War Cry 7 November 2020 by The Salvation Army UK and Ireland

7 November 2020 20p/25c

A time of remembrance

The Salvation Army is a Christian church and registered charity providing services in the community, particularly to those who are vulnerable and marginalised. Motivated by our Christian faith, we offer practical support and services in more than 700 centres throughout the UK to all who need them, regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender or sexual orientation. To find your nearest centre visit salvationarmy.org.uk/find-a-church

What is the War Cry? The Salvation Army first published a newspaper called the War Cry in London in December 1879, and we have continued to appear every week since then. Our name refers to our battle for people’s hearts and souls as we promote the positive impact of the Christian faith and The Salvation Army’s fight for greater social justice.

WAR CRY Issue No 7499

Editor: Andrew Stone, Major Deputy Editor: Philip Halcrow Production Editor: Ivan Radford Assistant Editor: Sarah Olowofoyeku Staff Writer: Emily Bright Staff Writer: Claire Brine Editorial Assistant: Linda McTurk Graphic Designer: Rodney Kingston Graphic Designer: Mark Knight Email: warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk The Salvation Army UK Territory with the Republic of Ireland 101 Newington Causeway London SE1 6BN Tel: 0845 634 0101 Helpline: 020 7367 4888 Subscriptions: 01933 445445 (option 1, option 1) or email: subscriptions@satcol.org Founder: William Booth General: Brian Peddle Territorial Commander: Commissioner Anthony Cotterill Editor-in-Chief: Major Mal Davies Published weekly by The Salvation Army ©The Salvation Army United Kingdom Territory with the Republic of Ireland ISSN 0043-0226 The Salvation Army Trust is a registered charity. The charity number in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is 214779, in Scotland SC009359 and in the Republic of Ireland CHY6399. Printed by Walstead Roche Ltd, St Austell, on sustainably sourced paper

Your local Salvation Army centre

INFO 2 • War Cry • 7 November 2020

EDITOR From From the editor’s desk THIS weekend, two important anniversaries will be recognised as the SINGING is goodthose for you. say given scientists on the service nation remembers whoSohave their quoted lives in military BBC website. The experts said that singing can boost for theirFuture country. our andthis sense social connection. It ismoods 75 years yearofsince hostilities ceased in the Second Perhaps it is100 withyears these benefits in mind people have been World War and since the burial of that the Unknown Warrior joining online choirs during lockdown. In this week’s issue, the at Westminster Abbey. We mark both anniversaries in this week’s WarCry. Cry’s Sarah Olowofoyeku joins a virtual of the London War Historian Robert Beaken talks aboutrehearsal the diaries, written International Gospel Choir to discover for herself the pleasures between 1931 and 1946, of Scottish priest Alan Don who served as people have found of singing alone, yet together with chaplain and secretary to Archbishop of Canterbury andothers. chaplain Meanwhile Austen Hardwick has found similar value in running. to the Speaker of the House of Commons. In those diaries Alan This week’s Warthe Cryimpact also includes an interview withhad theon marathon vividly describes the Second World War him and runner whopublic, found while that his helped him to regain his life after the general hissport position in the Church of England also he suffered three strokes while in his early of forties. enabled him to describe the views of some the key influential and However, it was not period only running that helped Austen’s recovery. powerful figures of that in history. His played vital in him Warrior taking ainpositive TheChristian creationfaith of the Tombaof thepart Unknown 1920 reminds approach to all that he faced. us that it is not only the famous people of the past who matter. ‘When I was in hospital,’ says, ‘I asked Godtomb to take Author Andy Richards tells usAusten how the concept of the waswhat I was going through and to transform me through it.’ devised by the military chaplain David Railton. The padre hoped that Christians believe thathad God can returned take any from situation or anythingof those whose loved ones never the battlefields that they do or face and use it to make a positive impact in others’ Europe would have a focal point for their grief through the tomb. lives or interview, their own.Andy That explains has beenthat, the as experience of David painterspent Oliverthe In his the padre, Pengilley. First World War in the trenches alongside the soldiers of his battalion Oliveras had a successful career as an artist with some as much hedeveloped could, struggling with the horrific conditions and of his work selling for significant sums of money. But, as he tells often dealing with death. the War was Cry this week, he frustrated. ‘There an element ofgrew sacrifice in his service,’ he says, adding ‘I didn’t see the meaning of it,’ says.also Now he travels to that David’s faith and his belief thathe Jesus knew suffering churches him all over the world to paint pictures during worship motivated in his actions. sessions and hiswhen faith-based has helped people On a weekend we are artwork all remembering theother sacrifices of in their own journey. others, mayfaith we also be inspired to put other people before ourselves is antoamazing thathelp Godthem can take any skillway a person has andItlook see howtruth we can in whatever we can. or any situation they are facing and can transform it into something that can change their lives and the lives of the people around them.

