Editorial

It is a pleasure to greet you all again and to present what we hope is an interesting and informative Journal. It is a delight to have a variety of contributors on a wide range of topics. I know that many members find Michael Farrow’s book section invaluable and we are grateful that despite a new appointment necessitating a move north, he has still found the time to produce his articles. Three new contributors are journalist Michael Rank from London, Jon Bolton from Wellingborough and Celia Parkinson from Wakefield. I was struck by Michael’s work because I knew nothing about the connection between Abney Park Cemetery and the Salvation Army in Korea. Jon in turn has developed a great interest in family history. Part of this relates to his grandfather’s Salvation Army activity and especially his place in the Motor Ambulance Band. Preparation for this article has led Jon to further questions and avenues of research and so a larger project is unfolding. This is the type of research that SAHPA likes to support. Another work in progress in conjunction with SAHPA is Celia’s excellent project of looking at the pre-Corps History Book days of the Salvation Army in Wakefield.

Another area of support we are giving is to an officer couple in Latin America and providing them with Salvation Army books that are hard to come by in that part of the world. This is much appreciated. Talking of books, SAHPA is very pleased to have been able to help Colonel Hubert Boardman produce his already highly successful children’s book – ‘Marty and Max’ (and we were all grateful to Fiona Horridge for reading the proof and giving her opinion). SAHPA is also working alongside other authors and will be publishing up to three titles in its own right next year! I know also that those members of SAHPA who are only interested in the philatelic side are thankful to Geoff Maxwell who produces a quarterly journal which we distribute.

We are always looking at ways of improving the service that SAHPA provides and to that end, the newsletters (currently twice yearly) will also have a letters page. We also get requests for us to put people into touch with Heritage Centres around the world and what their news is. To further encourage this, we are attaching to this Journal recent newsletters which we hope you will enjoy. Do please let us know how you feel about seeing these.

We are also holding a Convention in 2011. It will be at the William Booth birthplace Museum in Nottingham on Saturday 18th June, commencing at 10 a.m. with coffee. The day will include a tour of the newly revamped Museum. A Convention form is enclosed. Finally our Patron General Burrows, President, Harry Hayes and I wish you all a happy and blessed 2011 and look forward to seeing you at the Convention.