Commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to incl ...

Catherine Bramwell-Booth OF, born Catherine Booth Booth (20 July 1883 – 3 October 1987),

Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

, was one of seven children born to

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Bramwell Booth William Bramwell Booth, Order of the Companions of Honour, CH (8 March 1856 – 16 June 1929) was a British church and charity leader who was the first Chief of the Staff of The Salvation Army, Chief of Staff (1881–1912) and the second Genera ...

and

Florence Eleanor Soper Florence Eleanor Booth (''née'' Soper; 12 September 1861 – 10 June 1957) was the wife of Bramwell Booth, Second Generals of The Salvation Army, General of The Salvation Army. Early life Born in Blaina, Monmouthshire (historic), Monmouths ...

, and was the granddaughter of the Salvation Army's Founder, General William Booth and his wife Catherine Mumford, known as the 'Mother of the Salvation Army'. In her later years Bramwell-Booth became well-known through her books and various radio and television appearances. Bramwell-Booth lived to be 104.

Early years

At birth she was dedicated by her grandfather,

William Booth William Booth (10 April 1829 – 20 August 1912) was an English Methodist preacher who, along with his wife, Catherine, founded the Salvation Army and became its first General (1878–1912). This Christian movement, founded in 1865, has a qu ...

, and from her infancy she was involved in the demands which Salvation Army service made upon her parents, being taken with them to their various appointments whenever their busy schedules required it. More settled periods during her childhood were spent at

Hadley Wood Hadley Wood is suburb of north London, close to the border with Hertfordshire. It is part of the London Borough of Enfield, north of Charing Cross, close to Chipping Barnet. History The area in which Hadley Wood is situated is part of ...

, which was 'so perfect that I have never written about it, as no-one would believe me'. Her mother,

, disapproved of outside influences acting on the tender minds of her children and taught them all herself for two hours every morning. Her own involvement in Army service began in the Corps at

High Barnet Chipping Barnet or High Barnet is a suburban market town in north London, forming part of the London Borough of Barnet, England. It is a suburban development built around a 12th-century settlement, and is located north-northwest of Charing C ...

, playing in the band and singing trios with her sisters in the open-air meetings. She was sworn-in as a Salvation Army

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a Conscription, conscripted or volunteer Enlisted rank, enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer. Etymology The wo ...

on her 15th birthday and was later given responsibility for the newly formed 'Band of Love'.

The Salvation Army officer

In her late teens she became aware of the call to officership but her natural shyness made her reluctant to respond; however, eventually realising that God's power would help her, she added her father's

Christian name A Christian name, sometimes referred to as a baptismal name, is a religious personal name given on the occasion of a Christian baptism, though now most often given by parents at birth. In English-speaking cultures, a person's Christian name ...

to her surname and entered the Salvation Army Training College at Clapton in 1903, aged 19. She was a lively cadet with a great sense of fun but she also applied herself to training. Later, as a cadet-sergeant, she was remembered for her individual care of cadets. Bramwell-Booth was given her first posting in 1904 as a Captain in

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

. She then held appointments in a number of important provincial centres, being placed in charge of the Salvation Army's

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

work. In 1904 she joined her grandfather, General Booth, as he travelled in a

motorcade A motorcade, or autocade, is a procession of motor vehicles. Uses can include ceremonial processions for funerals or demonstrations, but can also be used to provide security while transporting a very important person. The American presidenti ...

around the country, preaching from his car in village and town centres. From 1907 to 1917 she was involved in the training of women officers at the Army's International Training College in Clapton in London.Eva Burrows,
Booth, Catherine Bramwell- (1883–1987)
, rev. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 200
accessed 4 July 2010
/ref> In 1913 she preached in Russia and in 1917 made headlines when she led a rescue team into the area devastated by the

Silvertown Silvertown is a district of West Ham in the London Borough of Newham, in east London, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, Thames and was historically part of the parishes of West Ham and East Ham, Becontree Hundred, hund ...

TNT explosion at the Brunner-Mond munitions factory in what has become known as the

Silvertown explosion The Silvertown explosion occurred in Silvertown in County Borough of West Ham, West Ham, Essex (now part of the London Borough of Newham) on Friday 19 January 1917 at 6:52 p.m. The blast occurred at a munitions factory that was manufacturi ...