Contents

What is The Salvation Army?

FEATURES 3

What will tomorrow bring? Documentary follows refugees looking for safety

The seeds of a good idea The origins of the Remembrance Day poppy

Dates with history Chaplain’s diary brings new insights in wartime Britain

‘It could have been their father, son or husband’ The purpose of the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior

REGULARS 4

War Cry World

Team Talk

Now, There’s a Thought!

14 Puzzles 15

War Cry Kitchen

EVA MULVAD

FILM

Tough love Sarah Olowofoyeku sees a documentary about a couple looking for safety

‘T

his will be my last day at home – I’m not sure tomorrow if I will be dead or alive,’ says Sahand, in Farsi, in the opening scene of the documentary LoveChild, released in cinemas yesterday (Friday 6 November). He is leaving Iran with Leila and their young son, Mani. The problem? Sahand and Leila are not married. In the moving documentary, which more closely resembles a narrative drama, viewers get an intimate view of the lives of two people who, in Leila’s subtitled words, did not leave for money, but for a place where their child could live with his mother and father. It is 2012 and the trio arrive in Turkey, where they claim asylum. During a tearful phone call, Leila tells her mother that they are safe, and that she loves and misses her. It isn’t clear why their lives are at risk until Leila is in a therapy session. She explains how

she was married before, but her husband developed a drug problem. Her efforts to obtain a divorce were unsuccessful. On one occasion, she went to court with a bruised eye, but it made no difference. The judge told her she should ‘get by with prayers and TV’. After three years, Leila was being beaten every day. She had a son and her husband did not connect with him, or with anything, but the truth was that Mani was not even his son. He belonged to Sahand, who was having a relationship with Leila. She says: ‘If they catch people like us in Iran, my punishment is to be stoned to death.’ Sahand and Leila, who were both schoolteachers in Iran, apply for refugee protection in Turkey. They must deal with the demands for paperwork and then endure an agonising wait. The documentary was filmed over five years, and shows the many ways in which waiting for an update on one’s status takes its toll. While the outcome is uncertain for the couple, what is sure is the strength of their love and their hope for a safer future. It keeps them going. People have been crossing borders, fleeing danger and seeking new lives for themselves for thousands of years. The Bible tells the stories of some such people, who faced difficult choices and encountered tough circumstances as they moved in unfamiliar lands. Yet they could know the truth that one Bible writer summed up with the words: ‘God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble’ (Psalm 46:1 New International Version). Through the ages, men and women all over the world have turned to God to find refuge in tough times. His promise is that he will never leave us and that his love for us will last for ever. He won’t make us wait. We can ask today and experience the feeling of safety that he provides.

ESBEN GRAGE

Leila was being beaten every day

Leila has no idea what the future holds for her and her son

7 November 2020 • War Cry • 3

WAR CRY

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Royal visitor for modern-day slavery survivors PRINCESS Eugenie and Julia de Boinville, co-founders of the awareness-raising Anti-Slavery Collective, visited a safe house run by The Salvation Army. They met with survivors of modern slavery and with staff members and heard about the impact of the support provided by the church and charity, which runs a network of safe houses across England and Wales. Both were moved by the courage of the survivors, many of whom had endured decades of abuse from traffickers and criminal gangs running forced labour operations. Residents presented them with plant pots made for them using kintsugi, the Japanese art of mending broken pottery, one of the many therapeutic activities which have helped residents during the recent months of lockdown. Emilie Martin, head of operations for anti-trafficking and modern slavery at The Salvation Army, said: ‘The visit gave our residents and staff a tremendous boost. Awareness and understanding are key to tackling modern slavery, so we are also delighted with the opportunity it provided to raise the profile of this important issue more widely.’

Emilie Martin (left) speaks with Julia de Boinville and Princess Eugenie, who were given plant pots made by residents

Do you have a story to share? a warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk B salvationarmy.org.uk/warcry @TheWarCryUK

TheWarCryUK

THE Black Christian community has been at the forefront of championing the quality and sanctity of Black lives, according to the shadow minister for faiths, women and equalities. In an article for the Independent last month, Janet Daby shared her view on the role that Black Christians can play in the movement for social equality. She said: ‘From the first generation of migrants from the Commonwealth, some of whom were my own family members arriving on HMT Empire Windrush, to Black church

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MILITARY Wives Choirs from across the UK are marking the centenary of the burial of the Unknown Warrior by releasing a recording of the Christian hymn ‘Abide with Me’. ‘Abide with Me’ was performed during the memorial service for the Unknown Warrior, which took place in Westminster Abbey on Armistice Day 1920. The Unknown Warrior was randomly selected for burial from a number of unidentifiable soldiers who died on the battlefields of France and Flanders during the First World War. His burial was designed to be a rallying point of national grief.

leaders like Ben Lindsay in my own borough of Lewisham, Black Christian voices have set a determined but respectful lead for the movement.’ She also wrote of how her own faith has shaped the way that she views social inequality, saying: ‘As a Christian myself, I’m determined to make sure this community’s voice is heard loud and clear. Racism runs counter to everything written in the Scriptures. Christians know that we were all created equally in God’s image, and God sees no difference between race, sex, or any type of status.’

