Symbols

In its most common form, it was a 45-millimetre silver brooch pierced with the words ‘Salvation Army’ and engraved with the crest and crown.

In December 1915, a shield bearing the words ‘Salvation Army’ attached to a British welfare hut was pictured in the English War Cry.

A War Cry report in July 1917 describes a large shield on enamelled sheet iron with a blood-red background.

At the war’s end in 1918, Major George Peacock (Territorial Young People’s Secretary, Canada) was involved in a committee of charitable organisations raising funds for returning Canadian soldiers. The committee’s chairman felt it imperative that The Salvation Army evolve a distinctive symbol, such as that of fellow campaigners, the Red Cross and the Red Triangle (YMCA).

Years later, Colonel Peacock recorded: "Mulling over in my mind the possible symbols we might use, I picked up some material from Australia and noted they were having a ‘Red Jersey Appeal’. This led me to think of the Red Crest … the Red Shield. The latter appealed to me because of the idea of shielding or protecting in the sense the Bible uses the shield of faith.”³

The Red Shield, the Army’s new ‘symbol of service’, was launched by Major Peacock and his assistant Captain Russel Clarke at a Calgary Rotary Club gathering in September 1918. That same day, Captain Clarke drew up what we considered a good shield, and that was the first Red Shield.⁴

The initial 1918 Calgary Red Shield Appeal was so successful that a national Canadian campaign using the Red Shield logo was launched in 1919.

Improvements were made to the design by renowned War Cry artist, Joseph Hoy, who recorded: “The design was made at the request of Colonel (later General) George Carpenter, then Literary Secretary to General Bramwell Booth, after the end of the First World War to consolidate the image of the Army’s recreation huts, mobile canteens, etc., which had been serving the troops during the war years, and continued to do so in the military establishments in Britain. But soon it became the accepted symbol for The Salvation Army’s wide-spread activities in the service of humanity.”⁵

The different elements of the crest represent The Salvation Army’s beliefs:

• The sun (the surround) represents the light and fire of the Holy Spirit
• The cross of Jesus stands at the centre of the crest and the Salvationist’s faith
• The ‘S’ stands for salvation from sin
• The swords represent the fight against sin
• The shots (seven dots on the circle) stand for the truths of the gospel
• The crown speaks of God’s reward for his faithful people
• ‘Blood and Fire’ is the motto of The Salvation Army — this describes the blood of Jesus shed on the cross to save all people, and the fire of the Holy Spirit which purifies believers

The flag is used at special occasions such as marriages, funerals, marches, open-air meetings, enrolments of soldiers, farewells, and retirements.

The first Salvation Army flag was designed and presented to the Coventry Corps in England by Catherine Booth in 1878. At the time, the centre of the flag was a yellow sun representing the Light of Life. This was changed to the star in 1882.

Uniforms

The Salvation Army uniform reflects the military model upon which the Army is organised. Internally, it provides a sense of identity and belonging. Externally, it is a widely recognised symbol of availability and service, so we’re easily identified the world over.

As with many of our symbols, the uniform has its origins in 19th century London. The first captain of The Salvation Army, a former chimney sweep named Elijah Cadman, instigated the wearing of the military-style uniforms.

The original uniform was modelled on Victorian military garb but has evolved over the years. From frock coats, tall hats and black ties for men, and plain dresses and small Quaker-style bonnets for women, to the military-type uniform worn today, the uniform has adapted to fit the culture in which it finds itself.

In Australia, bonnets for women were replaced by felt hats in the 1970s and the high military-style collars were dropped for both men and women about the same time. Today, most Salvationists in Australia don’t wear hats and many people wear a casual uniform. There is variation in uniform internationally because of climate and other circumstances.

Brass bands 

The Salvation Army today is renowned worldwide for its brass bands and choirs, but the introduction of bands to the Army happened almost by chance.

The first Salvation Army band was launched in Salisbury, England, in 1878 and was made up of Charles Fry, a local builder and leader of the Methodist orchestra, and his three sons. Salvation Army evangelists in Salisbury were having trouble with local hooligans, so Fry and his sons offered to act as bodyguards while the Salvationists sang in the marketplace.

As an afterthought, the Frys brought their instruments to accompany the singing. In this unwitting fashion, the first Salvation Army band was born. Their immediate success led the Fry family to sell their business and become full-time musicians with the Army. Within the next few years, brass bands sprang up all over the country, leading to a prominent place in The Salvation Army.

The drum

To early-day Salvationists, the drum was more than a musical instrument. From the first, the drum’s supreme function was as a ‘mercy seat’ in open-air meetings. Thousands of people have kneeled at the drum and claimed salvation from their sins.

When the Army drum made its first appearance, some people said its use in religious meetings was nothing less than sacrilege, but William Booth claimed it was just as proper to ‘beat’ the people into a salvation meeting as to ‘ring’ them into church.

The drum is also very much a part of The Salvation Army musical tradition, playing as it does with the brass band.