James John Dowdle (20 December 1840–21 July 1900) was a

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 in ...

the Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestant church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. The organisation reports a worldwide membership of over 1.7million, comprising soldiers, officers and adherents col ...

known as the "Fiery Fiddler" and the "Saved Railway Guard". He was the first Salvation Army Commissioner to be Promoted to Glory.Fiery Fiddler - James Dowdle
Salvation Army Historical & Philatelic Association, 30 December 2014 Railton, George Scott
''Life of Commissioner Dowdle''
The Salvation Army National Headquarters, New York, (1901), p 6

Early life

Dowdle was born in a two-room cottage in

Upton Lovell Upton Lovell is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It lies on the A36, in the Wylye valley about southeast of Warminster. The parish is on the left (northeast) bank of the river, and stretches for over two miles northeast onto ...

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

in 1840,“The Fiery Fiddler”: Remarkable Career of Wiltshire Boy
Wiltshire OPC Project (2014) the youngest of two children of woollen factory worker Priscilla née Hinton (1820-1898) and Henry Dowdle (1815-1868), an agricultural labourer. A big and mischievous youth who "loved a scrap", he left school aged 12 to train as a wheelwright under an uncle, but did not find the work to his taste. He next tried farm work, but found he liked that even less, so he moved to London where he worked in a goods yard for the

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...

, then in 1861 as a porter before quickly working his way up to guard. Eastern Star Whitechapel 1867

Dowdle found employment as a labourer with a builder and evangelist named Stevens, and when the two were called to do some work at the former public house 'The Eastern Star' in

Whitechapel Whitechapel is a district in East London and the future administrative centre of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is a part of the East End of London, east of Charing Cross. Part of the historic county of Middlesex, the area formed ...

, intended to be the headquarters of the newly-formed

The Christian Mission The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestant church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. The organisation reports a worldwide membership of over 1.7million, comprising soldiers, officers and adherents co ...

, Dowdle first encountered

William Booth William Booth (10 April 182920 August 1912) was an English Methodist preacher who, along with his wife, Catherine, founded the Salvation Army and became its first "General" (1878–1912). His 1890 book In Darkest England and The Way Out outli ...

, its founder and General Superintendent. Dowdle was an early convert to the Christian Mission, joining the following Sunday after hearing Booth preach. In 1866 Dowdle was a member of the Paddington corps and later that year he became the Mission's first full-time paid evangelist when it extended its ministry outside the

East End of London The East End of London, often referred to within the London area simply as the East End, is the historic core of wider East London, east of the Roman and medieval walls of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It does not have uni ...

for the first time with his appointment to run the Corps in Poplar in London.Our History
Poplar Corps Community & Youth Centre

The Salvation Army

In 1869 Early Pioneers: James Dowdle
International Heritage Centre, The Salvation Army database General Booth officiated at the marriage ceremony of Dowdle and Sarah Ann Stevens (1840-1912), daughter of Dowdle's former employer. The newly-weds took on the running of a shop in

Shoreditch Shoreditch is a district in the East End of London in England, and forms the southern part of the London Borough of Hackney. Neighbouring parts of Tower Hamlets are also perceived as part of the area. In the 16th century, Shoreditch was an impor ...

where they served cheap dinners to the poor on weekdays and on Sundays led evangelistic meetings in a former

music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Bri ...

behind the shop. In the 1871 Census Dowdle's occupation is listed as "Labourer". At this time the Army's mission was to prevent child prostitution and to convert the poor, prostitutes, gamblers and alcoholics to Christianity. Dowdle served in

Chatham Chatham may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Canada * Chatham Islands (British Columbia) * Chatham Sound, British Columbia * Chatham, New Brunswick, a former town, now a neighbourhood of Miramichi * Chatham (electoral district), New Brunswic ...

(1873-1875), Middlesborough (1875),

Stockton-on-Tees Stockton-on-Tees, often simply referred to as Stockton, is a market town in the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees in County Durham, England. It is on the northern banks of the River Tees, part of the Teesside built-up area. The town had an estimated ...

(1875-1876),

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

(1876),

Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...

