions. Ian heard them
preach about holiness on Sunday mornings and salvation on Sunday nights. As a young boy of
five-and-a-half years of age, Ian went to his father’s home office in Ballarat one Sunday morning in
1948 before lunch and asked David to help him invite Jesus into his heart. Ian subsequently became
a junior soldier at Thornbury Corps in 1951 and later a junior band member and singing company
member.

By the time he was about 12, Ian believed that his life’s work would be as a Salvation Army
officer. One Saturday night in early 1955 he made that commitment to God while kneeling alone by
his bed. Because he was usually successful with his studies, he wondered if he should train to serve
as a missionary doctor.

While attending a Sunday school decision Sunday at which his father was speaking to the
children, many came forward to the mercy seat to make decisions for Christ. Because insufficient
Sunday school teachers were available to speak to them all, his father asked Ian to go and pray with
one of the boys. Ian felt totally inadequate. What would he say? What should he do? This dilemma
continued for him even after he and his parents moved to Western Australia as divisional leaders in
1955 and he became a corps cadet later that year. Ian was enrolled as a senior soldier and
commissioned as a bandsman at the Highgate Corps in 1956. While The Salvation Army was very
keen to encourage people to find Jesus as Saviour, Ian felt there was a lack of systematic teaching
about what would be the best ways to lead a person to the Lord.

Ian enjoyed his six years of corps cadet studies, particularly writing extensive answers to
questions asked in those days and participating in Salvation Army activities. He became familiar
with his parents’ Bible commentaries and concordances. After the unexpected promotion to Glory
of his father (who had recently become a lieut.-colonel) in Western Australia, the family returned to
Melbourne and his mother and he successively were soldiers in Thornbury East in 1958 and,
following a change of quarters in 1959, at Fairfield Corps, Victoria. Ian was encouraged to become
the junior soldier’s sergeant at Fairfield with his mother supporting him as pianist for the fortnightly
junior soldier meetings. Having gained his Badge of Merit as a graduate corps cadet in 1961, Ian
was commissioned as assistant corps cadet guardian and, in 1965, the corps cadet guardian at the
same corps.

Ian enjoyed teaching adolescents and young adults. Under God’s ongoing guidance, he felt he
should train to become a high school science and mathematics teacher and have some teaching
experience prior to entering officer training. Although he had secured a Commonwealth Scholarship
based on his matriculation (year 12) results, his university studies in science and education were
financed by a studentship provided by the Education Department of Victoria. During his study of
educational philosophy and psychology in 1963 he had seriously to address the question of whether
or not he had been ‘brainwashed’ into the Christian faith because of his parents’ significant
influences. Did Christianity actually have a solid intellectual basis as well as an experiential one?
Ian’s supplementary studies confirmed there was indeed a strong intellectual basis for his
faith—resulting in a stronger and more settled faith.

In December 1964 and January 1965, he attended a Gold Coast Crusade at Burleigh Heads,
Queensland organised by Youth for Christ. At this event, Ian found what he believed was the
answer to his dilemma about helping seekers. One of the afternoon electives during the crusade was
learning how to help people make decisions for Christ during the nightly rallies. The facilitators of
the elective emphasised the importance of ‘counselling by questioning’. By determining the reasons

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2021. Page 84

seekers came forward and what they knew or did not know about the way of salvation, they could

be led to meaningful decisions. Gaps in their understanding could be filled by encouraging them to

read appropriately chosen verses of Scripture and then asking what they understood the Scripture

was communicating. Then at the right moment they could pray or be led in a prayer of repentance

and faith. Ian was thrilled to be able to use this technique on the remaining nights of the crusade.

Through the example and ministry of his parents and from reading the many books written by
Samuel Logan Brengle3 on their bookshelves about Christian holiness, Ian had sought the ‘clean
heart experience’ in 1956 in Perth. His thinking was enriched by interacting with Senior-Major

Allister Smith when this officer conducted a series of holiness meetings in Perth in 1957. Allister
Smith also gave Ian his little booklet titled Made whole.4 The writings of then Commissioner
Frederick Coutts in The call to holiness emphasising holiness as Christlikeness were also helpful.5
So was the material on holiness in various editions of the Army’s Handbook of doctrine and a later
book by Allister Smith, The ideal of perfection.6 While attending a weekend retreat with a group of

youth and young adults from the Fairfield Corps in mid-1963, the Holy Spirit powerfully broke

through to the members of the group. For Ian this was a wonderful renewal of his experience from

1956, serving to emphasise that holiness was certainly about the work of the Holy Spirit as well as
that of God the Father and the Son. Consequently, Ian developed a similar ‘counselling by
questioning’ approach for those who were seeking Christian holiness supported with appropriate

passages of Scripture.

Having met and subsequently marrying Sonja van Kralingen, a qualified nursing sister and

songster from Box Hill Corps before commencing officer training in 1967, Ian taught the
‘counselling by questioning’ approach to leading people to the Lord and for further spiritual growth

including Christian holiness. The training continued in many of their appointments after they

became officers. These appointments included service in Australia (1969 as a corps officer);
Zambia (1970 – 1975 as a science teacher at Chikankata Secondary School, ‘corps officer’ of the
corps at the school, and training officer-in-charge); the Philippines (1975 – 1979 as youth officer;

with responsibility for post-commissioning studies; literature, including editing the bimonthly War
cry; and training principal); back in Australia (1980 – 1997 in corps, training and administrative
appointments, including his time as divisional commander in Western Australia during 1992 –
1993). Involvement in ‘Christian life and witness courses’ organised for the Billy Graham crusades
in Australia (1969) and the Philippines (1977), further confirmed and augmented the ‘counselling
by questioning’ approach.

