Mission on the Mersey

Liverpool was a great trading city served by sea and rail, the two working together at the dockside. This provided high levels of employment with a highly organised work force that sometimes brought unrest; in 1911 this sparked the first national railway strike. It was a wealthy city with much of its prosperity coming from the transatlantic cotton trade; this northern wealth helped fund railway expansion across the UK, starting with the first intercity railway, between Liverpool and Manchester. It was a religious city with a strong divide between Catholics and Protestants. The Irish brought their Catholicism from Ireland and the Welsh links to their revivals. It was a metropolis with many missions; approximately 180 in 1894. Outreach to railwaymen started with visits by the Liverpool Town Mission to Tithebarn Street and Lime Street stations in 1860. It became Liverpool City Mission in 1899 continuing to visit railwaymen in the workplace. Next came the Liverpool Railway Servants’ Mission, but its origin is unclear; it held its first conference in approximately 1878. The YMCA was very prominent in the town and at its 1884 annual conference their committee agreed to take oversight of this work. This mission competed with the national Railway Mission until 1890, when the London based General Secretary visited one of their secretaries. The competition was demonstrated by their publications - the Liverpool mission had its Railway Chariot - the national mission the Railway Signal. Both were launched around 1882. In 1886 the General Secretary was authorised to “pay up to £50 to purchase the Chariot.” The April 1891 issue of the Railway Signal celebrated the amalgamation in

Jschweikart for pixabay.com

the following paragraph: “At the birth of Railways, nearly sixty years ago, Liverpool merchants were among the first to lay down their money to promote the first Parliamentary Railway Bill… We rejoice that to-day they are not behind in higher and nobler work…[and] the Mission has at its head some of the leading Christian business men of Liverpool.” The first Bishop of Liverpool, J C Ryle, became President of the Railway Mission’s work in Liverpool. By 1900 there were 32 sub-branches which principally served the docks that lined both banks of the Mersey. Others were scattered as far as Ormskirk, Warrington and part of the Wirral. One less common activity was the band of the Edge Hill branch. A committee minute from October 1916 records that “there was trouble… both Treasurer and Secretary… were unsatisfactory and during the band-master’s absence in Egypt, the treasurer refused to give up either the cash in hand or the instruments, which were paid for out of the band funds.” Legal advice was received “that the debts should be paid off & the balance divided among the bona fide members & the instruments should be given up to Miss Given.” Miss Given was honorary Superintendent of the Liverpool Branch by 1910 and remained in office until 1947. She was well respected and lived off her own means as did others. Meetings were customarily held at the workplace; in a mess-room; or a cookhouse. The latter sounds strange but several branches met there at lunchtime; at one the cook was the branch secretary. A branch report describes a cook-house meeting where the leader, “has lately started a monthly testimony meeting… which has proved a source of strength and blessing…” The branch had recently had a visit from an American minister who declared “that it was his first experience in a cook-house meeting, and felt rather nervous.” But the telling of the love of Christ soon dispelled his nervousness, and he gave “a stirring and helpful address.”

Liverpool Parish Church. Photo by Vasily Kleymenov for pexels.com

Dudley Clark

alisadyson for pixabay

Lydia Paine writes, “In March of this year, we partnered with fellow railway charity the Railway Benefit Fund (RBF) to create a joint legacy giving campaign, which was kindly supported by the Retired Rail Officers Society. The free will writing service was supplied by Bequeathed, whose accredited legal firms donate up to 30 minutes of their time to help users make their will. Users of the free will writing service were given the option to leave a gift in their will for a charity of their choice. There was, of course, no obligation for users to include Railway Mission or RBF in their will, but legacy giving is a fantastic way to support charities. Whether it is a donation, or a percentage of an estate, it ensures that Railway Mission and RBF can continue to support the railway family going through difficult times whenever they need them. Liam Johnston Executive Director of Railway Mission, said: “In 2020 research from Canada Life revealed that three in five (59%) of UK adults have not written a will. This equates to 31 million people, whose property, financial and other assets could be left to someone they have not chosen when they die. Railway Mission is delighted to be able to help the railway family write a will, free of charge, that will help ensure your ‘will’ is their choice.” Our charities saw an incredible take up from the industry. Over 1,000 people registered to create a free will, with a total of £22,000 left as gifts. The will writing company reported that the take up from this campaign was 20% higher than all other charity will months combined. Claire Houghton, CEO of the Railway Benefit Fund, said: “We are amazed at the incredible take up we saw during March and are delighted to be able to extend our free will writing service for a year. We’d also like to thank everyone who has made a donation or left a legacy when creating their will – this support enables our charities to be there for the Railway Family long into the future.” Due to this incredible success, Railway Mission and RBF have made the decision to extend the service for another year, so that even more people in the industry could create a will for free. If you have not yet taken advantage of the free will writing service, head over to our website www.railwaymission.org/make-afree-will-month.”

Lydia Paine is Marketing Manager for Railway Mission

*These are donation suggestions

Why not send a friend or family member a pack of ten Christmas Cards or a 2023 Calendar, and help support Railway Mission with a gift as you do?

Suggested amount is £6:50 (including postage) for a Calendar, or for a pack of ten Christmas Cards.

You can find more information on how to make a donation and receive calendars, cards or books at our