FEATURE

tWwxc Faith helps keeper’s fitness goals LIVERPOOL goalkeeper Alisson Becker (pictured below) has attributed his speedy recovery from injury partly to prayer. The footballer cited prayer and intensive physiotherapy sessions as the reasons why he bounced back from a shoulder injury in about half the expected time, with just over three weeks’ recovery instead of six. In a press conference ahead of Liverpool’s Uefa Champions League clash against Danish club FC Midtjylland last month, he said: ‘I pray a lot. I also did a lot of sessions of treatment. I was every day, for five or six hours, in the club doing treatment with the physios, working with the fitness department. ‘I believe in my faith and obviously working hard helps me in this fast recovery.’

Rooted in remembrance Emily Bright explores how a poem about poppies flowered into a tradition

‘I

N Flanders fields the poppies blow/ Between the crosses, row on row.’ The poem ‘In Flanders Fields’, penned during the First World War by Canadian military doctor Lieut-Colonel John McCrae, remains a poignant marker of remembrance more than a century on. Red poppies blossomed amid the shell-scarred battlefields of France and Belgium. Many soldiers, like John, drew a parallel between the colour of the poppies and the blood spilt on the battlefield. Writing the poem in spring 1915 after the death of his friend in Ypres, Belgium, John could never have imagined the significance that it would later hold. The British public were deeply moved by his words, and in 1921 the poppy was adopted by the Royal British Legion as a symbol of remembrance. Artificial poppies were sold to raise funds for the charity’s work in rebuilding the lives of military veterans. In 1922, Major George Howson, who won the Military Cross in 1917, set up the Poppy Factory in Richmond to make the artificial poppies and provide employment for injured veterans. It still operates today. Sometimes, the greatest legacies come from the most humble origins, and the most powerful stories are those to which we can relate on an emotional level. Over the generations, many have been moved by literature, film and music that speaks to their soul. Christians take comfort from the words of the Bible. This book, which includes poems and prose, reveals that the Son of God, Jesus, lived among people and suffered with them. He even sacrificed his life so that everyone could be reconciled to God. One Bible book, which foretold the life of Jesus, says: ‘Out of emptiness he came, like a tender shoot from rock-hard ground. He didn’t look like anything or anyone of consequence – he had no physical beauty to attract our attention. So he was despised and forsaken by men, this man of suffering, grief’s patient friend’ (Isaiah 53:2 and 3 The Voice). Jesus, understands and walks alongside us in our pain, providing his hope, love and peace. If we turn towards him, we can flourish even in adversity.

Poppies blossomed amid the battlefields

7 November 2020 • War Cry • 5

Diaries shed light on page of history Historian ROBERT BEAKEN talks with Philip Halcrow about the clergyman who witnessed at close quarters the march towards a war he was dreading

‘I

HAVE got my gas mask.’ Alan Don’s diary entry describes what countless people were doing in September 1938 as they prepared for the conflict that would eventually break out a year later. Other of Don’s entries are less typical. ‘CC showed me a letter he had just received from the prime minister,’ he writes in January 1940, ‘who said he hated war more and more.’ Between 1931 and 1959, Scottish-born priest Alan Don variously served as chaplain and secretary to Archbishop of Canterbury Cosmo Lang (the ‘CC’ – Cosmo Cantuar – of the diary), chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons and dean of Westminster. The diaries he kept, which have now been edited and published by Anglican historian ‘When we, after 1945, look back, the Robert Beaken in Faithful Witness, reflect death camps are very much in our minds,’ the moods and views of key figures – he says. ‘The watershed moment was including clergy, politicians and royalty when the soldiers got to Bergen-Belsen, – from the period, as well as the general Auschwitz and Treblinka and saw the population. emaciated people who’d just about Robert points out how the entries shed survived and the piles of corpses. After light on the attitudes, hopes and fears of that, perceptions could never be the the era without the influence of hindsight. same. The difficulty for us is to go back and see things as people did back then.’ Don emerges in the diaries as someone, says Robert, ‘dreading another war’. He explains: ‘Don’s first experiences of ministry had been during the First World War. At the time – unless you were a Roman Catholic, a member of the Free Churches or said that you didn’t want a visit – Church of England clergy would come round to see you if someone from your family was wounded or killed. So the clergy were constantly going up paths, ringing doorbells and sitting with families in which daddy had lost an arm or been killed. It was a tough start to ordained ministry for Don. ‘His own family had a rotten First World War. His older brother was gassed and had to be sent home and two of his younger brothers were killed, while another was Robert Beaken 6 • War Cry • 7 November2020

