Involvement in The Salvation Army
Captain Cecil Watts was an excellent Corps Officer (pastor) of Balestier Corps. He really cared for the people and spent a lot of his time visiting his flock. The only transport he had was a rickety old bicycle. Some days, Sunday as well, he would carry his piano accordion tied to the pillion of his bike. It was not safe for him to leave this musical instrument in the hall – a wooden hall with atap roof. People could easily break in when no one was around. Martaban Road was in a quiet secluded area.
We had several families attached to the Corps and many young people living around the Balestier area were actively involved. Sunday meetings were:-
Holiness meeting 10.00 a.m,
Sunday School at 3.00 p.m.
Open air meeting at 5.00 p.m.
Salvation meeting at 6.00 p.m.
Every Saturday we joined the Combined Corps Open Air meeting at Dhoby Ghaut near Cathay Building. Later the venue was changed to Princess Elizabeth Walk near the Cenotaph.
Other week night activities included Joy Hour for children, Torchbearers for Youth, Singing Company Practices and Songsters’ Practice. For the ladies there was a weekly Home League meeting on Wednesday afternoon. Those were the days before television and the internet, so we had lots of time to spend at the Army.
I enjoyed the activities at The Salvation Army. I became a soldier, then a Corps Cadet. At the age of seventeen I was made a Sunday Teacher or Company Guard in Army terminology and given a class of boys to teach. The Captain held a weekly preparation class for the Sunday school teachers to make sure we knew the lesson well. He certainly knew and practised the ministry of equipping the laity for service in God’s Kingdom. I was kept busy at the Corps and finding much joy and fulfilment in the work of the Lord.
There was very little leisure time for I had to give private tuition to a few students thus earning some income for my own school fees and books. In those days the fees for Secondary School was $4.00 quite a princely sum for me. I was studying in Raffles Institution located at the junction of Bras Basah and Beach Roads quite a distance from my home. I needed money for bus fares and often lunch as well when I had to stay back for school activities.
Mrs. Captain Watts suffered poor health and could not give much practical support to her husband at the Corps. In the end Captain and Mrs. Watts with their two children Margaret a toddler and Michael the baby, had to return to England before his term of five years was due. Corps folk were very sad for they were well loved.
Years later when my wife and I were stationed in England, we were invited conduct meetings at the Welsh Corps called Llanelli where Michael and his wife were the Corps Officers. By that time Brigadier Cecil Watts lived in retirement not far from us and we were able to visit him regularly.
Captain and Mrs Watts were succeeded by Major and Mrs. Joseph Jordan. They were in charge of the Red Shield Services (not RSI). In those days there were many British servicemen or soldiers stationed in Singapore and the Majors’ responsibility was to see to their welfare. The Corps was an additional appointment and apart from conducting the meetings on Sundays, we hardly saw them for they were busy at the Red Shield Club, 40 Orchard Road. There was little or no pastoral visitation and the folk were getting discouraged. A number left the Corps to join other churches.
But thank God there were the saints like Mrs. Ong, Mrs. Palmer, Mrs. Norman Lim and a few faithful seniors who cared for us and gave us all the encouragement we needed.
When Major and Mrs. Joseph Jordan were transferred to Ipoh, Mrs. Major Rosa Price was appointed as the Corps Officer. Her husband Major Will A Price was the Public Relations Secretary. He spent most of his time raising funds for the support of the work of the Army. Often he would travel to Malaysia to collect donations.
The Prices, particularly Mrs. Price had a great influence on my life. She was my mentor and did much to encourage me. I used to help her son Nigel with his mathematics and she would give me a few dollars each month as pocket money. It must be very hard on her as officers at that time received very little in the way of allowance.
Every Thursday evening there was the Combined Holiness meeting held at Central Corps. 30 Oxley Road. We all had to make our own way there by public transport and we didn’t mind for it was a joy to share fellowship with Salvationists of Central Corps. On occasions when it was her turn to conduct the meeting she would use me to lead songs or give my testimony. On two occasions I was asked to give the message. The officers knew of my intention to enter the Training College some day and did all they could to help me fulfil my calling.
I sometimes wonder what would have happened to me had I not met The Salvation Army. As an introvert I might end up as a recluse. But the Army provided me the opportunity to interact with others. Balestier being a small Corps, I had to be totally involved and pushed to take leadership. I am what I am because of the tremendous interest shown by the Balestier folk in the early days of my life and the support given by officers like the Harveys, the Watts and the Prices. Many more of God’s saints have come into my life since then and as the story unfolds you will be reading about them in later chapters.
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