A Salvation Army Commencement Narrative: An Investigation of Literature Focused on the Army in Queensland

Abstract

Much of the existing literature surrounding the broader Salvation Army Australian commencement narrative is Adelaide centric. While the Army adheres to June 1885 as the ‘official’ date for its beginning in Queensland, there are hints of earlier work; authors even stated that some earlier attempts were official. This paper will investigate the existing literature focused on The Salvation Army Queensland commencement narrative. The paper will begin by discussing the current wider narrative and then give a chronological discussion of the available literature focused on Queensland. Entwined with the latter discussion, will be an investigation of the possible sources used. This investigation found that the existing narrative is not always clear, holds conflicting accounts, and is full of assumptions that are unsupported by sources. To conclude, the paper will discuss the weaknesses and gaps of the current Queensland commencement narrative. The literature was collected across three Salvation Army heritage centres1 for the confirmation process of the Doctor of Philosophy program within Avondale College, New South Wales, Australia.