Cooks River Classics - George Walker
Grace enough 
By David Woodbury
Some men achieve greatness because they seek it – some show greatness by serving God and their fellow man. Such a man was George Walker.
George Walker was born on 5 December 1892 in the Tasmanian town of Burnie to officer parents, George and Lucy Walker. There was constant change in his early years as he moved from one appointment to another with his parents. The abject poverty that was the lot of many early Salvation Army officers, his parents included, made him resolve never to become an officer.
When his parents were stationed at the Rozelle Corps in Sydney, George and his younger brother Arthur, were employed by Jeskie Brothers. Here George met his life’s partner, fellow Salvationist Jessie Butler-Nixon from Waverley Corps. At the same time, impressed by the commitment of his sister Alice, to God’s calling to officership in The Salvation Army, George began to reconsider his determination not to become an officer. During an Easter tent campaign in Prince Alfred Park in Sydney, he was challenged by the words of Mrs. Commissioner Hay: Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it!
Response to God
The words seemed directed to him personally and George and yielded himself to God’s claim upon his life. On 10 April 1915, as the world was wracked by war, George boarded the SS Canberra in Sydney and sailed with other cadets for the training college in Melbourne. Having seen the example of his parents who had spent their time in corps ministry and his sister who was a lieutenant at the Army’s Bethesda Hospital in Melbourne, George determined that no matter where in the world I am sent, I will be in God’s will. This resolution was to prove crucial in the difficult years ahead.
After only 100 days of training, George’s first appointment was as corps officer to Barcaldine in Central Queensland. With his cornet, concertina and few other worldly belongings, George stood on the deck of the ship as it departed from Melbourne, put his cornet to his lips and played:
There is grace enough for me;
When my need shall greatest be
There’ll be grace enough for me
In the treasury of heaven. Hallelujah!
In the years ahead, he would prove the certainty of these words.
George had eight brief appointments in nine months during 1916. He was appointed to the Woolloomooloo Corps in Sydney in 1918 and then to the Balmain Corps. During this time George married his fiancée, Captain Jessie Butler-Nixon, who had entered the Melbourne training college in 1913.
To China
Life and ministry for George and Jessie Walker became a matter of trust in a God who they believed had called them to serve him unconditionally. In November 1921, from their appointment as corps officers in the Mascot Corps in Sydney, George and Jessie Walker and their three-month-old son Wilbur, were farewelled in Sydney’s Goulburn Street Congress Hall for missionary service in China. They sailed in the Nikko Maru with a party of 17 other Salvationists.
In 1921, Ch'en Tu-hsiu formed with the assistance of Gregory Voitinsky from Russia, what was to become the world’s largest political party, the Chinese Communist Party. Its power and influence would seriously disrupt the work of the Christian churches in China, including The Salvation Army. On 24 December that same year, George and Jessie Walker and their infant son arrived in Peking, following six months in a language school, to take charge of Salvation Army operations in the Peking West Region.
George found conditions in China to be difficult with famine, flood, poor education and overcrowded cities. His belief in a redeeming Saviour and a life-giving gospel sparked the interest of his Chinese listeners. While learning the language in his first appointment at Tung Chou near Peking, he put his abilities to work in traditional Salvation Army style, conducting open-air meetings.
George soon realised the importance of learning both the Chinese language and culture if he was to bring people into God’s kingdom. He was a man of action, completely abandoned to the work of God, an evangelist who loved souls, went after them and offered a simple effectual message. Working with Salvationists from China and other countries, George saw the ministry of The Salvation Army grow and in 1922 he participated in the fourth annual congress in Peking with 90 Chinese officers and cadets present. On 19 June 1922, a second child, Jean Mary was born.
In 1924, George and Jessie were appointed to Tai Yuan Fu in the Shansi Province where George was heavily involved in preaching running a porridge kitchen providing thousands of meals for the poor, and regularly visiting and seeking to rehabilitate prisoners. On 26 January 1926, a second daughter, Joan Esma was born.
Difficult days followed as tensions between the Chinese and the British in Canton and Shanghai escalated into armed conflict. George and Jessie’s home in Tai Yuan Fu was attacked by a mob and many years later, their son Wilbur, could still recall the rocks and stones being thrown over the wall of the house while they sheltered under a table.
Following a coded message from headquarters in Peking, George and Jessie and their family were recalled to Peking. However, George remained behind to ensure that his fellow officers reached headquarters safely, at one stage walking 15 miles to find them since no other transport was available. Because of the dangerous conditions and pressure from the Chinese Government, all missionary officers were recalled by International Headquarters and the Walker family returned to Australia for homeland furlough.
