50 Fun Facts About Salvation Army

Which couple founded the Salvation Army?

William became the first leader; Catherine was known as the 'Mother of The Salvation Army'.

The Salvation Army's theology derives from which Christian tradition?

Unusually among Methodist bodies, it does not observe sacraments such as baptism or Holy Communion.

Before founding the mission, William Booth had been apprenticed at 13 to what trade?

His father in Nottingham could no longer afford school fees; Booth later found pawnbroking work in London too.

By Army tradition, Bramwell Booth objected in 1878 to which word his father used for the movement?

'I'm no volunteer, I'm a regular!' he said, and secretary George Scott Railton was told to substitute 'salvation'.

William Booth summed up the Army's approach to the 'down and outs' with which three S's?

Opponents in the Skeleton Army mocked them with three B's: beef, beer and 'bacca'.

What is the Salvation Army's motto, or 'war cry'?

On the flag, red stands for the blood of Christ and blue for purity and God.

On the Salvation Army flag, what does the yellow represent?

Red is the blood of Jesus and blue stands for purity and God.

What is the title of the Salvation Army's international leader?

Officer ranks run from lieutenant and captain through major, colonel and commissioner.

Salvationists must abstain from alcohol, illegal drugs, gambling and what else?

Their opposition to drink made enemies of pub landlords, who bankrolled the mobs that attacked early meetings.

Which two sacraments does the Salvation Army not celebrate?

The Booths believed many Christians relied on outward signs of grace rather than grace itself; members may take Communion in other churches.

The Salvation Army's Foundation Deed stated that women had the same right as men to do what?

Catherine Booth's 1859 pamphlet Female Ministry had defended a woman's right to preach the gospel.

The Salvation Army's newspaper, first printed in London in December 1879, is called what?

National editions are still sold worldwide to fund social work; the first US edition came out in St. Louis in 1881.

Salvation Army thrift shops are nicknamed the 'Sally Ann' in North America and what in Australia?

'Sally Army' is the UK nickname and 'Sally's' is used in New Zealand.

What was the Skeleton Army?

Largely funded by pub owners, they threw rocks, bones, rats and tar and marched under skull-and-crossbones banners.

The Skeleton Army mocked the Salvationists' war cry with which slogan?

Contemporary press reports place its first appearance in Exeter in October 1881, though the Army said Weston-super-Mare.

The 1882 case Beatty v Gillbanks, arising from Salvation Army marches, established what?

Three Salvationists had been jailed for three months for breaking a local ban on processions.

The Salvation Army's brass-band tradition began in 1878 with which family?

Charles Fry and his three sons from Wiltshire formed a quartet, gave up their business and joined full time.

The Army's flagship ensemble, the International Staff Band, was established in which year?

The first corps band had formed in Consett, County Durham, in December 1879.

Who suggested at the 1878 'War Congress' that Salvationists should wear a uniform?

He wanted 'a suit of clothes that would let everyone know I meant war to the teeth and salvation for the world'.

The Army's organised social work in Australia began in December 1883 with the opening of what?

Salvationist emigrants had already begun work there before the first official officers arrived in 1880.

Where did George Scott Railton and his team hold their first American meeting in March 1880?

Harry Hill's Variety Theatre hosted them; Salvationist emigrants had already started work on their own.

The Christmas red kettle tradition began in the 1890s in which city?

Captain Joseph McFee wanted to fund a free Christmas dinner and remembered a donation pot he had seen in Liverpool.

What did Captain McFee actually place at the Oakland ferry landing to collect donations?

His cry of 'Keep the Pot Boiling!' drew in ferry passengers.

Roughly how many bell-ringers staff red kettles in the US in the weeks before Christmas?

In some places, gold coins, rings or bundles of large bills are anonymously dropped into the kettles.

What did Salvation Army 'Doughnut Lassies' famously fry doughnuts in during World War I?

More than 250 volunteers went to soldiers' camps in France in 1917 and are credited with popularising doughnuts in America.

