By Tim Lambert
William Booth founded the Salvation Army with his wife, Catherine. William was born in Nottingham on 10 April 1829. He was one of five children of Samuel and Mary Booth. At first, Samuel Booth was a wealthy builder, and his son William was sent to school. Unfortunately, Samuel Booth lost his money, and William was sent to work in a pawnbroker’s shop. When he was 15, William underwent a religious conversion. He wrote in his diary, ‘God shall have all there is of William Booth’.
William was as good as his word. In 1849, he moved to London, where he worked in a pawnbroker shop. Booth strongly disliked the job, but he needed the money. However, in 1852 he became a preacher with the New Methodist Connection (a breakaway from the Methodist Church, founded in 1797). William met Catherine Mumford, and he married her in 1855.
William was a compassionate man. He was appalled by the terrible poverty in 19th-century Britain. Also, during the 19th century, many poor workers had little or no contact with the church. In 1865, William and Catherine Booth founded a new movement to reach the poor and fight a ‘war’ against poverty. In 1878, it was named the Salvation Army. The new movement was modelled on the British army, with ranks and uniforms. At first, they faced much opposition, and even riots, in some places, but that gradually faded.
William and Catherine wanted to provide for the physical and spiritual needs of the poor. He had a saying, ‘soup, soap and salvation’. While ‘soap’ might seem odd at the time, many people were living in dreadful slums, and cleanliness was difficult. Diseases were rife. In 1880, the Salvation Army spread to the USA and in 1881 to Australia. It later spread to many other countries. William himself was a great traveller.
Sadly, Catherine died in 1890. The same year, 1890, William published a book, In Darkest England and the Way Out. In the last years of his life, William was highly respected. He was invited to the coronation of King Edward VII in 1902.
William Booth died on 20 August 1912. He was 83. However, the Salvation Army, the movement he founded, continues to fight poverty and homelessness in many different countries.
William Booth Birthplace Museum.