To develop his biblical and theological foundations while serving in Zambia, Ian undertook

the University of London Certificate of Proficiency in Religious Knowledge, which for him
included an in-depth study of Paul’s letter to the Romans. The ‘counselling by questioning’

technique, and teaching material he was preparing on the subject of prayer, were also modified

when Ian reflected on some ideas he gained from his postgraduate bachelor of education degree

studies about measurement in education undertaken while a second-year cadet in 1968. Test
questions to assess objectively students’ cognitive abilities in knowledge, comprehension,

application of knowledge into new situations, analysis of arguments, synthesis of ideas and

3 See for example, Samuel L. Brengle, The guest of the soul, (London, UK: Marshall, Morgan & Scott, 1954).; Samuel
L. Brengle, Heart talks on holiness, (London, UK: The Salvationist Publishing and Supplies, n.d.).; Samuel L. Brengle,
Helps to holiness, (London, UK: The Salvationist Publishing and Supplies, 1896).
4 Allister Smith, Made whole, (London, The Japan Evangelistic Band, 1956).
5 Frederick L. Coutts, The call to holiness, (London, UK: Salvationist Publishing and Supplies, 1957).
6 Authority of the General, The Salvation Army handbook of doctrine, (London, UK: International Headquarters of The
Salvation Army, n.d.).; Allister Smith, The ideal of perfection, (London, Oliphants, 1963).

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2021. Page 85

evaluation of competing ideas were relatively easy to design. Some educators would also have liked
to assess students’ attitudes, preferences, commitments and values in relation to their subjects, but
this was almost impossible to do objectively. Psychological studies had indicated some indicators,
however.7 Knowing these indicators led Ian to develop a picture of relationship development in
terms of recurring strategies, or steps, of awareness, attention, responses and commitments
(helpfully remembered by the acronym AARC), plus—for the most significant relationships such as
employment or marriage—organisation according to a value system and characterisation by a value
or value complex (with the acronym AARCOC). In order to demonstrate more clearly the
development of ongoing relationships, he described the recurring sequence in terms of a
three-dimensional helix such as a spiral staircase on which the parties in the relationship moved
upward together against the ‘gravity’ of other distractions or relationships.

Ian Southwell as War cry editor in the Philippines, 1975 – 19788
After returning to Australia to retire in 2007, following service in Korea (1997 – 1999 as chief
secretary), Hong Kong and Macau Command (1999 – 2003 as officer commanding) and at
International Headquarters (IHQ) (2003 – 2007 as secretary for international training and leader
development), Ian was invited to teach his ‘mercy seat counselling training course’ at the Ringwood
Corps at which Sonja and he became soldiers. As usual, the course was well received.
Commissioner James Knaggs was the territorial commander for the Australia Southern
Territory at that time. Having a background of helping develop the Army’s publishing arm ‘Crest
Books’ in the USA, Knaggs was encouraging the production of suitable books for The Salvation
Army in Australia under the banner of Salvo Publishing. Ian submitted the manuscript of his Mercy

7 See D. R. Krathwohl, B. S. Bloom and B. B. Masia, (eds), Taxonomy of educational objectives – The classification of
education goals handbook 2: Affective domain, (London, UK: Longmans, Green and Co., 1964).
8 Photograph courtesy of the author.

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2021. Page 86

Seat Counselling Course for possible publication as a book with role-plays and discussion questions
in each chapter. Because the Literary Department wanted the book to be applicable to people
beyond The Salvation Army, Ian was encouraged to change the title to Born of the Spirit: Helping
seekers enter and grow in God’s family.9 Captain Mal Davies, the literary secretary, and the
Territorial Literary Council, liked the concept of the stairways model of relationship development.
Ian had also included the idea that those who help seekers come to faith in Christ were spiritual
midwives. They needed to care for the new Christians (‘babes in Christ’) after their experience of
being born again or arrange for others to do so. In fact, mercy seat ‘helpers’ (a less specialist
description than ‘counsellor’) needed to encourage the seekers’ ongoing spiritual development. So,
the first of the Stairways Series of books was published in 2009, and included chapters on follow-up,
nurturing a new Christian, supporting a returning prodigal, helping holiness seekers and assisting
seekers with a variety of special needs.

Covers of ‘Stairways series’, (L to R) Born of the Spirit, Prayer, Giving to God and Holiness
all written by Ian Southwell10

Of course, spiritual growth is also dependent on the seeker developing an active prayer life.
Ian knew his parents prayed regularly; he had been encouraged to pray as a small boy and pledged
to do so when he became a junior soldier. Over the years his approach to prayer and his own
prayer-life developed. He read books on the subject and, as the junior soldiers’ sergeant at Fairfield
Corps, used some training resources from his territory to teach his junior soldiers about key
elements of prayer that could be spelt out on the fingers of one hand: Adoration, Thanksgiving,
Confession, Intercession and Petition (the acronym ATCIP for short). As a participant, facilitator or
co-facilitator at several Brengle institutes for officers or Brengle fellowships for soldiers and friends
he heard much excellent teaching on the subject. He taught the subject himself a couple of times. In
preparing for teaching about prayer at a Brengle fellowship for soldiers and friends in Australia in
1991, he had reflected on the matter of relationship development in terms of recurring awareness,
attention, responses and commitments. He felt that these elements were needed for effective prayer.
If our relationship with God was going to grow so that our lives became organised according to
Christ’s values and characterised by his thinking, then prayer had to be a committed communication
of love with their Lord.

Having been encouraged by the publication of Born of the Spirit, and gentle urging by the
literary secretary to produce more books for the Stairways Series, Ian compiled his teaching notes

9 Ian Southwell, Born of the Spirit: Helping seekers enter and grow in God’s family, A stairways book, (Melbourne,
Australia: Salvo Publishing, 2009).
10 Photograph courtesy of the author.

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2021. Page 87

on prayer into the form of a book with appropriate study questions, and submitted this for
publication. The material was accepted and first published in 2010 as Prayer: The communication
of love, with a re-print in 2011 containing a few minor corrections.11 The reprint was particularly
needed because the book was proving popular elsewhere. The IHQ Programme Resources
Department had noticed the book (together with Born of the Spirit) and approved them both for
International Literature Programme subsidy support to grant aided territories. The Southern Africa
territory ordered 400 copies of Born of the Spirit for their officers, cadets and recruiting sergeants
and 200 copies of Prayer for their officers and cadets. Since 2015 Ian has been able to arrange for
capable Chinese translators in Australia to undertake draft translations of both books into traditional
Chinese characters. The greatest challenge was handling the acronyms AARC, AARCOC and
ATCIP in Chinese! The Salvation Army’s Hong Kong and Macau Command polished up the drafts
and both books are now available in electronic form on the command’s international resources
website. In 2019 Ian recorded an audiobook version of Prayer for a soldier at Ringwood Corps who
could not read it due to macular degeneration.

