Part of a rich heritage

Selwyn Bracegirdle’s work in the Archives and Heritage Centre is bringing our rich history to life.

You could say The Salvation Army is in my blood. My great grandfather, Alfred Wilkinson, was at our first meeting in New Zealand, in Dunedin in 1883. My great grandmother, Elizabeth, was there too—although they didn’t know each other at the time.

Alfred was already a devoted Christian, known for dragging children off the street to attend the Sunday school he ran. By 20, he had become a Salvation Army officer.

One of his appointments was Oamaru, one of the most hostile places towards Salvationists. It was common for eggs and tomatoes to be thrown at them while they marched to church. There was a hose outside so they could wash themselves down. But inside was just as rowdy—with hecklers constantly disrupting the service.

Meanwhile, my grandmother also became an officer. At some stage they met, marrying in 1888. Their ceremony as described as a ‘hallelujah wedding’.

They had two daughters who also became officers—including my great aunt Eva, who was in the first New Zealand Salvation Army contingent to China. She lived through WWII, interned in essentially a prisoner of war camp, and stayed until the 1950s when churches were thrown out under communism. Among the memorabilia in Archives are pairs of tiny Chinese shoes worn by women with bound feet that Eva bought back from China. I am blessed to be part of this rich heritage.

My faith has been expressed through the arts—I’m a graphic designer and have had the privilege of using this for the Army. In 1995, I designed a Salvation Army logo with a cross in place of the ‘T’ for Salvation Army clothing. When I visited Atlanta with our national songsters, I was stunned to discover this same logo on clothing from the US, UK and even Africa.

I was dropping off some albums of photos from that trip to the Heritage Centre and Archives when I heard a job was available dealing with enquiries. I only had a day to apply—I felt it was a real God thing.

I deal with over 200 enquiries a year, so work never stops. My favourite part is discovering how meaningful the information we have is to people. Someone asked about an ancestor who was an officer. Th is officer had written a lot of songs, so I included the lyrics in the biography I sent. The person was amazed, because he is involved in music and writing songs for his church today. It meant so much to him.

Through our Archives, Salvationists testify over the generations to their descendants. Included in the information we send are often testimonies about the work of Christ in their lives. A century later, a descendent gets to read that testimony and it continues to witness for Christ. I think that is amazing—and it’s the power of our Heritage Centre and Archives.

CONNECT WITH HISTORY | On Facebook as SalvationArmyArchivesNZFT or visit www.salvationarmy.org.nz/Archives

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By Selwyn Bracegirdle (c) 'War Cry' magazine, 26 November 2016, pp 11
You can read 'War Cry' at your nearest Salvation Army church or centre, or subscribe through Salvationist Resources.