Strong to Save- Maritime Mission in Hong Kong from Whampoa Reach to the Mariners' Club

It is a great pleasure to commend Strong to Save, a history of the first 150 years or so of the workings and deliberations of first the Sailors Home, with the addition in 1884, of the Missions to Seamen. These two organizations joined to form what was to become the Sailors Home and Missions to Seamen (the Mission), the sole operator of the home away from home for the sailors and seamen who come to Hong Kong. Stephen Davies has been able to pull together a myriad of sources to describe in great detail the many characters who brought both organizations into being in Hong Kong.

Much has changed in the way we support the pastoral, spiritual, and physical needs of seafarers whose ships call at the terminals and anchorages of Hong Kong harbour. However, I believe we can learn a lot from the history of any organization, in particular how it has responded to the changing patterns of life in Hong Kong both at sea and ashore. What seems to stand out is that on many occasions the Mission was just a bit behind the curve (I will let the reader uncover these facts for themselves without giving away too much of the story) but in spite of this the Mission has continued to survive and to work amongst seafarers today, providing a pastoral and spiritual home away from home in Tsim Sha Tsui and Kwai Chung.

It is however, refreshing to understand that the chaplains and staff of the organization have one thing in common throughout: that is the need to constantly keep up with the changing face of the shipping industry. Changes from sail to steam, from general cargo to container, from mid-stream to terminal have all affected the way in which the Mission has operated. Whether ship visiting by launch or on land, this history shows the remarkable perseverance of Mission chaplains and staff to accommodate whatever was thrown at them. Problems of location (as the Hong Kong shoreline developed), along with limited finances, war, dealings with the Royal Navy, the proximity of the red light district, and pressure from expected and unexpected competition would have been a heavy burden for many of the chaplains. Alongside these challenges were the constant health issues of malaria and a far from fit water supply that caused many a chaplain to exit Hong Kong earlier than expected.