In 1996, while Ian was the assistant secretary for personnel: education and training, he was
asked to prepare a series of lectures for a planned giving conference in Australia Southern Territory.
He identified 13 themes from Scripture regarding Christian giving that he presented on that
occasion. In 2008, Ian was again asked to present similar material at a tri-territorial conference.
Because of time constraints on his sessions, he revisited the material and prayerfully refined it to
focus on six easily remembered principles of Christian giving. These principles were supported by
many biblical illustrations and backed up by life-related discussion questions. Because giving to
God should be a response of love from each committed Christian growing from an awareness of
and attention to God’s great love for us and ideally ongoing commitments to giving, the material
fitted into the stairways model. After the seminar concluded, again with positive feedback, he
polished the material into a book manuscript and submitted it to the territory’s literary department.
In 2011 the third book in the Stairways Series, Giving to God: A response of love was published.12

The fourth book in the Stairways Series, Holiness: A radiant relationship had a much longer
gestation.13 As mentioned above, his experience of seeking ‘a clean heart’, his enthusiasm for
ongoing study about Christian holiness and his desires to be Christlike led him to face some
challenges that led to even further study. For instance, at that Gold Coast Crusade in 1964, when he
said he had been filled with the Holy Spirit, he was immediately challenged by someone about
speaking in tongues. The implication was that he could not have the baptism of the Spirit or be
filled with the Spirit if he had not spoken in tongues. In fact, there seemed to be so many different
views on holiness as to confuse the average believer. Discussions with his fellow cadets and staff at
the training college in 1967 – 1968 reinforced the sense of confusion.

When he was the youth officer and soon to be the training principal in the Philippines, the
Officer Commanding, Lieut-Colonel Ingrid Lindberg asked Ian to prepare a series of studies on the
biblical basis of holiness for the officers who would be gathering for a Brengle Institute from
around the archipelago in 1978. Preparing for this assignment gave Ian a stimulus to read even more
material on the subject. He remembered how Reverend Dr Leon Morris, in his book The cross in
the New Testament and in a lecture, Ian heard him depict the various theories of the atonement as

11 Ian Southwell, Prayer: The communication of love, A stairways book, (Melbourne, Australia: Salvo Publishing, 2010;
2011).
12 Ian Southwell, Giving to God: A response to love, A stairways book, (Melbourne, Australia: Salvo Publishing,
2011).
13 Ian Southwell, Holiness: A radiant relationship, A stairways book, (Melbourne, Australia: Salvo Publishing, 2012)

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2021. Page 88

different facets (of a diamond)—apparently contradictory yet parts of an integrated whole.14 As a
result, Ian developed a visual, multi-faceted diamond model of holiness to overcome some of the
continuing confusion he had heard expressed over the years. The approach seemed well accepted by
the delegates and staff.

Returning to Australia in 1980, Ian shared some of the same material during a series of
holiness meeting addresses at the Hawthorn Citadel and Hobart Citadel corps where he and Sonja
were the corps officers. The Divisional Commander in Tasmania, Major Richard Guy, asked Ian to
present an abbreviated form at an officers’ fellowship (retreat) in 1982. Under God’s good hand, the
Holy Spirit broke through amongst the officers. Ian wondered if perhaps his special ministry in the
Army could be like that of Samuel Brengle or Allister Smith in leading holiness retreats and revival
meetings around the world. Certainly, he felt encouraged to prepare the material for possible book
production, outlining his multifaceted approach.

The prepared manuscript was sent to IHQ. As the Army had recently published a couple of
other books on holiness by the then Major John Larsson,15 it was not felt that another book was
necessary. However, the material was changed into a series of articles titled “A gem of many
facets” which appeared in The officer magazine from March 1986 to January 1987. Over the next
26 years, Ian continued to study and teach the biblical basis of holiness, prayer and practical
holiness in Australia, Korea, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Nigeria, Kenya and the United Kingdom.
While some of that teaching took place within Salvation Army corps or interested churches, most
occurred at seminars or holiness institutes. During that time, he again interacted with many other
enthusiastic holiness teachers whose insights he valued.

As his understanding increased further, he reflected on the ways in which he presented the
material. While the multifaceted model had certain benefits, it lacked a recognition of the dynamic
experience of Christian holiness. Also, perhaps there were other metaphors that could help
‘describe’ the otherwise indescribable experience of holiness. To that end, and with his background
in the physical sciences, he devised a spectrum model built on the underlying concept of the glory
of God in the life of the believer. The different terms commonly used to describe holiness could
perhaps be considered as different colours in the ‘spectrum of God’s glory’. This concept was
extended by emphasising that awareness of, attention to and responses to God were needed if we
are to grow in a ‘radiant’ relationship with God involving ongoing responses and commitments,
organisation of our lifestyle according to Christ’s values and being characterised by his thinking.
This fitted so well to the stairways model and the experiences of God’s people.

So Ian’s fourth book in the Stairways Series, Holiness brought together some 57 years of
pastoral insights, reading and study on the subject of Christian holiness, and emphasised holiness as
a progressive and radiant relationship with the triune God. He was thrilled to be able to present this
material at the Whangarei Corps in New Zealand in 2013 (as he had with the material in Helping
seekers in 2011) at which he and Sonja’s officer daughter, then Captain Cathy Elkington and her
husband Captain Darren Elkington were the corps officers. (Ian and Sonja have two other daughters.
Sharon is a qualified clinical psychologist in private practice in Melbourne, Victoria. Jenni is a
qualified social researcher working in disability support services in Caloundra, Queensland. Jenni
and Cathy were born during the couple’s years in Zambia.) Giving to God and Holiness were also
placed on the International Literature Programme approved list for subsidy to grant-aided territories

14 Leon Morris, The cross in the New Testament, (Exeter, UK; The Paternoster Press, 1967), 397ff.
15 See for example John Larsson, Spiritual breakthrough. The Holy Spirit & ourselves, (London, UK: International
Headquarters of The Salvation Army, 1983).; John Larsson, The man perfectly filled with the Spirit, (London, UK:
International Headquarters of The Salvation Army, 1986).

