THE hubbub of excited chatter which had preceded the meeting both outside and inside the Royal Albert Hall, London, died away to a hush as the time for the commencement of the service of dedication and commissioning of the cadets of the Overcomers ' session drew near. Aware of the solemnity of the occasion, the vast congregation rose as one to share with the cadets in the opening song of consecration, “I'm set apart for Jesus”. The overall impression of the platform, bathed in a warm light, was that of a “thin red line” as the Overcomers clad in their sessional sashes, sat sparsely occupying the centre block, their successors—the ‘Companions of Christ’ — providing a sombre backcloth behind. But whatever they lacked in numerical strength the cadets (just 95 in number, including married couples) more than made up for in fervency of spirit and sincerity of purpose, qualities which became increasingly evident as the meeting progressed.
Impromptu soloist
"I've always wanted to sing on the Royal Albert Hall platform", confessed Cadet Sergeant David Aniston and, to add emphasis to what he had already said, promptly broke into an unaccompanied rendering of the chorus, 'I've been born again' which earned for him a round of applause for his courage as well as his convincing witness.
The British Commissioner (Commissioner Geoffrey Dalziel), in his message to the Overcomers, emphasized that their presence was a constant reminder that the call of God still found a response in the hearts of men and women. “Die to conformity and die to self each day”, he urged them.
The climax of the meeting rapidly approaching, the cadets rose to sing their dedication song, “To serve my Lord” (Marjorie Davies/Alfred Holmes), which, one would like to feel, will find a wider use in days to come. This deeply moving vocal commitment, led by Captain Royston Bartlett, and accompanied by a section of the ISB, was a prelude to the spoken affirmation of faith and declaration of purpose by the cadets. The atmosphere of spiritual awareness deepened as in slow, measured tones the training principal called the name of each individual cadet and each, in turn, knelt quietly where he or she stood. Then, following the solemn prayer of dedication offered by Colonel William McAllister, Governor of the Men's Social Services, Colonel Ward made the pronouncement, long anticipated and made possible only after months of hard work, heart searching and prayer, ‘Overcomers’, you are no longer cadets. I declare you to be officers of The Salvation Army with the rank of Lieutenant: There was no doubt about the unity of spirit prevailing as congregation, cadets and newly commissioned officers united in the final song, “Saviour and Lord, we pray to Thee; Thy people ever would we be”.
SESSIONAL SONG SUNG WITH 'SPIRITUAL DEFIANCE'
WE had seen it all before, of course. The tall, solitary, stately figure of the sessional standard bearer picked out by a single spotlight and marching in slow tempo down the steps, through the arena and up on to the Royal Albert Hall platform where stood the training principal, ITC staff and leaders of the various departments of Army work to await the processional entry of the new officers at the commencement of the night meeting. All the same, the familiar pageantry of the occasion bore the added sense of pathos as this invincible army of new, dedicated officers, this 'thin red line' of vital reinforcements about to be stretched to the very limit and flung to the far corners of the British Isles and beyond, paraded in to the repetitive martial accompaniment of the ISB.
As if sensing not only their new responsibilities but also their vulnerability the Overcomers sang their sessional song, possibly for the last time, with certainly more spiritual defiance and resolution than could have been possible on any previous occasion. We shall overcome! As the final, triumphant and confident chords echoed across the vast auditorium, the congregation, praying and undoubtedly willing them to do just that, broke into a sustained applause.
A prayer by Major Alfred Holmes, Chief Side Officer for Men, preceded the presentation by Mrs Commissioner Arthur Carr of the Order of the Silver Star to representative mothers of the newly commissioned officers.
The atmosphere of the meeting had moved from the solemnity of the afternoon gathering to one of tense but pulsating anticipation, and the contribution by the International Staff Band, Marche militaire francaise reflected this. "You have moved into a great heritage and accepted a great responsibility", said the Chief of the Staff (Commissioner Arthur Carr) in his address to the young officers. "You have made a dedication and all God's promises lie before you", he continued, urging them to exercise patience in their fulfilment. "Patient endurance attaineth to all things", he added, quoting the words of Teresa of Avila.
The cadets of the ‘Companions of Christ’ session (who had, of necessity, taken very much a back seat) now joined their ‘elder’ brothers and sisters to sing, unitedly, ‘A song of praise’ (Catherine Baird/Leslie Condon). This, plus a brief interlude when the 24 children of the Overcomers were introduced to the congregation, provided the prelude to the main event of the evening, the appointing of the officers (for full details see last week's War Cry), and the dedicatory prayer by Colonel Arthur Linnett, who had been responsible for the first year's training of the Overcomers cadets.
"The Kingdom triumphant" was the work chosen by the ISB for its second contribution. It is a pity, perhaps, that events of this character staged in the Royal Albert Hall inevitably require some platform rearrangement prior to a final presentation. Thus it was that the ISB had to battle bravely against the comings and goings of chair-removers and the re-seating of cadets and others as it sought to portray that masterly tone poem by Eric Ball.
It says much for its imperturbability as well as the accomplishment and sensitivity of its performance that it not only played above the surrounding distractions but also held its listeners' attention until the final notes received their well deserved and appreciative response.
"The Kingdom triumphant" was the work chosen by the ISB for its second contribution. It is a pity, perhaps, that events of this character staged in the Royal Albert Hall inevitably require some platform rearrangement prior to a final presentation. Thus it was that the ISB had to battle bravely against the comings and goings of chair-removers and the re-seating of cadets and others as it sought to portray that masterly tone poem by Eric Ball.
It says much for its imperturbability as well as the accomplishment and sensitivity of its performance that it not only played above the surrounding distractions but also held its listeners' attention until the final notes received their well deserved and appreciative response.
The final epilogue, for which the musical backing of brass, strings and percussion with chorus was conducted by Captain Jack Flounders, whilst a departure from the traditional closing pageant, was, nevertheless, impressive and effective. Seeking to portray with a mixture of mime, dialogue, song and carefully cued-in sound effects, how men and women of yesterday and of recent times had overcome in spite of apparent defeat, the presentation had impact and precision.
The haunting harmonies of the final refrain
You shall have all of me,
This is my vow’In dedication
were used by the training principal as the basis for his closing appeal. This found a ready and spontaneous response as both accepted and prospective candidates moved to the platform to be joined by many others indicating their committal to Christ.
It was an encouraging sight which caused one to hope that the "thin red line" would not, in future years, be quite so thin and that Army work in Britain and overseas would, under God's blessing, continue to expand and develop.
— C. W.
NB - some of Laurie Elliot's pictures are also scanned from The War Cry's version of the event.
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