National Doughnut Day, honouring those wartime volunteers, began in 1938 in which city?

It falls on the first Friday of June and started as a Depression-era fundraiser.

William Booth's 1890 book on poverty took its title from which explorer's account of Africa?

In Darkest England and the Way Out echoed Stanley's In Darkest Africa and proposed farm colonies and job schemes.

In the early 1890s Booth set up a farm colony to draw people out of the East End slums. Where?

The colony was one plank of the plan set out in In Darkest England.

The Army's 1885 campaign against child prostitution helped pass which law?

A group of uniformed Salvationists laid the petition on the floor of the House of Commons.

How many children did the Booths have?

Several became senior officers, including Bramwell, Ballington and Evangeline.

Which of the founder's sons broke away in 1896 to found the rival Volunteers of America?

His sister Evangeline was sent to New York, wrapped herself in an American flag and dared the dissidents to hiss.

William Booth died in 1912. How did he name his successor?

It named his eldest son Bramwell; the 1931 Salvation Army Act later gave the choice to a High Council.

What happened to Bramwell Booth, then the Army's leader, in 1929?

The council voted 52 to 5 that he was unfit through ill health; he sued, lost and died that June.

Who became the first woman to lead the Salvation Army, in 1934?

Born on Christmas Day 1865, she had run the Army's American work and offered its services to Woodrow Wilson in World War I.

How many people attended William Booth's funeral service at Olympia in London?

Queen Mary sat almost unrecognised at the rear; 150,000 had filed past his coffin as it lay in state.

In Salvationist parlance, a member who dies is said to have been what?

Booth himself was 'promoted' at 83 at his home in Hadley Wood, London.

Who wrote the music and lyrics of Guys and Dolls?

The 1950 show was based on Damon Runyon stories and won the Tony for Best Musical; Jean Simmons played Sarah in the 1955 film.

Shaw's 1905 play about a Salvation Army officer whose father makes munitions is titled what?

Barbara Undershaft is disillusioned when the Army accepts money from an arms maker and a whisky distiller.

Which philanthropist left the Salvation Army about $1.6 billion in 2003, then the largest one-time gift ever?

The widow of McDonald's boss Ray Kroc had already given $87 million for a San Diego community centre; 26 Kroc Centers followed.

The Salvation Army says it has an official presence in roughly how many countries?

It reports more than 1.7 million soldiers, officers and adherents worldwide.

The Salvation Army opened Australia's first film studio in 1892. What was it called?

It produced more than 300 films between 1898 and 1909, including a record of Australia's Federation ceremonies.

The Salvation Army's first major American disaster-relief efforts followed which two events?

After Hurricane Katrina it served more than 5.7 million hot meals from mobile canteens.

How long is the Salvation Army leader's normal term of office?

It may be extended to seven; there had been 22 Generals by 2023, when Lyndon Buckingham took over.

Under what name was the Salvation Army founded in 1865?

It traces its origins to the Blind Beggar Tavern, and William Booth reorganised it with a military structure in 1878.

How does a Salvationist perform the movement's distinctive salute?

It signals recognition of a fellow citizen of heaven, and is sometimes accompanied by a shout of 'hallelujah'.

In which Asian country did the Salvation Army establish its first outpost, in 1882?

Two years earlier the movement had spread to Australia, Ireland and the United States.

Into how many geographical zones does the Salvation Army divide its worldwide operations?

They are the Americas and Caribbean, Europe, South Asia, South Pacific and East Asia, and Africa, all run from International Headquarters in London.

How long is the residential commitment at a Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Centre?

Residents are unpaid but receive room and board while living and working at the centre, many of which are male-only.

Which general instituted the Salvation Army's highest honour, the Order of the Founder, in 1917?

The first awards went to one soldier and fifteen officers in 1920; Carpenter later created the Order of Distinguished Auxiliary Service.

For which Scottish corps' centenary was the official Salvation Army tartan designed in 1983?

Captain Harry Cooper based it on the colours of the Army flag, and it is rarely seen outside Scotland.