Home then India and China
Back in Australia in 1927, the Walkers were appointed to the Wollongong Corps, south of Sydney. However, before the family had time to unpack, a phone call from the field secretary, Lieutenant-Colonel Alex Cross informed them that the General had requested that they proceed to India. On arriving in Calcutta in January 1928, they were informed that their appointment would be to the Sandipur Criminal Settlement in the Bengal Province. On 5 January 1929, a second son, Howard Gordon was born. Twelve months later, they were sent to Calcutta where George was training principal and divisional officer responsible for 10 corps. In December 1929, the Walker family returned to China for a second term.
A large part of George’s ministry now entailed social welfare. In the severe winters, the temperature often dropped below zero and resulted in many Chinese people dying from cold and starvation. George’s response was to open night shelters and porridge kitchens where he and his fellow Salvationists served over 10,000 free meals each week. From these stations, The Salvation Army also provided grain, padded clothing and fuel. The Walkers also provided food relief at the Peking Beggar’s Camp, which included both women and children.
In 1934, George was appointed to the port city of Tientsin, 150km south east of Peking. Salvation Army meetings in this city of over 1.5 million people were well attended and George conducted a regular English broadcast over a local radio station. George found that new converts often faced difficulties with old superstitions. He needed to carefully explain Bible teaching and Christian terminology such as repentance, salvation and grace. Poverty and lawlessness plagued the area and confrontation with feudal war lords tested his negotiating skills.
One day while travelling through the country with a colleague officer he was held up by a group of bandits who took his bag and emptied his pockets. George immediately engaged the bandits with a series of humorous stories with the result that the leader invited George and his colleague to a cup of tea during which time George shared something of the work of The Salvation Army. So impressed was the bandit leader that he returned all their possessions. Salvation Army ministry continued to progress and by 1933, George had 1000 Salvationists under his command.
In July 1935, the Walker family returned to Australia on homeland furlough and George spoke in many corps in New South Wales and Queensland about his ministry in China. In April 1936, the Walker family returned to the city of Tientsin, China, for what was to become a trial by fire. As the ship left the wharf in Sydney George once again played the chorus that had become his lifelong conviction: There is grace enough for me.
Trial by fire
George Walker’s return with his family to China at this time was courageous. The region was highly unstable and skirmishes between China and Japan had commenced in 1931. An incident at the Marco Polo Bridge outside the walled town of Wanping just north of Peking caused full scale war to erupt on 7 July 1937. Japan wanted China’s vast resources and had tried to dominate China both politically and economically. This conflict was a major contributor to World War Two. A rising tide of Chinese nationalism further destabilised the country. During 1938 the Walker’s eldest son, Wilbur, returned to Australia.
To hamper the invading Japanese in June 1938, the Chinese forces cut the dikes on the old channel of the Yellow River, releasing a huge force of water which flooded the countryside around Tientsin. George Walker found himself with a huge welfare challenge as farmers who had lost their farms to the flood streamed into the city. Further compounding the problem, the countryside was void of civic authority and police control, the area was completely without security.
Floodwaters crept into lower lying areas of the city and Salvation Army officers in the districts of Shengfung and Su Ch’iao were active in rescue work, securing boats to rescue those marooned by the floodwaters. Throughout the emergency The Salvation Army maintained feeding centres and provided accommodation for 25,000 refugees at eight sites on high ground within the city. All through the emergency, George Walker maintained control of the operations. In a brief space of time this tragic event … changed The Salvation Army’s public image from an aggressive evangelical organisation to a competent social relief company, abounding in personal initiative, yet under the control of an active, energetic leader.
The emergency continued for many months and George Walker met the challenge with characteristic resourcefulness. Working in what was then a British controlled area of the city, he set up camps where the refugees helped build their own accommodation and took responsibility for the running of the camps. Basic style mud huts, designed and organised by George, were fabricated by teams of refugees, each hut housing a family for many months during the emergency. George proved to be a natural leader who had natural authority over these people: he spoke their language, his sympathy and sincerity were transparently genuine, his energy and enthusiasm lifted their spirits, and his genial sense of humour smoothed over the difficulties and frustrations. He was quick to adopt the valuable ideas of others and careful to give due credit.
The first of these camps, housing around 12,000 men, women and children, was opened on 15 October 1939. All aspects of the daily life of the refugees were of concern to George with hospitals, schools and food supplies carefully arranged and maintained. Jessie Walker took a keen interest in the work of the hospitals helping to maintain the necessary supplies and assisting the doctors and nurses in practical ways. Some 109 babies were born in these hospitals during this period. A spiritual ministry to the refugees was also given with weeknight and Sunday meetings conducted by Salvation Army officers. At the conclusion of the emergency, all families returned home with a Bible in their possession. During 1939 Jean finished school and returned to Australia.