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2021. Page 89

and commands.
Necessary heart and back operations in 2013 and 2014, reminded Ian of the fragility of human

life. This gave Sonja and him additional stimuli to write accounts of God’s wonderful guidance to
them and their families over the years whilst health and memory were still more-or-less intact. As
their 50th wedding anniversary was approaching in 2017, that seemed to be a good target date for
drawing together and publishing a joint biography. Much of the material for this book was drawn
from personal letters sent to family which were lovingly retained and eventually returned, and
copies of more general letters sent to prayer supporters around the world before Christmas each
year from 1970. Having prepared a typescript containing a range of photographs, they submitted
this to the territorial literary department for possible publication. Understandably, the Army’s
priority was using its limited finances for publishing teaching books such as the Stairways Series,
rather than biography or autobiography—unless the book was about the life of a recently retired
General such as General Eva Burrows.

Sonja was already preparing material about the lives of her missionary parents, the late
Brigadier Ryer and Mrs Brigadier Johanna van Kralingen, and their service as Salvation Army
officers in Holland and especially in the Netherlands East Indies (later renamed Indonesia), before,
during and after World War 2. In 1953 her parents were transferred to Australia, particularly to
assist Dutch migrants to this country, for the rest of their active officership. As Sonja had been born
in the Netherlands East Indies in 1939 and interned with her mother and sister from 1942 – 1945 in
Java whilst her chaplain father was a prisoner in Borneo, her material deserved to be published in
its own right and was being prepared with that in mind. Whilst a summary of this story focussing on
her early life was included in chapter 1 of their joint biography, Sonja’s complete book would not
be ready for publication by February 2017. In due course, however, her complete book would also
provide a helpful prequel to their joint biography.

Because Ian and Sonja were not well known outside of The Salvation Army, traditional
publishers were unwilling to accept the financial risk of publishing their biographical materials.
Their eldest daughter, Sharon, had already self-published a book of 52 reflections on emotional and
spiritual healing through Lulu Press, under the title A life of love: An invitation.16 Having weighed
up the alternatives, Ian and Sonja decided to do something similar through Balboa Press. Safely led
to serve: A joint biography was released in January 2017, just in time for their wedding anniversary
on 4 February.17 With some special help from Sharon, Sonja’s book, A safe arrival, was released in
March 2018.18

16 Sharon Southwell, The life of love: An invitation: Fifty-two reflections on emotional and spiritual healing, (Australia:
Lulu Publishing, 2014)
17 Ian Southwell and Sonja Southwell, Safely led to serve. A joint biography, (Bloomington, USA: Balboa, 2017).
18 Sonja Southwell, A safe arrival, (Bloomington, USA: Balboa, 2018).

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2021. Page 90

Cover of A safe arrival19 Cover Safely led to serve20

From boyhood when his grandmother, Mrs Lieut-Colonel Jennie Lonnie, lived with the
family Ian had been fascinated with the story of his grandparents. This was especially so regarding
his grandfather, George Lonnie. He had been born in Yackandandah on the goldfields of north-east
Victoria, trained as a carpenter and found the Lord through the ministry of The Salvation Army in
Beechworth. In 1893 the then Lieutenant George Lonnie had, together with Captain Charles
Bensley, pioneered Salvation Army work at Southern Cross on the goldfields of Western Australia.
He subsequently moved to other mining settlements in the same area helping to build halls, and
above all, encouraging the miners and their families to accept the lasting treasure of a relationship
with God through Christ. George helped establish the first school in Coolgardie catering for the
children of miners, most of whom came from the eastern states of Australia. About six years later
he met and subsequently married Captain Jennie Hammer. She had been born in the goldmining
town of Ballarat in western Victoria. Jennie was a social services officer in South Australia when
they met. After their wedding in Queensland, they served in appointments in both the north and
south islands of New Zealand and in every state of Australia except Tasmania.

Ian had been collecting material about his grandparents for some years. Having returned to
Australia in 2007, he wrote to every area where the Lonnies were appointed seeking details from
the corps or divisional history records as to their activities. Several corps and divisional historians
were most helpful. The greatest source of information, however, came from The war cry reports
from the 1890s to the 1940s. Ian’s research was greatly helped by George Ellis, one-time archivist
for the Australia Southern Territory. George was scanning through all the copies of The war cry for
the same period seeking information about the history of the Melbourne City Temple Corps (now
Melbourne Project 614) at which he and his wife, Joy, faithfully soldiered. When George
discovered materials relating to George or Jennie Lonnie, he forwarded this to Ian. As a result, Ian
was able to prepare the manuscript for his book Lasting treasure: The story of George and Jennie
Lonnie, published by Balboa Press, and released in December 2018.21 As Major Campbell Roberts
from New Zealand wrote after having reviewed the manuscript of the book, “What courage and
dedication the whole story is immersed with. It is a history largely lost to modern Salvationists, and
so your recording of it is so important.”

19 Photograph courtesy of the author.
20 Photograph courtesy of the author.
21 Ian Southwell, Lasting treasure. The story of George and Jennie Lonnie, (Bloomington, USA: Balboa, 2019).

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2021. Page 91

Cover of Lasting treasure22

As a former high school science and mathematics teacher whose communication skills needed
to be in fast, clearly thought through speaking and legible writing on blackboards, typing skills were
not a priority for Ian for many years. His mind and voice fast outran his ability on typewriter keys.
With this background, he admits that most of his early articles in Salvation Army publications were
submitted in double-spaced handwriting. In several of his appointments as an officer he had
immensely helpful secretaries and personal assistants who were willing to transcribe his verbal
dictation or material that he placed on increasingly more sophisticated recorders. The advent of
computers and word processing packages—especially the latter in the late 1980s—made the
necessary work of writing and rewriting much easier. He was glad he had learned to use voice
recognition software, especially Nuance’s Dragon Naturally Speaking before retiring. This software
allowed him quickly to prepare first drafts of material and even correct these verbally, thereby
‘training his Dragon’ to recognise his voice, vocabulary and style, rather than what would otherwise
be most laborious tasks of writing, rewriting and further rewriting. Ian takes seriously the advice he
heard from the late Colonel Henry Gariepy who once said, ‘The best writing is rewritten’. Ian has
been immensely grateful to Sonja for reading over all his material and to their mutual friend, the
then Assistant Literary Secretary Dawn Volz of the Army’s editorial department in Melbourne, for
her careful checking of their materials prior to publication.

