101 Queen Victoria Street back to 'International Headquarters'
Phenomenal growth of the organization brought with it a need for more central and larger head-quarters offices. The General and Bramwell Booth, after having made some business calls, were making their way along Queen Victoria Street from Blackfriars to the Bank when they saw a notice on the other side of the road reading, "These desirable premises to let."
"There's our new headquarters!" exclaimed Bramwell. A quick inspection confirmed their opinion that the spacious front-to-back rooms of the former billiards club would afford excellent accommodation for a meeting room and offices.
Quickly returning to Whitechapel they gathered their staff, told them of their discovery, left them to pray about the matter, and hurried off to interview T. A. Denny, who added to his many far-seeing benefactions to The Salvation Army that of paying the first year's rent.
In The War Cry - 1st September 1881 appeared this announcement:
click here to read the announcement in full:
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Moving to the new site:
As the flag of The Salvation Army was by this time flying in the United States of America, Australia and France, "101" from the first was in fact the International Headquarters of The Salvation Army, though the title did not make an official appearance until printed in the dateline of the first 16-paged War Cry - 20th February 1886.
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A van (two trips) and a handcart (one) sufficed for the removal from Whitechapel. On the tailboard of the van proudly rode office boy George Holmes; Cadet Wilham Whattam from Devonshire House training home for men officers was in charge of the handcart, with fellow cadet 'Zulu George' to help.
Halfway to the city one of the wheels of the handcart came off. While Whattam strove to put it right his comrade had to keep off the roughs by threatening them with a flagpole that formed part of their load. The rest of the journey was made on a single wheel with one perspiring cadet pushing and the other holding up the handcart on its wheelless side.
On Thursday 8th September 1881 the new headquarters were occupied with no ceremony other than the holding, two weeks later, of a noonday prayer meeting led by the General himself.
International Headquarters as it appeared in the early years of the twentieth century.
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