The Salvation Army Changi Corps – First one in Changi Prison and Present Changi Corps
At the corner of Jalan Mayaanam and Upper Changi North Road stands The Salvation Army Complex of Peacehaven Nursing Home and the Changi Corps (Church where my wife and I worship) God has wonderfully provided the suite of buildings for our ministry to the people.
Let me take you back to 15 February 1942, a very bleak Chinese New Year for Singapore. The British who had been defending the island finally surrendered to the Japanese. Before long, Colonel Herbert Lord and all our officers from overseas, together with hundreds of others, civilian and soldiers, were taken prisoners of war. More than 4,000 civilians were interned in Changi Convict Prison, a place built for 600 prisoners. The population ultimately grew to 12,000! Here they were to remain for three-and-a-half years.
Salvationists at first gathered in a small cell for worship and fellowship The singing was so good and inspiring that those in neighbouring cells often requested encores. The Salvation Army flag was nailed to the wall, but the Japanese guards pulled it down. The enterprising Major Will A. Price found some chalk and drew an Army crest and wrote “Salvation Army Citadel” over the door.
Anglican Bishop of Singapore, John Leonard Wilson brought the portable organ from Central Corps in his car to the hospital. Later it was smuggled into the camp under a pile of rice sacks. (Lord. forgive the kind bishop for smuggling!) Here was the spirit of Christian unity in operation, even in smuggling an organ! The Bishop had a Christian officer friend Andrew Ogawa who had given him permission to remain free to minister to the people, but a year later, higher authorities considered the bishop a threat so was sent to Changi Prison.
Among the internees was Brigadier(*) Charles Davidson, the General Secretary of The Salvation Army in the then Malaya Command which included Singapore. He had seen service in Japan before; in fact for some years he was the Private Secretary to Commissioner Gunpei Yamamuro, the first Salvation Army Japanese Territorial Commander of Japan.
A Japanese soldier, although not a Christian, but admirer of The Salvation Army, used to secretly supply Brigadier Davidson with insulin for a number of internees suffering from diabetes. This required tremendous courage, for if he was discovered, he and the Brigadier would face certain death by execution. The Brigadier was a man of wisdom, discretion and compassion, and did much for the fellow internees in his counseling.
Later the Salvationists were allowed to put up their own “building.” They held ‘open air meetings’ in the prison compound. Soon there was a thriving Changi Corps. Inside the Citadel (**) a platform was built, complete with a lectern. On the Mercy Seat (Altar) were the words, "Jesus Never Fails." Above this was the Army flag made by Candidate Laurence Smith. He used pieces of cloth dyed in various liquids to obtain the colours – yellow, red and blue. Another flag made by Treasurer Stanley Leeder was placed at the back of the hall. It had the crest, the name of the corps and the date of its opening – October 11, 1942. A copy of the flag is now on display at Territorial Headquarters in Singapore.
Stanley had exchanged one of his blankets with another prisoner who happened to possess a blanket that had the necessary colours for the Army flag. He managed to take the original to pieces with his jack knife, then proceeded to make the flag on 6 April 1942. The only materials available to him were a draining needle, cotton and an old woollen sock. All the letters and star were cut with the jack knife and the flag was completed under the bright moonlight at 11:30 pm on Saturday 11 April and used the next day.
Local officers (elders and deacons) were appointed at Changi Corps. There was a male voice choir. Evangelistic meetings were organised. Attendance increased from 15 to 65. The hall was opened all day for prayer. Early in the morning, the men would gather in the hall to pray before beginning their hard labours.
Later, the camp had three meetings on Sundays. During the week there were Soldiers’ Meetings, Bible Studies, Prayer Meetings and choir practices. They even had the Self-Denial Appeal and raised S$72.50. The amount was sent to the Women’s and Children’s (Civil Internee) Fund. Even Mothers’ Day and the Harvest festival were observed. The internees printed the equivalent of the official organ of the Army, The War Cry, and called it The Liberator. There were only four typed written copies in circulation monthly. Many among the prisoners were led to Christ. Others received regular counselling on spiritual matters. The Soldiers’ Roll of this first Changi Corps was 92, which included many nationalities.
War brings with it misery and suffering, but Christians who love the Lord are more than conquerors through Jesus. In spite of their suffering, they were able to sing and praise God.
Today Changi Corps has a beautiful auditorium for worship. It is is air-conditioned with carpeting and cushioned seats – a far cry from the first Changi Corps. And for good measure it has even a small stained glass window! It still reaches out to prisoners and their families.
My wife and I live on the rooftop of Peacehaven Nursing Home – A Pent House!! We moved into this unit on 16th December 2014 God is good!
________________________________________________________________________* The rank of Brigadier in The Salvation Army was below that of a Lieutenant Colonel. This rank is now obsolete.
** Citadel, a word used in the United Kingdom and some Western countries for the church. We use the word Corps here.
No comments:
Post a Comment