Hanley - Salvation Army

This Station was opened on December 18th, 1881., and up till now it has been a hard pull, but God is with us. After receiving orders from the General to leave Scarboro' and proceed to Hanley, in Staffordshire, my wife and I came on here on Saturday, December 31st, 1881. We arrived in Hanley station about seven o'clock, went to the Circus, where we found about eighty people in a large place which will seat about 3,000. It looked, and felt awfully cold, but we went down before the Lord and He blessed us, and one soul got into liberty.

Sunday, we had a rather peculiar day, not many people, but we all felt God was there.

At night, we had about 300 people, perhaps a little more- Best of all, in the prayer-meeting one soul came to Jesus and found Salvation. Hallelujah! Although the meetings have been small through the week they have been good. God has been in our midst, and we have had a few good cases of conversion,

Sunday came again, and we were expecting greater things, and thank God, we were not disappointed. We did not get as many people inside as we should have liked, but we felt the power of the Holy Ghost present. In the prayer-meeting six souls came out for pardon, and professed to find Jesus, We had eighteen souls for the week including Sunday.

Monday night was again good. We had some of our young recruits out helping us to sing for their new Master. The open airs are very good, and very orderly. I never saw folks listen better. We shall have them inside soon. In the Barracks, we had a real Army Meeting, five of the young converts, all men, spoke for Jesus.

Sunday night, the people seemed convicted all over the place. Then came a word from the Lieutenants and myself. Then the prayer meeting came on, and God blessed us with eight men and women seeking Salvation. We did shout for joy.

Capt Gypsy Smith.

From, "The War Cry", page 2, 19th January 1882.

(also, page 4, 9th February)

(Capt. Rodney Smith).—The following came by wire! too late for our last issue. Sunday was a real, royal day in Hanley. At Knee-drill, at seven a.m., eight were seeking Salvation. Grand time before dinner: twelve others came seeking Jesus. At night, tent crowded to excess: hundreds turned away: splendid order. In the prayer meeting, Sixty men and women came out boldly and crled for mercy.

From, "The War Cry", page 3, 16th February 1882.

(Capt Rodney Smith) -Truly we can say that God is visiting Hanley in a wonderful way. He is with us, saving and blessing all around. At all our meetings some are seeking Jesus. Some are walking five, six, seven, and eight miles to get converted. We are hoping that all this countryside shall be shaken by the power of God. Sunday last was a real Army day. Knee-drill at seven a.m., good muster, precious time; five came to Jesus; good time at eleven; five more out for Salvatian, Afternoon, soul-refreshing time; it was good to be there. At night, the place was packed with the right sort of people, and in the prayer-meeting, forty men and women sobbed their way to the wounded side of Jesus. Husbands and wives knelt side-by-side, and to see them locked in each other arms was Heaven rejoiced over, and so did we all. Hallelujah!

From, "The War Cry", page 3, 23rd February 1882

God is moving all over the Potteries. Among our Methodist friends the Lord is saving wonderfully. One of them said the other day in our meeting that The Salvation Army was a sort of "Hallelujah Heating Apparatus," to warm up the churches. Oh, Lord! make us white hot. Anyway, God is with us...

Some of the biggest scamps in Hanley have been converted. All glory to our King!

Sunday was one of the best days I ever witnessed. Oh! what a crowd of people listened to the truth, the place was crowded to excess. And from the first hymn we felt God was there. Oh! how the Holy Ghost took hold of the hearts of the people, what conviction for sin, what longings for Salvation. Oh! the sight of handkerchiefs wiping the tears away, as we told of Jesus, the mighty to save. And in the prayer-meeting 120 men and women came out for Salvation, and eighty of them were volunteers; it was a grand time. We are looking and expecting a "Salvation Smash,"

Oh! may God come upon us, and save all these potters, for Jesu's sake.

Yours in the battle, Capt. *GIPSY SMITH,

From, "The War Cry," page 4, 9th March 1882.

(Capt Rodney Smith). We have had a wonderful week in Hanley, crowds of people have filled the Tent every night. Sunday will never be forgotten, hundreds were turned away. The whole crowd seemed one mass of conviction; in the prayer meeting one hunted and ten prisoners were taken. Monday, Tent full; thirty souls. Tuesday, packed again, thirty-five in the fountain. The town is all in a blaze. We mean Hanley and the Potteries for Jesus.

From, "The War Cry," page 3, 16th March 1882.

The work of God is going on in a marvellous manner at the station. The whole district for miles around seems to have caught the fire, and the result is that the mighty work of God is going on throughout the whole place.

On Sunday we had a grand day. The 'Gipsy Lass' was with us again and prayed, sang and spoke with the usual earnestness and power. The night meeting was really beyond description. Fully an hour before the time of commencement the tent (which holds 5,000 persons) was crowded to such an extent that the captain at once marshalled off lieutenant Harkness to the Market Square to hold a service there. Although the devil and his agents were at work in an especial manner, yet God was on our side and gave us a great victory; for, during the prayer meeting, over 90 poor sin stricken souls wept their way to the feet of Jesus. Hallelujah!       Captain Gipsy Smith

From, 'The War Cry', April 1882.

This was the station of the well-known evangelist Gipsy Smith, who, later in the year, was to split from the Salvation Army and become an itinerant revivalist.

This is just one example of what was happening here. More reports can be seen from the War Cry in future months/years.

The half has never been told about Hanley. From Saturday until Sunday night the enormous gipsy tent has been filled. On Sunday night thousands were wedged in. Have a read of scenes in the history of great revivals, but saw them on Sunday night. Men and women stricken all over the place, sobs and groans and cries, big men had to be carried by Captain Gipsy Smith to the submission form. Upwards of 100 at the mercy seat Sunday night. Police very kind.

From, 'The War Cry', August 1882.

I do not know where the meetings were held.