, when seventy-three people died and hundreds were injured. Later, she was to be involved with relief work in Europe after both

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. She left the International Training College in 1917 to become the Under Secretary for Europe for Salvation Army work in Europe, being attached to the International Headquarters in London. In 1926 she was promoted to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

, and from then until 1946 she was in charge of the Army's social work among women in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

.The Salvation Army International Heritage Centre
In 1927 she was promoted to

, and became closely involved in the Salvation Army's social welfare activities, dealing with everything from orphaned children to the elderly residents of the Salvation Army eventide homes. From 1946 she was international secretary for Europe until her retirement in 1948. Bramwell-Booth was nominated three times for the Generalship of the Salvation Army, in 1934, 1939, and 1946. However, on each occasion she was unsuccessful, it possibly being felt that leadership of the Salvation Army should not appear to be exclusive to the Booth 'dynasty', as both her father and aunt

Evangeline Booth Evangeline Cory Booth, OF (December 25, 1865 – July 17, 1950) was a British evangelist and the fourth General of The Salvation Army from 1934 to 1939. She was the first woman to hold the post. Early life She was born in South Hackney, Lon ...

had previously been Generals.

Later life and honours

Bramwell-Booth wrote several books, including biographies of her grandmother, Catherine Mumford, and of her father

. This brought her a certain fame, and, because of her engaging personality, during the 1970s and 1980s she made frequent appearances on radio and television programmes, being interviewed by, among others,

Malcolm Muggeridge Thomas Malcolm Muggeridge (24 March 1903 – 14 November 1990) was a conservative British journalist and satirist. His father, H. T. Muggeridge, was a socialist politician and one of the early Labour Party Members of Parliament (for Romford, i ...

Russell Harty Frederic Russell Harty (5 September 1934 – 8 June 1988) was an English television presenter of arts programmes and chat show host. Early life Harty was born in Blackburn, Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremon ...

and

Roy Plomley Francis Roy Plomley ( ; 20 January 1914 – 28 May 1985) was an English radio broadcaster, producer, playwright and novelist. He is best remembered for creating the BBC Radio series ''Desert Island Discs'', which he hosted from its inception in ...

on ''

Desert Island Discs ''Desert Island Discs'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942. Each week a guest, called a " castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight audio recordin ...

'' in 1979. She reached her greatest audience through her appearance on '' Parkinson'', hosted by

Michael Parkinson Sir Michael Parkinson (28 March 1935 – 16 August 2023) was an English television presenter, broadcaster, journalist and author. He presented his television talk show '' Parkinson'' from 1971 to 1982 and from 1998 to 2007, as well as other ta ...

at Christmas 1979. In 1971 she was appointed

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

, and in 1977, at the age of 93, as a lifelong

teetotaller Teetotalism is the practice of voluntarily abstaining from the consumption of alcohol, specifically in alcoholic drinks. A person who practices (and possibly advocates) teetotalism is called a teetotaler (US) or teetotaller (UK), or said to be ...

, she was delighted to receive the Guild of Professional Toastmasters best speaker award. She was presented with the Humanitarian Award of 1981 by the Variety Clubs International, and in 1983 was awarded the Salvation Army's prestigious '

Order of the Founder In 1917, five years after the death of the founder of the Salvation Army William Booth, his son, General Bramwell Booth, inaugurated the Order of the Founder to recognise Salvationists who had rendered distinguished service, such as would have spe ...

' (OF). Bramwell-Booth died at the age of 104 on 3 October 1987 at her home, North Court, in

Finchampstead Finchampstead is a village and civil parish in the Wokingham Borough in the shire of Berkshire, England. Bordering northeastern Hampshire to the south, its northern extremity is south of Wokingham, west of Bracknell, south-east of Reading, ...

, Berkshire, where she lived with two of her sisters. She never married. She is buried in the churchyard of St James, Finchampstead. Catherine Bramwell-Booth grave

Publications

*''Bramwell Booth'' Pub. by Rich and Cowan, 1933. *''Catherine Booth: the Story of Her Loves'' Pub. by Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1970. *''Fighting for the King'' Pub. by Hodder and Stoughton, London, 1983. *''Letters: Catherine Bramwell-Booth'' Pub. by Lion, 1986. *With Ted Harrison: ''Commissioner Catherine'' Pub. by Darton, Longman and Todd, London, 1983.

Books about Bramwell-Booth

*Batchelor, Mary: ''Catherine Bramwell-Booth'' Pub. by Lion, 1986. *Swift, Catherine M.: ''Catherine Bramwell-Booth'' Pub. by Marshall Pickering, 1989.

References

External links

Bramwell-Booth on the Salvation Army's 'International Heritage' siteBramwell-Booth and the Salvation Army
*
Portraits of Bramwell-Booth
at the

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: * National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra * National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bramwell-Booth, Catherine 1883 births 1987 deaths Salvation Army officers English Salvationists Commissioners in The Salvation Army Commanders of the Order of the British Empire English women centenarians

Catherine Katherine (), also spelled Catherine and Catherina, other variations, is a feminine given name. The name and its variants are popular in countries where large Christian populations exist, because of its associations with one of the earliest Ch ...

People from Finchampstead Women Protestant religious leaders