Army gets the royal treatment 60 years ago
- deansimpson7
- Jul 23
- 2 min read
BY BARRY GITTINS
Sixty years ago, in July 1965, The Salvation Army pulled out all the stops to celebrate 100 years of worship, work, witness and world-changing actions.
Preceding the official celebrations, the lord mayors of Sydney, Adelaide, Newcastle, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Hobart, and the Australian Council of Churches, had written letters published in the War Cry to thank God for the Army’s ‘vigorous evangelistic efforts’ and the ‘untiring, selfless devotion of all its members to the well-being and comfort of the less fortunate ... those in need, and those suffering from physical and spiritual afflictions’.
The well-wishers also noted the Army’s advocacy and compassionate responses to ‘wayward and neglected members of the community [and] the forces of evil which cause these conditions’.
The lord mayor of Melbourne went so far as to launch an official Salvation Army week in the city, with a ‘catchy old-time solo’ sung by Colonel John Hocking, a commemorative spiel by Lieut-Colonel Harry Goffin and a personal testimony from Cadet Howard Davies.
But for Australians in the 1960s, there was no bigger pat on the back than those received from Queen Elizabeth II, and the Salvos revelled in regal approval.
The 24 July War Cry ran copious reports and royal photos of ‘100th birthday’ celebrations in London.
Among the more esoteric aspects of the celebrations were yodelling groups, guitar bands, African parties, ‘beat meet’ groups, a brass band from the Congo, the Joy Strings, and their fellow practitioners of the ‘Liverpool sound’ (a Beatlesesque yet peculiarly Salvation Army reference).
The Joy Strings had large audiences ‘clapping and beating in unison’, as ‘they vibrate their bodies delicately, nod their heads, move their fingers, oscillate their guitars … sing with gusto and beaming smiles that capture hearts’.
Antipodeans were represented by a Kiwi sister, ‘Maori Salvationist Sister Mrs Brown’, who read from the Scriptures resplendent in ‘feathered cloak, red blouse with crest and native grass skirt’
.A good time was agreed to have been had by all, in the UK, in Australia, and throughout all the lands where Bill Booth’s Army had preached the Blood of the Lamb, cared for those doing it tough and shared the joy of their salvation through the gift of music.
Reports of the centenary celebrations from the July 1965 edition of the War Cry.
In recognition of The Salvation Army’s 160th anniversary this year, International Headquarters has created eight short videos chronicling the vast and varied mission of the global Salvation Army over the past 160 years, with one video released each week, beginning 5 June.
Check out these videos, which focus on themes including church and charity, emergency relief, modern slavery and human trafficking, social justice, education, and healthcare. Click here