a prisoner of war. In his approach to the Second World War, you can see that he’s got all these memories.’ Don, like Archbishop Lang, was in favour of Neville Chamberlain’s efforts to avert war through appeasement. ‘Eventually, though, Lang came to the conclusion that sometimes in life you have to take decisions when all the options are terrible and you just have to choose the least bad. By the start of the war, Don says that he had supported Chamberlain because he did the right thing back then, but now he was supporting Churchill because we couldn’t live with this evil regime.’ If Don was anxious about the coming conflict, he was also concerned about the realities of life under the Nazis. In 1938, he writes of a visit from a rabbi from Czechoslovakia, who arrived in

INTERVIEW

Alan Don with the royal family in Westminster Abbey in 1947 for the unveiling of a Battle of Britain chapel

London ‘to appeal for help and protection for the 3,000 Orthodox Jews of the Burgenland ruthlessly ejected from their homes’. The rabbi had made an arduous journey during which he was ‘stripped and grossly insulted and manhandled, with the result that he reached England in a state of semi-collapse’. Don notes: ‘The antisemitism of the Nazis is of the devil.’ Robert adds: ‘Hitler didn’t greatly like Christians either. He was trying to force the patchwork of churches in Germany into one and to make it proNazi. There was an Anglican church in Berlin with a chaplain, and information was coming back from there. ‘So during the Thirties there was a constant series of crises going on.’

Robert says that one of the hallmarks of Don’s character was that ‘he was able to get on with all sorts of people and exude kindness’. Another – perhaps partly a result of his experiences during the First World War – was that he ‘was always conscious of people suffering’. When the wartime suffering ended, Alan Don’s response, suggests Robert, was one of huge relief. ‘Don was chaplain to the Speaker and that meant that for both VE Day and VJ Day he was responsible for putting on services of thanksgiving in St Margaret’s Church, Westminster, for members of the House of Commons. ‘Throughout the country on VE Day, there was an air of celebration – this dreadful war was over, we’d won. Don

He was always conscious of people suffering

was aware of that, but he tried to strike a note not only of thanksgiving for victory and for the end of the war but also, very specifically, thanksgiving to God, which is not quite the same as thanking the Armed Forces. ‘He was conscious that throughout the war, the nation had prayed. I suppose he would have said that, having asked God to help us and bring us to the end of the war, we really did need to go and thank God.’ l Faithful Witness is published by SPCK

7 November 2020 • War Cry • 7

WE WILL

REMEMBER

THEM To mark the 100th anniversary of the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior, historian ANDY RICHARDS tells Emily Bright how a military padre came up with the idea

Railton Archives

S the gun carriage holding the coffin of the Unknown Warrior clattered along the London cobbles on Armistice Day in 1920, thousands of people lined the streets. The line stretched for miles, 20-deep in some places. They silently observed the passing procession, with women quietly crying and men respectfully removing their hats. ‘It was an incredible outpouring of grief,’ says author and historian Andy Richards. ‘We’ve never seen anything like it in our history as a country. The grave wasn’t sealed until ten days after the ceremony because the authorities simply couldn’t turn people away. Mourners were coming from all over the country.’ Andy is the author of The Flag, a book about the monument and the man behind it. He explains that the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior provided ‘a focal point for grief for everybody that lost someone during the war, particularly if their loved one had no grave. It could have been their father, son or husband.’ The monument model has since been replicated across Europe, Africa, Asia, North and South America, as well as in Australia and New Zealand. Several unidentifiable soldiers had been exhumed from the battlefields of the Somme, Ypres, Aisne, Arras and Flanders and covered with Union Jack David Railton had the idea for flags. From these, one was selected and the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior transported to his final resting place in Westminster Abbey. The casket used

Andy Richards for the abbey was made out of an oak tree from Hampton Court Palace and adorned with a crusader’s sword provided by King George V. Over the sword was an iron shield emblazoned with the words: ‘A British Warrior who fell in the Great War 1914-18 for King and Country.’ The casket crossed the Channel on HMS Verdun, accompanied for part of the journey by French torpedo boats and the rest of the way by six Royal Navy destroyers, eventually arriving at Dover. At every stage, French or British veterans had a role to play in its transportation or lined its route, with the Royal Navy, Army and Air Force all represented. After travelling

It was an incredible outpouring of grief

8 • War Cry • 7 November 2020

INTERVIEW Walter Scott

I denied that I was upset or angry

The Padre’s Flag was dedicated and hung above the grave of the Unknown Warrior on Armistice Day 1921 by train from Dover to London, the casket was carried past the Cenotaph before arriving at Westminster Abbey for the service. All sections of society were invited to the memorial service, from members of

the public to high-profile figures including the King, General Douglas Haig and prime minister David Lloyd George. Priority seating was given to widows and bereaved mothers who had lost loved ones during the war.