Spiritual gifts surveys over the years have identified Ian’s gifts as teaching, missionary,
evangelism and leadership. His greatest desire in preparing written materials for articles or books
has been to use these gifts and his enthusiasm for teaching to point people to Jesus and help them to
grow in their relationship with their Lord. He still desires to fulfil the covenant he made with God
and The Salvation Army at his commissioning as a ‘Messenger of the Faith’ in 1969 to, “live to win
souls and not allow anything to turn me aside from seeking their salvation as the first great purpose
of my life.”23

22 Photograph courtesy of the author.
23 Wording of the Officer’s Covenant in 1969 which the Southwells still display on their bedroom wall.

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2021. Page 92

BOOK REVIEW
A CELEBRATION OF AN ARMY CLASSIC

Reviewed by
Garth R. Hentzschel

Rebecca Goldsmith (ed.), In darkest England: 130 years on, (London, United Kingdom: Shield
Books, The Salvation Army United Kingdom Territory with the Republic of Ireland, 2020), 262
pp., ISBN. 978 1 912981 43 2.1

Cover of In darkest England: 130 years on

Historically, The Salvation Army often produces books to celebrate important milestones. The year
2020 saw the 130th anniversary of General William Booth’s In darkest England and the way out.2 To
commemorate this milestone the UK Territory with the Republic of Ireland arranged for a collection
of manuscripts that related to Booth’s publication.

The introduction claimed that the chapters contributed were, “reflections and observations on
In Darkest England and various aspects of it”, but this was a very liberal statement as many were too
loosely linked to the ideas outlined in Booth’s original work to make such a claim.3 It would have
been more correct to state the chapters were based on the wider historic and contempory social work
and ideologies of The Salvation Army and contexts, as this would be a clearer description of the
collection of works.

The book was developed from a call for contributions with no apparent guidelines given to
submissions. It would be interesting to know how wide this call was made and how people were
approached. The method of collection was not made clear or outlined in the book. It would appear
the snowballing or ‘word of mouth’ was the method of collection used and may have been the reason
for a major weakness of the book, the reproduction of several works.

Reference citation of this review: Garth R. Hentzschel, “Book review: A celebration of an Army classic”, The
Australasian journal of Salvation Army history, 6, 2, 2021, 93 – 98.
1 At the time of publication of the AJSAH, the book was available from Salvationist Publishing & Supples, UK
https://www.sps-shop.com/100926; The Trade, Sydney http://thetrade.salvos.org.au/catalogue/product/in-darkest-
england-130-years-on/; The Salvation Army online store, Melbourne
http://commerce.salvationarmy.org.au/product.asp?pID=4285&cID=122&c=23436.
2 William Booth, In darkest England and the way out, (London, UK: International Headquarters of The Salvation
Army), 1890.
3 Rebecca Goldsmith (ed.), In darkest England: 130 years on, (London, UK: Shield Books, The Salvation Army United
Kingdom Territory with the Republic of Ireland, 2020), viii.

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2021. Page 93

There were too many reprinted works included for the book to have a worthwhile contribution
to the extension of knowledge. What was even more concerning was that many of the republished
contributions, some 30 years old, were not updated to a major level. The republication of works is
poor practice and to some academics is seen as academic misconduct, for example the tertiary
institution I previously worked for would define such actions as “self-plagiarism”. In other
institutions the practice of republishing work is defined as ‘redundant publication’, that is
republishing work and copying the entire manuscript in duplicate publications.

It is called “redundant” as it presents little or no new ideas or information and is repetitive.
There are also several reasons not to engage in such practices:

1. It may infringe on copyright laws;
2. It overburdens the finite resources in publishing;
3. The repetitive information blocks the space that could be afforded to new knowledge;
4. It reduces the opportunity for different voices to be heard;
5. It gives biases and therefore overemphasis of the importance of the ideas found in the

republished paper(s);
6. It means that the paper has not engaged with more current research or responded to new

ideas or questions arising from the original research and may therefore repeat disproved
ideas or data;
7. If the work is used in meta-analysis, it will distort or skew the outcome.
Sadly, such poor academic practises, and in some cases, misconduct is becoming more accepted
and practiced. Woefully, it is too often used across Salvation Army publications. At least In darkest
England: 130 years on listed where such practices were used and identified when the chapter had
first been published.4
Those with eager eyes will notice a few minor editorial errors, unsupported assumptions, and
locational biases. There are editorial errors. Firstly, there was inconsistency in the inclusion of
people’s titles, for example a number of the contributors who have a PhD or officer rank were given
their titles, yet one officer was not given their rank and another author who has a PhD and is a
Professor was given no title at all.5 Secondly, a page number given for chapter 3 in the contents was
incorrect.6 Thirdly, there were some layout issues, for example a missing space on page 63, paragraph
5, line 3.7 Fourthly, some typographical errors had slipped through the editorial process, for example
on page 62 the year “1935”, I think should be “1835”; and the acronym of “SAMSHA” on page 125,
I think should be “SAMHSA”.8
Unsupported assumptions appear in several places, most derive from postcolonial ideologies,
the lack of engagement with more contemporary research, or lack of knowledge of international
activities. Postcolonialism, to simplify its argument, sees that European empires and the churches
imposed cultural imperialism on the colonies. What such ideologies neglect are that by Booth
questioning the ability of the British Empire to look after its own poor, In darkest England and the
way out was anti-imperialist.9 In addition, the assumption that the Army relied on the British Empire

4 Goldsmith, In darkest England, 16, 44, 72.
5 Goldsmith, In darkest England, v, vii, 16, 44, 72, 240.
6 Goldsmith, In darkest England, v. The contents page stated chapter 3 commenced on page 47 when in fact it
commenced on page 44.
7 Goldsmith, In darkest England, 63.
8 Goldsmith, In darkest England, 62, 125.
9 Goldsmith, In darkest England, viii-ix, 44. See discussions against such ideas in Garth R. Hentzschel, “The impact of
the forgotten supplement to In darkest England: An analysis of Booth-Tucker’s Darkest India,” Chapter 6, 106 – 131 in

