Wollongong Greats - Elizabeth Adlington

The Salvation Army in Wollongong has produced its fair share of outstanding Salvationists. Elizabeth Adlington (pictured right with son Raymond) was one of the Army’s first soldiers in Wollongong. 

Elizabeth certainly seems to have been an activist. A War Cry report of her funeral in 1922 records: Many a time she had gone out on her own and preached the gospel ... On one occasion, after some of the soldiers had been imprisoned for holding a meeting in the street, she took the Army flag and her baby and marched through the main street in defiance of what the hand of the law would do.

This most likely took place in October 1888 when the Illawarra Mercury reported that at least 10 men and several unidentified women were charged with parading as a musical procession without the permission of the mayor.

Robert Adlington, a great grandson of Elizabeth and a member of Wollongong Corps all his life before he passed away in 2014, believed his great grandmother was one of the women.

Robert’s late father, Keith Adlington, was 10 years old when Elizabeth died. Robert once recalled: I heard from dad that Elizabeth was put in jail for a few hours for her Salvation Army work. Dad said she was a pretty tough woman. She must have been to have so many children (14). The Adlington line at Wollongong runs continuously with current descendants still worshipping at The Salvation Army today.