In the years that followed, visitors flocked to pay their respects, and it continues to be a site of remembrance to this day. The Union Jack flag used for the

Turn to page 10

➥

7 November 2020 • War Cry • 9

From page 9

Railton Archives

burial service was later hung above the grave and is now in St George’s Chapel in Westminster Abbey. The flag belonged to the military padre who conceived the idea of the monument: David Railton. A padre before the First World War, Railton joined up with the 18th Northumberland Fusiliers in January 1916, before being transferred to the 19th Londons three months later. As Andy explains, Railton was devoted to his duties. ‘He would do everything he could to get out of the dressing station and go back to his battalion on the front line, and spend the nights walking up and down the trenches, talking to the men,’ he says. ‘And he really did try to help everybody, sourcing fresh socks, and getting drinks for them whenever he could.’ Widely respected by the men, Railton provided spiritual support and sought to boost morale, particularly during

David Railton as chaplain, January 1916

10 • War Cry • 7 November 2020

some of the bloodiest battles of the First World War. He conducted burials, despite sometimes heavy bombardment from enemy shells, and led services and prayers from partially burnt-out barns and men’s dugouts. ‘He held a lot of services for the men, and I think this helped,’ says Andy. ‘He set up his Union Jack flag, which was sent to him by his mother-in-law, and placed a cross up on a bucket in the corner of a trench. ‘The trenches were a drab place, and the flag was a splash of colour. There was mud, there were khaki uniforms, it was dank and dour. But I think that seeing the red, white and blue of the Union Flag was a morale booster. It brought home to the men what they were fighting for.’ Railton was also on hand to provide practical support to wounded and dying men. During the Vimy Ridge bombardment on 21 May 1916, he helped at an advanced dressing station at

Cabaret Rouge for five nights in a row until his battalion withdrew. He also aided many soldiers hit by shelling and even helped piggyback one individual down the front line. In addition, Railton consoled those who were most seriously injured and dying, while taking down identification tag details so he could inform their next of kin as soon as possible.

hile Railton’s selfless service deserves to go down in the history books, his idea of the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior is perhaps his longest-lasting legacy. The monument’s significance has echoed down through the generations since that Armistice Day service in 1920. Andy explains how it came about: ‘Railton came across a grave with a plain cross in the billet where he was, and he started to wonder whose it was and if the person’s family knew he was dead. He came upon this idea back in 1916: take a completely unknown soldier and bury him so it’s a place where everybody can go to grieve.’ The idea for honouring men who fell in battle, about which he would later write to the dean of Westminster, may well have stemmed from his experiences of penning letters home to next of kin. He would notify them of the death of their loved one who served in his battalion to try to provide some semblance of comfort. ‘He wrote so many letters to the families,’ says Andy. ‘He took that on as his personal crusade to ensure that the families had some kind of closure, that they could actually hear from the person, the padre, that spent the last moments with their relative.’ Death was a daily reality on the front line, especially during the Somme offensive, which began on 1 July 1916. Within a single day, an estimated 19,000 men had been killed. One of the hardest tasks that his 19th London Battalion faced was identifying and burying the dead after the brutal battle of High Wood in September 1916 as part of that offensive. The battalion lost their colonel and 10 of their 14 other officers. They were also ordered to clear the battlefield of bodies. In a candid letter home to his wife, Railton observed how this horrific task was sapping the men’s morale: ‘No words can tell you all how I feel, nor can words tell you of the horrors of the clearing of a battlefield. This battalion was left to do that. Several men went off with shell shock.’ Despite the trauma the men had experienced, they had no choice but to fight on. In October 1916, the 19th Londons were instructed to take Eaucourt l’Abbaye, and a handful of men,

