With Our Fighting Men: The story of their faith, courage, endurance in the Great War — John Shaqi
With Our Fighting Men: The story of their faith, courage, endurance in the Great WarSellers, William E.
History
With Our Fighting Men: The story of their faith, courage, endurance in the Great War
Sellers, William E.
Great Britain. Army -- Military life; World War, 1914-1918 -- Religious aspects
It was a happy thought which allowed men who had been accustomed to
live and work together to form their own battalion or regiment; and so
we had the Public School Corps, and the Pals' Brigade, and many
another. Fastidious young men from West End drawing-rooms proved that
they had the hearts of true Englishmen, and worked hard as the rest.
Later on, in one hut were men whose income was said to average £2000 a
year. They were just privates.
From the religious point of view it was a great opportunity. Nearly
every church in the land had sent of its best and had done its best to
honour those who went. "Rolls of Honour," containing the names of
those who had gone from that particular church, hung in the porches.
In many, Sunday by Sunday, the names on the Roll of Honour were read
out and special prayer offered for them.
The young men had left their homes and churches with the voice of
prayer ringing in their ears. They knew that they were going to
serious work and that many of them would never return. The most
careless of them were serious now, and were ready, if the impression
did not pass away, to give themselves not only to their King and
Country, but to the King of Kings.
And right earnestly was the work begun in the Home Church continued in
the camps. These camps were established all over the country, for
Aldershot and Salisbury Plain were altogether inadequate. To all such
camps chaplains were appointed, and, for the first time, the Baptists,
Congregationalists, Primitives and United Methodists, who, except in
the great military centres, had stood out of the Army work, had their
appointed chaplains--not many as yet--but sufficient to show that they
also felt the need and were ready to do the work. They have since
joined forces for this service, and are carrying on their united work
by Free Church chaplains.
The entry of the Free Churches into the Army work is of such general
interest that I asked the Rev. J.H. Shakespeare, M.A., Secretary of
the Baptist Union of Great Britain and Ireland, to send me a brief
account of the facts. Mr. Shakespeare replied under date of February
10, 1915.
"Up to ten years ago, the sentiment among Baptists and
Congregationalists was not very sympathetic towards the Army, and
there was no provision on the Attestation Sheet for the entry of men
as belonging to these two denominations. I then secured a column for
this purpose, which has been in use ever since, but I do not think it
has been very effective.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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