Blood and Fire

This statue of General William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, stands outside the training headquarters of the Salvation Army a few minutes walk from home. The building is a corker: designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott who also designed Liverpool Cathedral, Battersea Power Station, Waterloo Bridge and red telephone boxes. This is the building that Jamie fixed his eyes on from the top floor maternity ward when I was in the hospital opposite having Grace. Family rumour has it that Grace's name may have been inspired by the Victorian values that William Booth preached (also in the running were Honor and Hope) but that doesn't really work when you consider that the boys' names we'd chosen were Dylan (after Bob) or Digger (after Jamie's grandfather). We're all happy she was a girl.

Anyway, here is William, resplendent in his Salvation Army Uniform, hymn book or prayer sheet in hand, preaching over the heads of the South London commuters, bus drivers and assorted sinners.