Railton Archives

Andy Richards

INTERVIEW

The resting place of David Railton and his wife at St Bride’s Church in Scotland, and David shortly before his death in 1955 including Railton, acted as stretcherbearers for the advanced dressing station. Suddenly, the crack of a sniper shot from a discarded tank rang out, killing one of the men. Railton’s reaction to this attack led to his being awarded the Military Cross. The citation read that he received the accolade for ‘gallantry in action. He rescued an officer and two men under heavy fire, displaying great courage and determination.’ Andy elaborates on this act of heroism: ‘To save three men in a trench under sniper fire means crawling forward on your belly and dragging the men back individually while getting shot at and keeping your head low. They would have been stuck in this trench for several days. I can’t help but think what he did was incredible.’ Railton was uncomfortable with the acclaim that came with the Military Cross, and was keen to get back to serving the

men in the trenches, regardless of the personal toll that it took on him. There was little respite for the soldiers, who were posted to fight in the bitter cold of the Ypres Salient, a strategically important site to secure. As the men marched to the front line, buildings riddled with artillery bullets and damaged church spires indicated the intensity of fighting ahead. The men were posted on Hill 60, which became notorious for heavy shelling and German mining, with the stench of gas and death hanging in the air. ‘In the winter of 19161917, Railton was in one of the worst places that there possibly was: the Ypres Salient,’ says Andy. ‘It was one of the worst winters of many generations, and he suffered. Like all of the soldiers in the trenches, he had terrible problems with his feet and he’d been gassed.’ Throughout Railton’s often horrifying wartime experiences, one thing kept him going: his faith in God. ‘He had instances

There was a sacrifice in his service

where he questioned his faith, and I bet every person went through that,’ says Andy. ‘But his faith was everything to him. ‘There was an element of sacrifice in his service, but his belief that Jesus died for mankind and suffered because of it helped him. In one of his letters he wrote that had Jesus not sacrificed himself on the cross, he probably wouldn’t be doing this work, because he had seen so much misery. Andy concludes: ‘I admire men like David Railton, who went into battle with nothing but a stick and a prayerbook. He exudes so many of the qualities you like to see in a human being.’ l The Flag by Andrew Richards is published by Casemate

7 November 2020 • War Cry • 11

EXPLORE

Prayerlink YOUR prayers are requested for Adrian’s friend, that he will be able to have a better quality of life; and for Donna, who is in hospital with broken bones and a chest infection after a car accident. The War Cry invites readers to send in requests for prayer, including the first names of individuals and details of their circumstances. Send your Prayerlink requests to warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk or to War Cry, 101 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BN. Mark your correspondence ‘Confidential’.

Becoming a Christian

There is no set formula to becoming a Christian, but many people have found saying this prayer to be a helpful first step to a relationship with God

Lord Jesus Christ, I am truly sorry for the things I have done wrong in my life. Please forgive me. I now turn from everything that I know is wrong. Thank you that you died on the cross for me so that I could be forgiven and set free. Thank you that you offer me forgiveness and the gift of your Holy Spirit. Please come into my life by your Holy Spirit to be with me for ever. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Amen

Team talk Team talk

talk ‘ ’ Lest we forget the good

Claire Brine gives her take on a story catching the attention of War Cry reporters

AS the nation falls silent to remember, many people are living a year they would rather forget. Next Wednesday (11 November), when we spend two minutes standing silently on our doorsteps to reflect on wars past and lives lost, we feel grateful to those who gave their tomorrows so we could have our today. This year, our ‘today’ has been a battle of a different kind with its own losses. Morale is low. Social media is littered with unfunny jokes which ask: ‘Can we skip the rest of this year and start afresh with 2021?’ Impossible, but tempting nonetheless. While there is much we may wish to forget about 2020, I’m convinced it’s a year we will always remember. And perhaps it’s right that we do. Because out of the bleakest days came moments of beauty which a global pandemic could never overshadow. I’ve seen acts of kindness that shouldn’t be forgotten. For me, 2020 will always be the year I felt overwhelming gratitude for the NHS and astonishment at the love and courage shown by its workers. It will always be the year of clapping on the doorstep, enabling me to connect with neighbours who used to be strangers. It will always be the year of Captain Tom, the war veteran with a positive attitude, who walked laps of his garden to raise millions for the NHS, and of footballer Marcus Rashford, who inspired thousands of individuals and businesses to share their wealth and feed hungry children. It will always be the year of people standing up to proclaim Black Lives Matter and the country taking further steps to show it. When I look closer to home, I see much of 2020 that I want to remember. My little girl started walking and talking. A close friend survived cancer. In a year full of undeniable challenge and long-term suffering, I hope we also choose to recall the moments that proved precious. Learning to be a little more grateful for what we have and a little more conscious of the needs of others are lessons I hope we never forget.

I see much of 2020 that I want to remember

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Basic reading about Christianity Information about The Salvation Army

Looking for help?

Contact details of a Salvation Army minister Name Address Extract from Why Jesus? by Nicky Gumbel published by Alpha International, 2011. Used by kind permission of Alpha International

Or email your details and request to warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk 12 • War Cry • 7 November 2020

EXPRESSIONS

GEORGE GALLAGHER

Now, there’s a thought!

quick quiz 1

Which bird appeared on the farthing from 1937 onwards?

