In 1953, the Salvation Army described itself as “the largest voluntary emigration agency” in the world. In the preceding 50 years, it had assisted nearly a quarter of a million people to emigrate from the British Isles to the then-British Dominions, specializing in “conducted” migration to Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Yet today, this is largely a forgotten history.
Archivist Ruth Macdonald explores how the Salvation Army went from being a local Christian revival society in East London to a global emigration agency, a story that encompasses its rapid development into both an international evangelical movement and a major provider of social services. Placing this evolution in its wider social and historical context, Macdonald looks at how migration from the British Isles was both promoted and contested as a solution to the economic and social welfare issues of the day.
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