By April 1941, with World War Two raging around them, George and Jessie Walker were transferred to Shanghai which at that time contained the world’s largest prison holding up to 8000 prisoners. This became a special ministry for George who frequently had the opportunity to pray with a condemned man prior to his execution. He was also concerned about the beggars and street sleepers who lived and died on the streets of Shanghai. On one day alone 8 January 1942, more than 10,000 people died on the streets of the city due to the cold weather. George would go with an assistant through the streets seeking out those who were the most sick and needy and see that they were washed, clothed, fed and cared for in a Salvation Army centre.
A prisoner of war
During his time in Shanghai George endeavoured to get the support and assistance of the Japanese army which occupied the city. Such support was essential for the ongoing ministry of The Salvation Army. However, on 5 November 1942, everything changed when Japanese authorities arrived at George and Jessie quarters, near the Yang Terrace Men’s Hostel. They informed George that he was to be arrested and interred for the duration of the war. He was given 13 minutes to pack a few belongings, wrap them in a blanket and sling them over his shoulder before being marched off by the military police with 300 other men, judged by the Japanese to have held important positions in Shanghai. Jessie and the children were forbidden even to wave goodbye to their husband and father.
These were difficult and challenging days for George, not only physically but also spiritually. In seeking to secure his release, George wrote to the camp commandant pointing out that the focus of his ministry in the city was to the poor and destitute, particularly orphaned children. In response the commandant, having heard of George’s previous radio broadcasts, requested that George broadcast for the Japanese. Despite constant interrogation and threats, he persistently refused. His wife was also pressured to persuade him.
Men in the camp were often taken away and subjected to torture. Some never returned and those that did, returned exhausted and speechless. Despite the conditions, George along with other interned ministers, regularly held worship services and Bible studies. In the November of 1942, the Colonel (then a Major) began to apply the whole of his indomitable spirit to turning the nightmare of a Japanese Internment Camp from a tortuous to a triumphant experience. In spite of the uncertainty of life and tormented by depression, George found an inner strength, particularly through the book Daily Strength for Daily Needs, which he had been able to bring with him. During 1942, while imprisoned, George was promoted to the rank of Brigadier.
On 29 January 1943, George’s wife Jessie and two younger children, Joan and Howard, were arrested and sent to a camp at Yangchow, 200 miles away. Having previously contracted typhoid, Jessie’s health began to decline. In July 1943, they were transferred to Pootung camp across the river from Shanghai. There was very limited communication between George and his family during the years of internment. During a rare visit by his wife and children to his camp in 1944, George was shocked to see how emaciated his wife had become. Jessie was so ill she was transported on a stretcher for the visit.
In June 1945, the prisoners were informed that they were to be transferred to a camp in Northern China. George wrote a coded letter to his wife informing her that he would be going by train to Peking. The camp at Feng Tai was hardly fit for human habitation. On 19 August 1945, George heard the sound of an approaching aircraft and saw food parcels and American soldiers descending by parachute. In the days that followed, thousands of Japanese soldiers in the area surrendered to the four Americans who had arrived by parachute.
Freedom at last
The prisoners were released and along with others, George was transported to hotels around Peking. In September 1945, he was reunited with his wife Jessie and children. Seeking out Brigadier Su Chien-Chi who had helped keep The Salvation Army operational during the war, George sought to re-establish Army ministry in China. When peace was declared he was privileged to “break” the Flag over the Peking Headquarters, and of leading the thanksgiving service.
In September 1945, George and his wife, and their two children, Joan and Howard, returned to Australia and were reunited with other members of their families including son Wilbur whom they had not seen for 11 years, and daughter Jean.
An appointment in April 1948 as Territorial Spiritual Campaigner gave George the opportunity to share his experience of God’s all-sufficient grace with many throughout the Australia Eastern Territory. For more than two years he toured the territory conducting campaigns and witnessing many converts kneeling at the mercy seat, many hearing the call of God to service as officers in The Salvation Army.
Final farewell
Appointments as divisional commander in the North Sydney and Newcastle Divisions followed where George gave strong leadership and clearly demonstrated his concern for his officers and soldiers through genuine pastoral care. In Newcastle, George became seriously ill with a heart condition and was promoted to glory on Easter Day 1952. His last words to a fellow patient in a nearby bed were, “Brother, the Lord is risen.” His wife Jessie survived him for 30 years and was promoted to glory on 7 June 1982 from Macquarie Lodge in Sydney.
Many years later, following his own retirement, George’s son Wilbur re-established relationships with many of the officers whom his parents had known before The Salvation Army was proscribed by the Communist Government. On 4 July 1990 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, General Eva Burrows bestowed the Order of the Founder on Wilbur for his work in re-establishing links with Chinese Salvationists.
When God calls a man to his service, he does not promise a life of ease. What a man makes of his life in God’s service is largely dependent on his response to God and his reliance on God’s grace. George Walker never sought greatness for himself. But in choosing to serve God and others – no matter where – he himself became a great man of God.
This article first appeared in The Salvation Army's Hallelujah! magazine.