Which comedian replaced Sandi Toksvig as a presenter on The Great British Bake Off this year?

a 3

5 6

On traffic signs, what does a white upward-pointing arrow in a blue circle mean? Which English football club’s former home ground was Roker Park? What is a baby koala called?

Who was the featured vocalist on Mark Ronson’s No 1 hit ‘Uptown Funk’? ANSWERS

by Jim Burns

Remembering reminds us of the importance of freedom

Y memory is a bit patchy at times. So when I was thinking about Remembrance Sunday, it was a pleasant surprise that I could remember the inscription on the war memorial in Kilbirnie (pictured), the small town in southwest Scotland where I grew up. The words were, ‘pro patria mortui’, which means ‘they died for their country’. While we may recognise some of the family names listed on our local war memorials, it is unlikely that we knew the people personally. Nevertheless we remember their sacrifice with thanks. Not only did they give their lives for the sake of peace, they died to ensure freedom for generations of people that they would never meet. Freedom is something we have come to take for granted – perhaps, that is, until the coronavirus forced us to go into lockdown. It’s a true saying that you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. And that was certainly the case when we could no longer meet friends and relatives, and were reminded of the value of friendship and community. The Bible tells us that Jesus willingly gave his life so that future generations of people he had not met could have freedom. In his case, he was sacrificing his life so that we could be saved from sin. Before Jesus’ death, the things we did wrong separated us from God, but he changed all that. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus offers freedom from sin and the promise of eternal life to all who will believe that he is the Son of God and follow him. He says: ‘If you obey my teaching ... the truth will set you free’ (John 8:31 and 32 Good News Bible). Sin may seem an old-fashioned word. It is not popular these days, but the truth remains that we have all done wrong things and that has drawn us away from God. The good news is that we can all be forgiven and enjoy right relationship with him. This Remembrance Sunday, as people remember the sacrifices made for peace, perhaps we could also remember the sacrifice Jesus made, accept him in our hearts, and make our peace with God.

It is unlikely we knew the people personally

1. The Wren. 2. Matt Lucas. 3. Ahead only. 4. Sunderland. 5. A joey. 6. Bruno Mars.

7 November 2020 • War Cry • 13

CROSSWORD CROSSWORD

PUZZLES

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1. Prohibited (5) 4. Garfunkel’s partner (5) 8. Liveliness (3) 9. African river (5) 10. Move stealthily (5) 11. Wily (3) 12. Religious (5) 13. Greek letter (7) 16. Suppose (6) 19. Small cake (6) 23. Units of current (7) 26. Swollen (5) 28. Knight (3) 29. Wading bird (5) 30. 19th-century playwright (5) 31. Hotel (3) 32. Wall painting (5)

33. Country of the pharaohs (5)

DOWN 2. Drum (5) 3. Marsupial (7) 4. Livelier (6) 5. Greek goddesses (5) 6. Rafael _____ , tennis player (5) 7. Lustre (5) 9. Drink of tea (5)

by Chris Horne

14. Sick (3) 15. Sash (3) 17. ‘Play it again, ____’ (3) 18. Employ (3) 20. Like a goat (7) 21. Fabric (5) 22. Attack (6) 23. In advance (5)

24. Jewish festival (5) 25. Part of a helicopter (5) 27. Fastidious (5)

SUDOKU

Fill the grid so that every column, every row and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9

HONEYCOMB HONEYCOMB

9 7 2 2 3 6 4 5 1 3 4 2 5 4 7 7 6 3 9 1 2 7 6 8

1. Official in a church who acts as a caretaker 2. Optical illusion 3. Person who lets out a property 4. Long-bladed hand tool 5. Small red edible root 6. Season

Answers

3 4 2 1 9

9Look 7 up, 8 down, 2 3forwards, 4 1 backwards 5 6 and diagonally on the grid to 1 2 3 5 9 6 4 8find7 these words associated with patience 4 5 6 1 8 7 3 9 2 6 8 9 4 2 1 5 7 3 B R R Z G H E A R T T Z V U H J F D L F K A U B G Q O S J F L F X C O S 3 4 2 8 7 5 9 6 1 H A O G B E Z L U X X O N S X J N G 5 1 7 9 6 3 2 4 8 S Z K F B A E C N A R E V E S R E P U H X A C R G C G T N H S D Z N V X 7 9 1 6 5 2 8 3 4 R X L X A I E C N E G I L I D A Y E 8 3 4 7 1 9 6 2 5 S V E N Y N G O N A O V M U Z T D C B L C W N G 2 C T X P R I R I 6 5 3 4 8 7 I U 1 C 9U

Wordsearch BEARING

CALMNESS

COMPOSURE DILIGENCE

ENDURANCE

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS: 1. Taboo. 4. Simon. 8. Pep. 9. Congo. 10. Sidle. 11. Sly. 12. Pious. 13. Epsilon. 16. Assume. 19. Eclair. 23. Amperes. 26. Puffy. 28. Sir. 29. Egret. 30. Ibsen. 31. Inn. 32. Mural. 33. Egypt. DOWN: 2. Bongo. 3. Opossum. 4. Spryer. 5. Muses. 6. Nadal. 7. Sheen. 9. Cuppa. 14. Ill. 15. Obi. 17. Sam. 18. Use. 20. Caprine. 21. Rayon. 22. Assail. 23. Ahead. 24. Purim. 25. Rotor. 27 Fussy. HONEYCOMB 1. Verger. 2. Mirage. 3. Lessor. 4. Chisel. 5. Radish. 6. Winter.

