Frederick Coutts

From Sawiki

General Frederick Coutts

The son of Salvation Army Officers, Frederick Coutts was born on September 21st 1899 at West Gallatown, Kircaldy, Scotland. Not for long however, was this to be his home. His early years were spent moving with his parents to their numerous postings throughout England, Scotland and Wales. Rarely in those early years did a Corps Officers posting last more than a year, and by the age of thirteen, the young Frederick Coutts had moved no less than seventeen times!

At school he was an able academic student, although not being much good with his hands, woodwork and the like remained much of a mystery. In 1915 Frederick Coutts joined the Corps Band, although it was not until he moved to Leith Citadel that Deputy Bandmaster James Dalgleish taught him and his brother Ernest to play brass instruments. There soon followed another move, this time to Parkhead Citadel, where Frederick made his commitment to Senior Soldiership.

During WWI he was commissioned into the newly formed Royal Flying Corps and posted to Farnborough, Hampshire for training. Shortly after, he volunteered to transfer to the Royal Naval Air Service and sent to Eastchurch, Isle of Sheppy where he secured his wings and commission. His discharge from the forces came in May 1919, and he returned home to his parents who were now in charge of The Salvation Army Corps in Batley, Yorkshire. here he resumed his soldiering and took his place in the Corps Band.

Answering the call to Officership on October 7th 1919, he presented himself at the International Training Garrison at Clapham. He was commissioned as a Probationary Lieutenant and appointed Second Officer to Blackpool on May 3rd 1920. His allowance then was just £1-7-6 (£1.27) per week, less of course deductions, out of which he had to pay £1-1-0 (£1.05) to the corps Officer for his board and lodgings! His first transfer was to Millhill, Blackburn where he led a band of just eight with himself playing principal cornet out of necessity.

Following a bout of jaundice, he was taken from Corps work and made responsible for Divisional Accounts, first in the North West and then the Northern Division. It was here that he met Lieutenant Bessie Lee, daughter of Bandmaster James Lee Warington. The couple were married in the Newcastle City Temple on November 17th 1925 and were appointed as Corps Officers to Chatham, Kent.

The next ten years saw further Corps appointments throughout the United Kingdom Territory until in 1935 Frederick Coutts was appointed to the Literary Department at International Headquarters where he served for eighteen years until in 1953 when he was appointed as Territorial Commander for Eastern Australia Territory with Headquarters in Sydney, New South Wales. On the night of June 16th 1963 Frederick Coutts’ wife was stricken without warning with transverse myelitis and admitted to Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney. When Frederick Coutts left Sydney on September 9th to attend the sixth High Council, Mrs Coutts was transferred to The Salvation Army’s Bethesda Hospital.

He returned to Sydney as General Elect, and with his wife, finally left Australia on October 26th 1963 aboard the Oriana. General Coutts assumed command of The Salvation Army on November 23rd. Mrs General Coutts finally lost her battle against her crippling illness and was promoted to Glory on December 12th 1967.

During his term in office, General Coutts met many world leaders including Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Emperor Hirohito of Japan. His journeyings as General took him to the four corners of the earth visiting all territories except Italy and Burma for where he was unable to obtain a visa.

During Frederick Coutts’ Generalship, The Salvation Army celebrated its centenary. In the summer of 1965 more than 2,000 official delegates, drawn from all six continents, together with many times that number of Salvationists from many countries, came to London for ten days of meetings and celebrations. The inaugural meeting of the centenary celebrations on June 25th 1965 was attended by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

General Coutts retired from active service on September 20th 1969, the day before his 70th birthday. On December 31st 1970 he was married to Commissioner Olive Gatrall, who prior to her retirement had been Principal of The International College of Officers. In retirement he was a prolific writer. His books including, ‘No Discharge In This War’, ‘The Splendour of Holiness’, and the autobiographical, ‘No Continuing City’. General Coutts was awarded the C.B.E. in 1967, and an honorary degree from Aberdeen University in 1981.

General Frederick Coutts was promoted to Glory on February 6th 1986.

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