George Scott Railton
From Sawiki
Contents |
Birth, Early Life and Conversion
George Scott Railton was born on 6th July 1849 at Arbroath in Scotland, the son of Wesleyan Missionaries. He was 'saved' at the age of ten in Wigan, Cumbria. The young Railton's education at Woodhouse Grove School. Leeds, then only open to sons of Wesleyan ministers, did much to prepare him for a life of Christian Service. His father and mother both died on 8th November 1864 at Peel, on the Isle of Man, probably of cholera.
Early Missionary Endeavours
At the age of just fifteen, George Railton found himself penniless, homeless, jobless and orphaned. His older brother, Launcelot, found him employment with a London shipping company, but he found life in the great metropolis lonely and his job soul destroying. Dismissed from his job for refusing to sign a letter of dubious truth, the nineteen year old Railton decided to journey to Morocco to win the Moors for Christ. His mission failed and again he found himself penniless and had to work his passage back to the U.K. as a steward. At the age of twenty one he secured employment in Stockton-on-Tees with an uncle who owned a shipping business.
Meeting The Salvation Army
Moved by news of the work of The Salvation Army, in October 1872 Railton journeyed to London to begin his long association with William Booth and for many years lived as a guest in the Booth household. He soon became the acting editor of The Christian Mission Magazine and in September 1873 he was appointed General Secretary to The Christian Mission.
In 1880 Railton persuaded William Booth to send him to America to open fire for The Salvation Army, and on March 10th he arrived at Castle Garden, New York with just seven Hallelujah Lassies. New York was fertile territory for The Army, and the work spread rapidly. By May the U.S. forces totalled sixteen officers, forty cadets, and four hundred and twelve soldiers. The first year alone saw one thousand five hundred converted. In January 1881, Railton received orders from William Booth to return to England. Despite Railton's protests, Booth was insistent that he was needed back home.
Marriage
In 1884 George Scott Railton was married to Marianne Parkyn, a Salvation Army Sergeant in Torquay, her father was a Free Church Minister, and disapproved strongly of The Salvation Army, let alone the wedding. Finally however, he gave his consent and the couple were married by William Booth at Exeter Hall on January 17th.
Further Service
On New Years Day in 1885, despite Railton's declining health, Commissioner and Mrs. Railton set sail for Natal (at present part of South Africa). After sixty seven days at sea, they reached their destination on march 8th, with Railton's health a great cause for concern. On May 6th they arrived a the capital, Pietermaritzburg. Here it was that the idea of Salvation Army red Shield Work for men in the forces came into being.
Commissioner Railton's health was now improving, thanks to the treatment of a Dr. Allen in the Natal capital. On 19th August the couple boarded the Roslen Castle and set sail for England. The journey was rough and took its toll on them both, but Commissioner Railton in particular, suffered greatly.
Having been inspired to learn the language while serving in Switzerland, Railton was posted to Germany in 1886. Progress here was slow and there was not a little hostility. However in 1890, with Germany under a new emperor and Chancellor Bismark now retired, Commissioner Railton was officially appointed Territorial Commander. Later that year he returned to England to conduct the funeral service of Catherine Booth, The Army Mother. In 1893, as part of a tightening of restrictions by the German government, Railton was expelled from the country and forced to leave.
In 1894 Railton set sail to serve in Spain, Spanish being another foreign language he had mastered, where he remained until being recalled to England in the summer of 1895. His health was again giving cause for concern, but gradually he recovered much of his physical strength. He was called on to advise and assist Bramwell Booth, and traveled the world inspecting forces on Bramwells behalf.
In 1899 Railton left for South Africa to negotiate with political and military leaders prior to the opening of Red Shield work amongst the troops. Progress was difficult, but after months of patient negotiations he was successful. He returned to England at the end of the Boer War in December 1900, where he served until being sent to take charge of the work in France toward the end of 1901.
Final Years
At the end of 1902 he returned to work at Headquarters, until the following year when he left for West Africa to investigate the commencement of Salvation Army work in the region. Upon his return in December 1903 his health had deteriorated greatly, and it was not until the International Congress in June 1904 that Railton was seen in public again.
Commissioner Railton continued to travel extensively, visiting many countries including China, Japan and Russia. It was while on one of his many journeys that his life came to a sudden end. Journeying to Le Locle in Switzerland, he had to change trains at Cologne. Facing a long wait, he sought out the local quarters of The Salvation Army officers. Delayed by their hospitality and their prayers, he had little time to catch his train. Fetching his bag from the cloakroom he dashed up the stairs to the train. In his condition, an extremely dangerous thing to do. He jumped in, sat down, and drew his last breath. Commissioner George Scott Railton was promoted to Glory on July 19th 1913.
