With our Fighting Men Part 18

And in order to get as full an answer as is possible we must turn to the men themselves, and as we do so, we offer for all of them the beautiful prayer which the Archbishop of Canterbury has put into our lips:

"O Thou that slumberest not nor sleepest, protect, we pray Thee, our sailors from the hidden perils of the sea, from the snares and a.s.saults of the enemy. Steady and support those upon whom the burdens of responsibility lie heavily, and grant that in dangers often, in watchings often, in weariness often, they may serve Thee with a quiet mind, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

We must remember that just as every regiment in our Army is to-day leavened by Christian men, so is practically every ship in our fleet.

The work of our sailors' homes has been successfully done,--such Homes, for instance, as those of Miss Agnes Weston, and the Homes of the Wesleyan Church at Chatham, Portsmouth, and Devonport.

The previous work of the Sunday-schools and of the Salvation Army has also told, and the men have, many of them, become out-and-out Christians.

_They_ have no difficulty in speaking:

What they have felt and seen With confidence they tell.

And theirs is indeed a fascinating story. They have a way of making their presence felt. They cannot keep to themselves the love that has been shed abroad in their hearts, and so they gather their comrades round them, and have "good times" together, while G.o.d's blessing rests upon their work. Sometimes they meet in the chaplain's cabin, sometimes elsewhere, but night by night they meet, and in their own way worship G.o.d.

Let us listen to a few of their stories. They are most of them Methodists or Salvationists, so we will turn to the Rev. J.H.

Bateson's reports in the _Methodist Recorder_ or _Methodist Times_, and to the _War Cry_.

Mr. Bateson says:

"It is little that we know of our battleships in the North Sea. We know that they are there, because the havoc of war is kept away from our island home. The men, all Nelson's men, are doing their duty. A letter from one of them will be read with interest:

"'I must tell you we had a grand meeting last Sunday. We had thirty present. More would have been there only we were rolling and pitching heavily in a full gale, which lasted five days--the worst I have experienced for many a year. Can you just try to picture us trying to keep our feet and clutching at the piano (oh yes, we have one on board), occasionally. We started off with, "All hail the power of Jesu's Name," had prayer from our Blue Books, reading from Isaiah xlii. 1-7, and a talk on the same, then "Rock of Ages," prayers, "Nearer, my G.o.d, to Thee," Benediction, and Doxology. You should have heard us sing! I'm afraid some of the home praise and prayer meetings would be envious! This was our first attempt. I expect ere long we shall have to have the meeting on the upper deck, for the numbers will be too many for our enclosed reading-room. However, we intend to keep the flag flying. 'Tis little we feel able to do, but we will do our little best. It may, and should, have good results.'"

Here is the account of another service sent home by an engine-room artificer on one of H.M. battleships.

"It is Sunday evening, the time about 7.30, when upwards of seventy men may be seen sitting about the deck, under the fo'castle of one of His Majesty's cruisers. Outside all is dark, one watch of men are standing by the guns, trying to penetrate the darkness, in case of the approach of the enemy. A watch of stokers and engineers is below, humping the ship along. Another is resting, waiting for the time for their next trick to come round. What do we see in the gathering of men under the fo'castle? They have Sankey's hymn-books, kindly presented by Miss Weston. In one corner is an harmonium, a.s.sisted by a couple of violins. These supply the music. Presently a voice cries out, 'What hymn will you have, men?' and the chorus of replies makes it difficult to select one. This goes on for a while. Then all heads are bowed whilst prayer is made. Our quartette party renders a few pieces, after which ---- gives the address, and right fine it is. He has some splendid topics, and, being a worthy Methodist local preacher, he is listened to with rapt attention. Another suitable hymn, and the benediction brings the service to a close. The roughness and simplicity of the service would cause some people surprise. Yet the shots get home. To hear the men sing is a treat not easily forgotten.

The writer was much impressed by the singing of the hymn, 'Some one will enter the pearly gates by and by,' one side taking the question and the other the answer. Once during the week about eight gather in a cabin for Bible study and to talk of the things of G.o.d."

What a picture these letters present of Christian life upon a battleship! We could multiply them indefinitely, but must condense instead.

One young Christian sailor on a battleship tells of a Bible-cla.s.s and prayer-meeting, held every Thursday, conducted by a naval lieutenant.

