Editorial

It is with delight that I introduce this third volume of ‘Blood and Fire’ with the news that General Eva Burrows (Rtd) has agree to become our patron. General Burrows has long had an interest in Salvation Army history and I had the pleasure to meeting her some years ago when she came for a visit to our family’s Salvation Army collection based in Ilfracombe. Over the years we have had many visitors who have enjoyed seeing the items on display or enjoyed researching amongst the paper and photographs. General Burrows displayed a real affinity with the collection and spent a lot longer than she anticipated amongst the thousands of items. Thank you General for your support.

A number of other eminent Army historians have also agreed to support our aims of recording, researching and preserving Salvation Army heritage worldwide. Terry Hazell has worked hard at contacting these old and new friends and writes:

SAHPA Vice Presidents

‘At our AGM at Catford last summer we announced our intention to strengthen the association’s administration by appointing a number of Vice Presidents and are very pleased to announce that the following people have kindly agreed to take on this position with us:

Dr Roger Green is Professor and Chair of Biblical Studies at Gordon College, Wenham, Massachusetts. He is the author of a biography of the Co-founder of the Army, Catherine Booth and was recently in London researching material for a new book relating to Army history.

Lt Col (Rtd) (Dr) Ray Steadman-Allen was leader of the Army’s International Music Editorial Department between 1967 and 1980. With over 200 brass band works published by the Army plus many choral works both published and still in manuscript he is one of the most outstanding Salvationist composers and musicians of the 20th century.

Dr Ronald Holz is Professor of Music Literature and Instrumental Music at Asbury College, Kentucky. He has written a number of books relating to band and music history, including Heralds of Victory, a history of the New York Staff Band and the recently published two volume ‘Brass Bands of the Salvation Army’.

Gordon Taylor is a senior researcher in the Army’s Heritage Centre at Denmark Hill and author of ‘Companion to the Song Book of the Salvation Army’. He has been the advisor on many historical projects and is a member of the Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland and the Hymn Society of America.

We welcome these gentlemen to the Association and hope to have the pleasure of contributions from them in due course. Your Editor would also like to record our very genuine thanks to David and Del Miller for all their dedicated work in promoting Salvation Army history and the Journal’s excellent new cover design. The SAWiki website is a vast and growing website of Salvation Army history and information. It can easily be accessed through typing SAWiki into any search engine and I would recommend those with internet access to look at it if you have not already done so. It can also be accessed through David and Del’s sacollectables website where back copies of our publications can be found (the early copies being listed under our original name of CMHA). David and Del kindly produced for us a marvellous free CD gift of The Voice of the Founder which we hope you enjoy. 

If your interest is primarily philatelic rather than historical, please let me know as I can send you an alternative Journal produced by Geoff Maxwell. Geoff’s work is a compilation of new and updated articles relating to philately plus articles from various heritage newsletters and our own journal. 

Finally, I mentioned above the SA collection based in Ilfracombe. There is now a plan to move it to Wales. A site and redundant building has been identified as an ideal location for a museum and study centre. The time-scale has yet to be determined and more news will follow.