FROM THE
ARCHIVE
STEADFAST AND UNWAVERING In the first of a series of previously published articles, Major Katrina Thomas delves into family history to discover more about Major Darrell Thomas’s great-grandfather BORN in 1870 in Wellington, Somerset, to parents who were ardent workers in the Methodist Church, Frederick Walter Taylor was still young when the family moved to Cardiff, where he was soon attracted to the newly formed Salvation Army. Fred was a bright boy who did well at school, leaving early to become a clerk in a shipping office. All went well and his future looked assured, but God had other plans for this young man and in response to a ‘divine niggle’ he offered himself to The Salvation Army for service. Fred became an officer in 1884 at the age of 14! He served for a brief period as a shorthand scribe to Commissioner William Risdel and, until 1892, served in divisional headquarters appointments. In April 1887 Captain Fred received a telegram: TAYLOR, NORTHAMPTON HQ. PROCEED TO HITCHIN UNTIL FURTHER ORDERS. The following extract from his journal, which is now in the possession of his great-grandson Major Darrell Thomas, gives a glimpse of the character and times of this extraordinary man. ‘How rarely do we realise the greatness of little things. A few words, a telegram may change our course in life and alter our eternal destiny… Packing a few things, I proceeded to my appointment and found on arrival a sick captain and several young men cadets
St Albans County Gaol
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Salvationist Day 18 April 2020 Month 2020
Captain Fred Taylor
housed in a caravan bearing the warlike title ‘Victory’… The cadets, led on by their captain, spent their mornings in study, their afternoons in visitation and War Cry selling and evenings assisting in conducting salvation meetings, real practical training for the days of officership to come… ‘No corps existed in the town of Hitchin at this time… Seventy converts met in the old barn in Ickleford and what an interesting place this was! Earthen floors, rough forms without backs, well ventilated – for rain often came through the leaky roof – but the Glory also filled the place and in the barn many precious souls were born again! These were indeed wonderful times. ‘The open-air meeting in Hitchin market place was a great attraction. The cadets and converts led by their captain, who played the cornet, drew a large crowd of all sorts of conditions of men. The “Army” was often misunderstood. Sticks, stones, filth of all sorts, rotten eggs, soot, flour were the everyday experience of our comrades. Broken limbs, cuts, bruises, black eyes were common occurrences. But the Salvationists gloried in their persecution and triumphed in their conflicts. As the dark evenings approached, the rough element caused increased trouble by trying to break up the open-air meetings, but in spite of this we never discontinued them… we linked arms and stood our ground as long as possible to keep the meeting going… ‘Saturday 13 December was an eventful day… that evening the roughs were exceptionally unruly and it seemed clear that they meant to do all the harm possible. Just as things were at their worst a police sergeant accosted me, charging me with obstruction.