Another tells of a Methodist cla.s.s meeting on board conducted _twice_ weekly. A third sends home the minutes of a meeting held by several of the men, at which it was resolved to hold a meeting every evening to be devoted to Bible study, except on Sat.u.r.days, when the hour would be spent in prayer. The Bible study, it was resolved, should begin with the Epistle to the Romans. We wonder if these sailor lads found any difficulty in that difficult Epistle. It was further resolved that every Sunday evening a Gospel meeting should be held, and that every Christian brother should be expected to take part. And, finally, the men's correspondent asks that Christian people at home will pray that he and his comrades may witness a good confession, and that they may tell forth "G.o.d's wonderful story of Christ's redeeming love."

A naval officer who is a Wesleyan local preacher says: "We are still going on well--cla.s.s meetings in the cabin and meetings on the Sunday night. Wouldn't it be fine to have all the Service local preachers you could get for a service in the Central Hall after the war and the platform full of Methodist sailors and soldiers?"

Here is a touching little letter from a torpedo boat. It is full of a simple trust in Christ, and pulsates with sweetest fellowship in Him.

"The winter has been rather a trying one for us in this tiny little craft, but really I never knew the companionship of a present Saviour so thoroughly as I have since hostilities began. It would seem almost as if I were His only care, and that He made me a special study. The wonder of it all is the more marked when I remember how poor has been my service to Him, compared with all the great benefits with which He daily loads me. In answering my prayers, in subduing the storms just when they were at their worst, in giving me a thorough victory over my usual weakness, and in a thousand other ways He makes me to lie down in green pastures, satisfied and at rest, contrary to all the seeming laws of warfare. These things I tell you, not from any conventional compulsion, but because they really are so, and because I should be thrice unworthy of His name if I forebore to tell out what great things He has done."

I will quote one or two sentences, this time with reference to Salvation Army work. A lance-corporal on board the _Centurion_ writes:

"The chaps on board H.M.S. _Centurion_ expect much from us Salvationists these youthful days. There are five of us on this ship, and we are not only engaged in cheering up each other, but we are distributing as much cheer as possible. Our ship is called the 'Hallelujah Ship.'"

Another writes from the same ship: "We have had some glorious soul-saving times."

A Salvation Army sailor has been given permission by the commander to conduct meetings on the upper deck of the _Majestic_. He tells us that he is the only Salvationist on board that ship, but that there are fifty Christian men there, and that others are giving themselves to Christ.

We hear of stokers coming up from the stoke-hole grimed with dirt, so anxious to attend the services that they do not stop to wash, lest they should miss the precious hour; of men praying in public who have never prayed before; of heartfelt addresses delivered by men who had no idea they could speak in public for their Master.

There is no need, however, to multiply instances. We may take it for granted that, in most ships, there is a little band of out-and-out Christian men eagerly longing for spiritual fellowship, and finding it in services to which they invite their fellows, and in which they have the joy of leading many of their comrades to Christ.

When a ship comes into port for a few hours there is the opportunity for the sh.o.r.e chaplain. He holds services on board, distributes "comforts," leaves behind him books and magazines, cheers the Christian workers, and in his quiet way works wonders. And when the men are permitted to come on sh.o.r.e what a welcome they receive at the various Sailors' Homes, and hearts are gladdened and resolutions strengthened, for the return to sea. The work at sea must be trying in the extreme--the constant watchfulness, the eager waiting for the enemy who never comes, the patrolling in the midst of winter tempests, enough to try the nerves of the strongest--but all the time the certainty that the old-time message will receive fresh ill.u.s.tration each day--"England expects that every man will do his duty."

The wooden walls have pa.s.sed away, and steel walls have taken their place, but the men are brave as of old--only better far and n.o.bler. No longer the sc.u.m of our seaport towns, pressed into the service against their will, but men who are there because they choose and dare, and who are willing any day to die for their native land.

Christian bravery, too, is as much in evidence on sea as on land. Take this little story as an evidence of that fact. It is full of the joy of glad surrender for another.

"A sailor who had just got converted at the Sheerness Hall, when he rose from his knees at the mercy-seat, with the joy of salvation in his face, said, 'I am glad to be saved. I was on the ---- (one of the cruisers torpedoed) when she sank. I and another member of the crew, a Salvationist, had been swimming about in the water for two hours or more, and were almost exhausted, when just as we were about to give up we saw a spar, made for it, and took hold. But, alas! it was not big enough to keep us both afloat. We looked at each other. For a time, one took hold while the other swam, and then we changed over.

