Colonel John Bate: Ordinary People in Extraordinary Places
By his own admission, Colonel John Bate believes he and his wife, Colonel Valda Bate (Promoted to Glory in August 2024), are “pretty ordinary people.” But that is an extraordinary statement given that Colonel John served as Aide-de-Camp to two Salvation Army Generals (Brown, Wahlström), and in several appointments in far-flung territories around the world.
Colonel John served as chief secretary in several territories and was even commander of South America East. He retired “on the last day of the last year of the past millennium,” December 31, 1999, as USA National chief secretary. The colonel is fluent in Spanish as well as in his native tongue, English. And like the two Generals with whom he worked alongside, he is an excellent communicator (Brown) and possesses a pastor’s heart for the individual (Wahlström).
His father was English and his mother, Scottish—both Salvationists. Dad immigrated to New Zealand and later sent for Mum. She disembarked on March 25, 1924, and within hours of her stepping on the dock they were married. Two daughters came before John was born in Napier, New Zealand in 1934. His two great loves growing up were music and dancing.
“I always knew I wanted to be a Salvation Army officer, but that was the problem—every testimony I heard included ‘I never wanted to be an officer,’ but here I was, actually wanting to be one,” Colonel John recalls. Consequently, he felt that this “cheapened” his calling, making him wonder if it was really from God.
That changed after he moved to Wellington to attend Victoria University for an accounting degree, reasoning that should he become an officer someday, he would then have something of value to offer to God through his life-service.
He envisioned his entire career in New Zealand, as a corps officer or something in finance, given his degree.
“One Sunday, at Wellington Citadel, I knelt at the Holiness Table,” giving everything to God. “I felt so happy as I prayed there. Now, I’m not one to hear voices, but I did sense the Holy Spirit saying to me that my life’s work would, indeed, be as an officer, but that it wouldn’t be in New Zealand,” he says, tearing up even after all these years.
“Serving overseas was not the problem, but we are a close-knit family,” he adds. “My oldest sister is ten years older, already married. Her daughters were like little sisters to me.”
Nevertheless, John and Valda (by then married) entered the Training College in April 1958 as members of the Courageous session of cadets. They were commissioned in January 1959 and given their only corps appointment in New Zealand, which was all too brief. Years later they again served briefly in their home territory, while the colonel recovered from a temporary illness. Contrary to his original desire, those were the only two appointments in which they served “at home.” The Holy Spirit’s message to him at that Holiness Table proved correct.
A lifetime of service overseas began as cashier for the South America West Territory. While working in Santiago, Chile, he witnessed a remarkable example of God’s care.
Fernando was a fellow trombone player in the Santiago Central Corps. His daughter, Martita, was ill and required powdered milk as part of her diet. But it was quite expensive.
“One day, an envelope came from New Zealand and in it I found a bank draft sent from a friend in Wellington City,” Colonel John relates.
“He told me he had been in the bank one day recently and was irritated at having to stand so long in line. As he stood, his eyes wandered, and he noticed the overseas exchange counter. He said how an inner voice spoke to him, saying, ‘Send John Bate whatever you have in your pocket.’
“So, he recalled, he left the line, went over to the overseas exchange counter and asked for a bank draft [payable to] John Bate.”
Once Captain Bate received the draft in Chile, he found that it totaled 15,000 pesos—enough to pay for two prescriptions that Fernando had kept in his pocket for several days with no money to buy his child’s medicine.
That miracle, and many other stories of God’s faithfulness, are included in the Colonel’s book, “Destination Unknown—Memoirs of a Private Secretary to the General of The Salvation Army” (published by Frontier Press in 2012).
Colonel John went on to serve in several territorial and national leadership positions, including South America West (chief secretary), South America East (territorial commander), Canada & Bermuda (program secretary), USA West (chief secretary), and USA National Headquarters (national chief—from which he retired in 2012). He and Val also served faithfully in Central America, Spain, Africa, and the Caribbean.
One appointment that gave him much satisfaction was to the United Kingdom Territory and International Headquarters as information officer. There he worked in conjunction with the BBC to expand the Army’s radio program, “Banners & Bonnets,” as well as other public relations projects.
During his time there, he also established a cherished association with Commissioner Catherine Bramwell-Booth, the eldest daughter of General Bramwell and Mrs. Florence Booth. A series of “interview presentations” with the Commissioner were broadcast throughout Great Britain, simply entitled “Catherine Bramwell-Booth.” Her answer to the project at the start was simply: “Will it be good for the Army?” It was an instant hit!
Of equal interest to Salvationists who meet the colonel might be his time as private secretary and Aide-de-Camp to two Generals. Asked to compare the two leaders, he gives an interesting response: “General Brown was a public relations man par excellence! His most significant contribution as General is probably the 1980 Salvation Army Act which was put into law by the House of Lords. His charisma and speaking skills endeared him around the world.
“General Wahlström, on the other hand, was more introverted. He had a pastor’s heart, which was evident to me at a Congress, where after he preached and someone else was conducting the invitation [to the Mercy Seat], I looked up at his chair and it was vacant. Where had the General gone? I feared. Then I saw him below at the altar praying with a young man. I slipped off the platform and when the opportunity came, I whispered, ‘General, we must get you back [onstage] for the meeting to conclude.’”
Another fascinating response from Colonel John about his two Generals was the fact that, for him, he was glad Brown came before Wahlström, and not the other way around. “I think my time with [Brown] prepared me to serve as an aide to Wahlström,” he observes.
If Colonel John’s service in a number of territories around the globe weren’t enough for any one man, accompanying these two General giants further allowed him to see just about all of the Army world.
Today, in retirement, Colonel John Bate is a faithful soldier of the Clearwater Citadel Corps in Florida.
His chosen scripture verse sums up his service: “By an act of faith Abraham said yes to God to travel to an unknown place that would become his home” (Hebrews 11:8 The Message).