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2021. Page 94

to expand in its early years, neglects the commencement of the Army in France and the USA.10

Finally, many papers are based on United Kingdom services; while the original book focused on
England, the social work of the Army that has come from Booth’s ideas is now international.
Although many chapters were written with the individual’s sphere of influence central to their work,

the lack of a wider context could have the reader assume the local context given was the limitation of

such a work. It would have been insightful if an editorial note was given to show the extent of the

international sphere of the subject matter, for example in chapter eight when legal assistance at a local

corps was discussed, it could have been noted that in Australia there is a branch of the Army,
dedicated to such work, Salvoslegal.11

Between each chapter was an image from the front page of The darkest England gazette which

in some cases were the only ties the chapter had to the original Darkest England Scheme.
One of the strengths of the book was that it gave a ‘liquorice all sorts’ of genre styles, from

academic papers to fictional narratives and poetry.

With regard to the contributors, it would have been beneficial to have included a mini biography

outlining their expertise in the area in which they wrote. This may have given some strength to weaker

chapters. It is an activity which I have attempted to do for this review. The different genres however

would make the book appealing to a wider audience.

Chapter one, by the noted Salvation Army historian Gordon Taylor (William Booth: The man
and his mission)12 gave the historical context of Booth’s In darkest England and the way out. The

chapter however failed to engage with some of the more current debates about the authorship of
Booth’s work.13

Chapters two, three and five came from PhD theses of the respective authors and have been

used in a number of different publications.
Chapter two, by noted Salvation Army theologian Professor Roger Green (War on two fronts),14

was reprinted from a journal article from 30 years ago. It had also been reprinted in Darkness and
deliverance: 125 years of the darkest England scheme.15 Sadly this work has not been updated, but

gave a perspective on the theological roots of In darkest England.

Chapter three, by academic Lieut.-Colonel Dr. Dean Pallant (Keeping faith in faith-based
organisations),16 was based on information in Keeping faith. First-hand accounts of current social

work were collected when Pallant travelled the world to investigate faith-based health services.
Pallant stated that when comparing current work with that of Booth’s original idea, “[w]e need to
urgently recover Booth’s passion for the salvation of the world – a boundless salvation where people

Matthew Seaman (ed.), Darkness and deliverance: 125 years of the darkest England scheme, (Nambour, Australia:
Chaordic Creative, 2016).
10 Goldsmith, In darkest England, 44.
11 Goldsmith, In darkest England, 138 – 142. See for example Luke Geary (ed.), Salvoslegal: Stories from the
courtyard. The Salvation Army’s new role in the fight to increase access to justice in Australian law, (Sydney South,
Australia: Carpenter Media, The Salvation Army Australia Eastern Territory, 2011).
12 Gordon Taylor, William Booth: The man and his mission, The life and legacy of William Booth, Part 1: 1829 – 1878;
Part 2: 1878 – 2015, (London, UK: Salvation Books, The Salvation Army International Headquarters, 2019).
13 See for example, David Malcolm Bennett, “‘In darkest England: Whose scheme was it?” Chapter 3, 47-64 pp in Seaman
(ed.), Darkness and deliverance.; Norman H. Murdoch, Frank Smith: Salvationist Socialist (1854-1940) – Principal
ideologue of the created Salvation Army social services, (Orlando, USA: National Salvation Army Social Services
Conference, 2003).
14 Roger J. Green, War on two fronts – William Booth’s theology of redemption, (Republished by Alexandria, USA:
Crest Books, The Salvation Army, National Headquarters, 2017).
15 Roger J. Green, “Theological Roots of In Darkest England and the Way Out,” Chapter 2, 24-46 pp in Seaman (ed.),
Darkness and deliverance.
16 Dean Pallant, Keeping faith in faith-based organizations: A practical theology of Salvation Army health ministry,
(Eugene, USA: Wipf & Stock, 2012).

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2021. Page 95

are saved to be whom God created them to be.”17 He showed that it was clear that there was a spiritual
element needed in the social work of the Army to fix the temporal.

Chapter four, by Graham Fussey, an author whose credentials could not be found, unlike the
previous chapters had no references and therefore the sources for the information could not be
checked. There are several over generalisations and areas that need definitions or deeper
investigation, for example, Fussey stated that drug dependency was one of the “new social
problems”,18 but failed to identify why alcohol and tobacco were not seen as a drug that had negative
social consequences. Booth made it clear that alcohol particularly caused social issues in his time.
Fussey also questioned ideas such as the travelling hospital, which he claimed was unworkable due
to costs,19 yet earlier research showed that work similar to the travelling hospital had been established
by the Army and could be implemented at minimal cost.20

Chapter five, by academic Bandmaster Dr Matthew Seaman, was a republished work taken
from two earlier chapters and little has been updated.21 This chapter takes the Darkest England
Scheme a step wider than the original theology of Booth’s work, to encompass ecosystems. It changed
the Christian creation narrative theology, that humanity is the pinnacle of creation, to that of humans
being “part of the natural environment”.22 The chapter called for the Army to increase its mission into
environment related issues.23 While the chapter listed historical failings of the Army in human
relationships and lack of care it provided to its farming lands, it did not investigate the historical
success and failings of Salvation Army farm colonies. Without these analyses, the chapter pushed for
a change in ideas for the Army to move from farms to community gardens; a few contemporary
examples were given. The discussions were more about ‘building community’ than developing
individual skills that would lead to finding a job. The chapter was therefore more in line with the
current mindset of sustaining a lifestyle than with Booth’s idea of an elevation from poverty to
economic independence. Some of Booth’s original ideas were touched on, including ‘household
salvage brigades’ and ‘prison gate brigades’.24 Although encouragement of camping and outings was
given, these were not linked to historical activities of the Army.