"'We kept this up for a bit, but it was evident we were getting weaker. Neither of us spoke for a while, and then presently the Salvationist said, "Mate, death means life to me; you are not converted, you hold on to the spar and save yourself; I'll let go.

Good-bye!"

"'And he let go and went down!'"

When we have Christian men like that on our men-of-war, we need not fear for our country, nor for the Kingdom of Christ. And so not only now, but when the war is over let us pray:

"O! hear us when we cry to Thee For those in peril on the sea."

I close this chapter with one more quotation. It is from the _Methodist Recorder_. It may be a comfort to some who lost dear ones in the _Hawke_, or in some of the other ships which have met a similar fate.

"On the Sunday before the _Hawke_ met her doom, one of our chaplains conducted Divine service on the cruiser. As soon as he went on board he was taken to the cabin of one of the warrant officers--a local preacher--who is one of the few survivors of the disaster. About thirty men gathered together. A few hymns were sung from the little blue books, which have quite captured the sailors' hearts. The chaplain read the latter part of Romans viii.--that great message of inseparable love and glowing a.s.surance. He then spoke from the words, 'All things work together for good to them that love G.o.d.' The men listened most earnestly to the message. One of them asked that the hymn--which has such sad but heroic a.s.sociations,--'Nearer, my G.o.d, to Thee' might be sung. The little service closed with prayer by the warrant officer. As the chaplain shook hands with each man, one and another said, 'Thank you, sir.' Arrangements were made to have another service when the _Hawke_ next came into port. But that will never be.

To those whose hearts ache for the brave dead of the _Hawke_, there is no sweeter message than that which was given to the men on their last Sunday morning, 'All things work together for good to them that love G.o.d.'"

CHAPTER X

CHAPLAINS DESCRIBE THEIR WORK

Church of England Army Chaplains' Work at the Front--Permanently Commissioned Chaplains--Hospital Ministrations--Six Parade Services on one Day--Holy Communion in Strange Places--Services under Sh.e.l.l Fire--Tonic Effect of Difficulties--The Work of the Free Churches--The Salvation Army and the War--One Hundred and Thirty Best Rooms--A General's Testimony--He Plunged down on his Knees--In Belgium--At Hadleigh--Send them to the Salvation Army--S.A.

Patrols.

Readers of this book will be glad to have first-hand reports of Christian work among our soldiers. I have therefore asked representatives of the different churches and religious organisations to give their own statements of the work attempted and accomplished. I do not purpose, therefore, in this chapter doing more than presenting to my readers the statements received, merely introducing them with a few explanatory words.

The first is the Church of England report. It is written by the Rev.

J.G. Tuckey, one of the senior Church of England chaplains at the front, and has been prepared for me at the request of the Rev. E.G.F.

Macpherson, the senior Church of England chaplain. Mr. Tuckey has had long experience of army work. He served through the South African War with distinction, and has served throughout the present war. Few know the British soldiers better than he.

I preface his report with a brief extract from a letter received from the Rev. E.G.F. Macpherson and dated March 8, 1915. He says: "We are kept very busy. In addition to my work in Boulogne, I have to keep in touch with Church of England chaplains at the front, and on the lines of communications. I went up to Ypres the other day, they were sh.e.l.ling the place, and I nearly got a sh.e.l.l in my car.

"The Church of England has a large number of chaplains at the front, and they are doing splendid work for G.o.d. Their number, though, makes it difficult for me to keep in touch with them all."

But now for Mr. Tuckey's report.

"You ask me about the Church of England work. Where am I to begin? How tackle it? It is so vast. As to number of chaplains, all details can be seen by reference to the _Army List_. It will be noticed that the very vast majority of permanently commissioned chaplains belong to the Church of England. The Presbyterians are now the only other body which has permanent commissions. The Roman Catholics do not now allow their men to accept them. They are only appointed temporarily for five years, and even if re-appointed can never rise above the rank of captain. This, of course, makes no difference to the Roman Catholic chaplains appointed before the new regulations, but they will gradually die out. As no doubt you know, the Wesleyans were offered four commissions and refused. But though we have such a relatively large number of chaplains to the forces, the work is so great that it has to be supplemented by a very considerable and increasing body of acting chaplains.

"Permanently commissioned chaplains are divided into four cla.s.ses, the chaplains therein ranking as colonels, lieutenant-colonels, majors, and captains respectively.