EQUANIMITY

FORBEARANCE FORTITUDE

9 1 4 6 3 5 7 8 2

7 2 5 8 4 1 9 3 6

8 3 6 9 2 7 1 4 5

2 5 1 4 8 9 6 7 3

3 9 8 2 7 6 5 1 4

4 6 7 1 5 3 2 9 8

1 4 3 5 9 2 8 6 7

5 8 9 7 6 4 3 2 1

6 7 2 3 1 8 4 5 9

SUDOKU SOLUTION

6 3 2 3 4 6 2 1 9

14 • War Cry • 7 November 2020

ordsearch ordsearch ordsearch ordsearch ordsearch

Each solution starts on the coloured cell and reads clockwise round the number

GRIT

HEART

LENIENCY

PERSEVERANCE PERSISTENCE POISE

RESTRAINT

SELF-CONTROL SERENITY

TOLERANCE

I E N A R F R E S T R A I N T E D Q L I E I L A I G Y Z N F E I T Y R G O O T E G M Z C E C D R T B N G G A F U S T E C N W E B E R M C R Z F Q M F I Y U E B E G S O Z T O C O J U Y N S X I N U D S F N Z X H D B F Z G Q R N H K V X Z S C Y T E E J Z U N I E R U S O P M O C Q N W N A Z E O L P R S X W V E F L L P G L Q L L M P R V O L L W B Y S Q B K K R D E

7 9 1

D Broccoli yakisoba Ingredients For the sauce 3tbsp rice vinegar, mixed with pinch of sugar 2tbsp low-salt dark soy sauce 2 large garlic cloves, crushed 1 small red chilli, finely chopped 20g ginger, grated 1tbsp cornflour, mixed with 2tbsp cold water For the stir-fry 2tsp sesame oil 4 spring onions, sliced diagonally

SERVES

1 large carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks 1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into strips

Broccoli salad with roasted cashews Ingredients

Method

For the salad

Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas Mark 5.

20g cashew nuts

Place the cashew nuts and pumpkin seeds on separate baking trays, roast in the oven for 5 minutes, then stir. Return to the oven for a further 5 minutes until just brown. Set aside.

20g pumpkin seeds 500g broccoli, cut into small florets 100g couscous 200ml vegan stock 50g frozen peas, defrosted 2 red peppers, sliced into strips 1 carrot 2 courgettes For the dressing 1 chilli, finely sliced 1 garlic clove, crushed 1tsp tamari 1tsp olive oil 1tbsp lemon juice

Cook the broccoli in a large pan of boiling water for 5 minutes, then plunge into cold water. Drain thoroughly and leave for later. Place the couscous in a bowl and pour over the stock to rehydrate. Set aside for 5 minutes. Add the peas.

200g long-stem broccoli, trimmed and cut into 3 equal pieces 400g frozen edamame beans 75g green cabbage, shredded 50g kimchi (optional) 200ml low-salt vegetable stock 300g soba noodles, cooked Black pepper 1tbsp sesame seeds, toasted 1 red chilli, sliced, to garnish

Method Place all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and stir well until combined. Set aside. Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan. Add the spring onion, carrot and red pepper. Stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add the broccoli, edamame beans, cabbage and kimchi. Continue cooking for a further 3 minutes. Pour the sauce over the vegetables along with the stock. Simmer gently for 3 minutes until the sauce thickens. Stir in the noodles and heat gently for 2 minutes until piping hot. Season with pepper, to taste. Transfer the noodles to warm bowls. Sprinkle over the toasted sesame seeds and garnish with the red chilli, to serve.

Cook the sliced peppers on a hot griddle pan for 3-5 minutes. Spiralise the carrot and courgettes. Place all the salad ingredients in a large bowl. Mix the dressing ingredients and drizzle over the salad. Allow to stand for 1 minute, then carefully toss the salad before serving.

Recipes reprinted, with permission, from the Vegetarian Society website vegsoc.org

SERVES

7 November 2020 â&#x20AC;˘ War Cry â&#x20AC;˘ 15

Greater love has no one than this: To lay down oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life for oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s friends John 15:13 (New International Version)