Chapter six, by Lee Ball, a manager, and Territorial Addictions Services Officer for The
Salvation Army UK, was focused on addiction in the UK context. The chapter looked at the reasons
for abuses of drugs but did not have strong links to the historic Darkest England Scheme or really
cover the Army’s current response to drug abuse. The chapter argued, from a modern clinical
approach, to see drug abuse as a response to trauma. Therefore, practice should be “culturally-
sensitive and trauma-informed”, there was no discussion on biblical or historical frameworks or
practice. The chapter criticised the current system as “biased, racist, homophobic” and although it
stated there was “overwhelming evidence” for this criticism, no evidence or references were given.25

17 Goldsmith, In darkest England, 50.
18 Goldsmith, In darkest England, 65.
19 Goldsmith, In darkest England, 65.
20 See Garth R. Hentzschel, and Rachel Hentzschel, “A Way Out – The ‘Travelling Hospital’: Its inception,
implementation and possible future,” Chapter 8, 150-165 pp in Seaman (ed.), Darkness and deliverance.
21 Matthew Seaman, “In darkest creation? Broadening deliverance to the whole Oikos,” Chapter 11, 194-234 pp in Seaman
(ed.), Darkness and deliverance.; Matthew Seaman, “Grounding ‘In darkest England’: Personal, social and ecological
regeneration,” Chapter 12, 235-272 pp in Seaman (ed.), Darkness and deliverance.
22 Goldsmith, In darkest England, 76.
23 Goldsmith, In darkest England, 77.
24 Goldsmith, In darkest England, 83.
25 Goldsmith, In darkest England, 128.

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2021. Page 96

The end of the chapter a quotation by Catherine Booth was wrongly attributed to William Booth and
this phrase was in fact misquoted.26

While the first six chapters were to a greater or lesser extent ‘research papers’, chapter seven
was the first that showed the different genre styles of In darkest England: 130 years on. Jaime Revado
was another author whose credentials could not be found. Revado used a rap/poem genre to give a
testimony of another who had received treatment and was saved to Christianity through the ARC
Salvation Army program.

Chapter eight, by Graham Wallis of Wallis Solicitors and a Salvationist from Gloucestershire
Corps, UK27 wrote about the ‘poor man’s lawyer’. Wallis outlined the link between the legal service
at the Gloucestershire Corps and William Booth’s earlier work. The chapter was written from a first-
person experience.

Leif Alm, who wrote chapter nine, the third author whose credentials could not be found, gave
a short history of the commencement of The Salvation Army in Sweden. It covered a number of
historical developments: Major Erik Ekström’s impact on the Army’s social work; the shelter in
Stockholm; Kurön island for rehabilitation inspired by Rotorua Island, NZ; boarding schools; slum
sisters; rescue homes; prison work; refugees; tracing services; work with hearing impaired people;
shelter and food distribution; the folk high school; and unemployed people. It was a clear overview
of historical and contemporary work.

Chapter ten, by Malcolm Page, Assistant Territorial Director (North) Homelessness Services at
The Salvation Army, Dundee UK wrote a short history, reflection, and discussed current work of the
Army in the area of homelessness. Based on Salvation Army research, it was very current (August
2020) and referenced throughout. The chapter showed how homeless services were linked to corps,
Employment Plus and chaplaincy services in the UK. It was also stressed that, as with Booth’s
original scheme, the services hope to elevate people.

Chapter 11, by a Regent Hall Corps Salvationist, Clare Falvey28 was a historical walk through
the Whitechapel area of London. Although the chapter included no references, I met Falvey at the
International Heritage Centre during her research and can confirm her diligence and motivation in
researching. The chapter uncovered many previously undiscovered sites the Army used for its early
social work.

Major Kathy Betteridge, identified as the Director for Anti Trafficking and Modern Slavery at
The Salvation Army wrote chapter 12 on modern slavery. The chapter defined modern slavery, the
Army’s response, and the testimony of a freed slave, all from the personal observation and experience
of the author.

Chapter 13, by Moragh Rowlanes who was another author who could not be fully identified,29
used William Shakespeare as a motivation for a poem that covered the need for rescuing people at
the different stages of their life.

Chapter 14 investigated how The Salvation Army has integrated its mission and gospel with
social work. Colonel Debbie Graves is the Territorial Secretary for Leader Development in the United
Kingdom Territory with the Republic of Ireland and used Salvation Army literature to encourage
social and Christian work, with some examples of welfare work given.

26 Goldsmith, In darkest England, 129.
27 Graham Wallis, “Know where you stand: Legal considerations in mission work”, (OSCAR Blog, 1 February 2012),
https://oscar.org.uk/blog/know-where-you-stand-legal-considerations-mission-work accessed 15 March 2021.
28 Jennifer Byrd, “Notes from the past”, (Boundless: The Salvation Army International Congress, 1 July 2015),
http://www.boundless2015.org/boundless/news/eastendexhibition accessed 15 March 2021.
29 Could be a Lieut.-Colonel retired.

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2021. Page 97

Chapter 15, by Rebecca Keating, the Employment Plus Director at The Salvation Army UK,
commenced by linking the current work with In darkest England and the way out, and work in
Employment Plus in the UK and Australia. The chapter gave up to date statistics, contemporary
programs organised by the ministry and a personal story based in the UK.

Chapter 16, by Lieut.-Colonel Ray Oakley, retired Salvation Army officer, an architect and
author of To the glory of God30 gave a personal account of the impact of Booth’s work on his own
officership. The chapter outlined some of the historical statistics on Army shelters and Oakley’s
personal experience in building the newer homeless shelters in the UK.

Captain Josh Selfe, who appears to minister in the Keighley Corps and assisted with the
Foodbank in the area used chapter 17 to present a fictitious short story motivated by Mad Max and
Waterworld.

In chapter 18, Dean Juster, Director of Safeguarding, Salvation Army wrote a personal
reflection of a co-worker assisting in a men’s hostel and how the experience opened his eyes to the
wider social ministry of The Salvation Army.

The final chapter, chapter 19 was a verse based on William Booth’s ‘I’ll fight’, by Major Alison
Raybould, a Salvation Army officer.

In darkest England: 130 years on was not a history, nor did it claim to be; however it was also
not fully directly linked to William Booth’s In darkest England and the way out. Despite some errors
and unsupported assumptions, there are some remarkably interesting genres used and information
imparted. As it is not strictly a history text, it would not attract historians. Darkness and deliverance:
125 years of the darkest England scheme, would be a better text for those with these interests.31 For
historians, some of the chapters will be of interest now, such as chapter 11, and some into the future
as they capture contemporary social work of The Salvation Army. People however interested in social
justice and social work of the Army, or reading books with differing genres will be interested in the
book.

30 Ray Oakley, To the glory of God – A history of the development of The Salvation Army in the British Isles as
expressed, illustrated and symbolised through its buildings and some paintings, (Leamington Spa, UK: Ray Oakley,
2011).
31 Seaman, Darkness and deliverance.

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2021. Page 98

BOOK REVIEW
THE MOB AND THE MAYOR

Reviewed by
Glenn K. Horridge

Stephen Huggins, The mob and the mayor, Persecution of the Salvation Army at the Victorian
seaside, (Eastbourne, UK: Sussex Academic Press 2020), 120 pp. ISBN 978 1 78976 084 2

Cover of The mob and the mayor

I was made aware of the impending publication of The mob and the mayor when the company
responsible for gaining copyright permission for use of illustrations asked for help from the SAHPA.1
It did not surprise me that an academic publishing house was to produce a book on the infamous
Salvation Army Eastbourne Riots. The past decade or so has seen some interest in the events through
an article,2 book reference,3 as well as a docudrama4 and even a first day philatelic cover.5

Thus, when the book was published in October 2020, its arrival was awaited with some
anticipation. When it did, my initial thought was a small book (120 pages) for quite a high price
(£16.95) but then again perhaps worth it for a scholarly analysis.

The first twelve pages include the usual legal statements, two pictures, an overly detailed and
unclear 1930s town map split with a large gap over a further two pages (I first thought it was two
maps showing the growth of the town and was uncertain why it was there), acknowledgements and
list of illustrations with permissions.

Stephen Huggins introduces the topic with a short commentary on the work of the Army during
which he states that “…they [The Salvation Army] have been so closely identified with a well
regarded programme of social action that their wider history has been either marginalised or ignored.
This history includes a period of astonishing levels of opposition.”6 The author of this review would

Reference citation of this review: Glenn K. Horridge, “Book review: The mob and the mayor”, The Australasian
journal of Salvation Army history, 6, 2, 2021, 99 – 101.
1 Email to article author (Chairman of SAHPA) dated 1 July 2020 from ClearPermissions acting on behalf of Sussex
Academic Press.
2 The Eastbourne Riots – An historic victory for the Salvation Army, (13 October 2010),
http://sahpa.blogspot.com/2011/10/eastbourne-riots.html
3 Nigel Bovey, Blood on the flag, (London, UK: Shield Books, 2015).
4 Riot Film, Marching to music. Premiered at the Birley Centre, Eastbourne, (20 January 2012).
5 Example in the author’s collection.
6 Stephen Huggins, The mob and the mayor, (Eastbourne, UK: Sussex Academic Press, 2020), 1.

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2021. Page 99

contend that the history of The Salvation Army has seen growing attention since the 1990s and the

opposition received by them has been increasingly well examined. Huggins then goes on to promise
a later examination of “…very significant questions about both the Salvation Army and the society
from which it came”.7 He finally has a paragraph on historiography of SA persecution but fails to
mention here the most substantial work on persecutions!8

The book is then divided into four chapters. We start with a well understood comprehensive

look at the socio-religious urban situation leading up to the 1860s. Huggins then notes that William
Booth had a “shortcoming” in terms of “formal education or ministerial training… [and even
Catherine] …could not persuade him to embrace scholarship”.9 This perhaps underplays Booth’s

understanding of the religious writings of the day and his innate ability to follow best ministerial
practices in reaching the poor. Huggins further contends that Booth was a “Bible literalist”10 – a

somewhat unfortunate use of what has become a pejorative term over the past decade.

Huggins further suggests that the Booths became itinerant preachers when the 1859 religious

revival commenced. Also, without explaining the circumstances, makes the narrow assertion that the
couple felt called “…to minister in London’s East End…”. Both of these comments are too
generalised and the subsequent assertion that “…the Christian Mission met with much success…” is

certainly not born out by the slow growth and setbacks. It is useful to the reader though that we have
quotes selected from William Booth’s writings and the few references are clearly given from such
Army historians as Sandall.11

The second chapter looks at “Victorian Responses to the Salvation Army”. A brief look at

lampooning and social commentary on Booth is followed by a summary of church and other reaction.

The chapter goes on to tell of local political interference with the Army, how its stance on female

equality drew criticism, and how the local denizens of working-class areas felt that the Army was

attacking their way of life. Brass bands and reaction to them draw the chapter to a close. Higgins
touches on a lot of very interesting themes but the title of the chapter might have been better ‘Victorian
Anti-Salvation Army Responses’ as there is nothing about the positive reactions!

Whilst the Introduction and then the first two chapters are setting the national scene. Chapter 3

sees the local scene at Eastbourne. Huggins clearly has a rapport with the town and shows great

understanding of its geography, the social fabric, existing religious provision, and the growing

Victorian tourist trade. However, to seemingly infer that a key reason for the Salvation Army to
advance on Eastbourne was as a reaction to the sin of “liberated hedonism” of the tourists rather
misses more practical reasons, not least the town’s growing popularity and renown.12 The Chapter
then details two very interesting reasons for opposition – the Skeleton Army, and also one particular

individual, the Town Mayor Alderman W. E. Morrison. In examining the former Huggins summarises
earlier historians although with barely a reference.13 He does though quote interesting contemporary

text. In the latter, the examination of the devoutly Christian Mayor Morrison adds a new and welcome

dynamic to the story and the history of anti-Army opposition, as well as being central to the book

itself.

7 Huggins, The mob and the mayor, 2.
8 For example Glenn K. Horridge, The Salvation Army, Origins and early days 1865 – 1900, (Godalming, UK:
Ammonite Books, 1993).
9 Cited in Huggins, The mob and the mayor, 6.
10 Huggins, The mob and the mayor, 6.
11 Huggins, The mob and the mayor, 7 – 8.
12 Huggins, The mob and the mayor, 23.
13 Huggins does reference Horridge but notes the publication date as 2015. This was a reprint (prepared for the
International Congress held in London that year) of the 1993 edition of the work.

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2021. Page 100