(1877-1878) and

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

(1878). When the 51st Corps of the Salvation Army was formed at

in July 1878 Captain (later Major) Dowdle, together with his wife and his "Hallelujah Fiddle", held the first meeting in the Central Hall in Phoenix Lane late in August 1878. Here, congregations averaged 500 people a night with one convert describing himself as being "the vilest villain out of hell without being in it." However, Dowdle did not always receive an enthusiastic hearing. In Plymouth forty men arrived at a meeting carrying brimming chamber pots and stormed the hall to drench Dowdle with urine. During his ministry in Bradford in 1877 Dowdle took over the run-down former theatre Pullan's Theatre of Varieties as a venue for his services. He stated that:

“Some of the vilest characters in the town have been saved. Over 600 have given in their names as getting converted, such as gamblers, drunkards, infidels, blasphemers, adulterers, theatre and music-hall goers, comic singers, clowns, stage players- some who had played and sang upon the very stage where they got converted.”''The Christian Mission Magazine''
April 1878, page 139

Here in Bradford in 1877 Dowdle converted the 17 year-old John Lawley (1859-1922) at a meeting. Lawley himself was later to become a

in the Salvation Army and was aide-de-camp to

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

from 1890 to 1912 as well as to General

Bramwell Booth William Bramwell Booth, Order of the Companions of Honour, CH (8 March 1856 – 16 June 1929) was a Salvation Army officer, Christian and British charity worker who was the first Chief of the Staff of The Salvation Army, Chief of Staff (1881� ...

from 1912 to 1921. The meetings at Bradford were noisy and held outdoors followed by a street procession down to Pullan’s, where the main meetings took place. A fellow-evangelist working alongside Dowdle and his wife was Tillie Smith, sister of the famous

Gipsy Smith Rodney "Gipsy" Smith Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, MBE (31 March 1860 – 4 August 1947) was a British Evangelism, evangelist who conducted evangelistic campaigns in the United States and Great Britain for over 70 year ...

. William and

Catherine Booth Catherine Booth (''née'' Mumford, 17 January 1829 – 4 October 1890) was co-founder of The Salvation Army, along with her husband William Booth. Because of her influence in the formation of The Salvation Army she was known as the 'Mothe ...

paid a short visit to Bradford in August, 1877. For ten years Dowdle campaigned in New Zealand, the United States of America and Canada (1888), Norway, Denmark and Germany. He arrived in Australia in 1878 before becoming Divisional Officer of the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

of Australia in 1880. Here, in one year, Dowdle travelled 23,500 miles, visited 160 centres and conducted 1,200 Meetings, making more than 6,500 converts. Colonel Dowdle and his wife returned to Australia in 1894, landing at

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

where a reception was held in their honour at the town hall. The two had been touring the world for the past year and a half visiting Salvation Army centres where they lead revival meetings. He became a close friend and adviser to

. His preaching style, for which he became known as the "Fiery Fiddler", was to place his instrument case on the ground and warn the people around to stand back as it was about to go off. Once a crowd had gathered he would harangue them for ten minutes before plucking his "Hallelujah Fiddle" from under his arm to play and sing a Salvationist hymn. In this way in 1867 he converted

Mother Shepherd Pamela Shepherd born Pamela Morgan known as Mother Shepherd (19 March 1836 – 24 February 1930) was a Welsh evangelist for the Salvation Army notably in Aberdare. Life Shepherd was born in Talywain in 1836. Her parents were Margaret (born Evans) ...

who became known as the "Hallelujah Washerwoman" as she witnessed and preached around London. On one occasion while preaching with his wife during a Salvationist service he was approached by a lame young girl who was healed. On hearing of this her father declared, "Walking and cured in The Salvation Army is she? I’ll cure her of that blasphemous nonsense." Taking his heavy stick he went intending to beat her back into her former condition. But, on seeing her, no longer limping but now walking upright and unaided, her heart full of joy and her crutches being carried by a woman behind her, he dropped his stick and marvelled.

Later years

Diagnosed with heart disease in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

in Australia as a result of his great exertions there, in 1896 he and his wife returned to London where they resided at 37 Mayola Road in

Clapham Clapham () is a suburb in south west London, England, lying mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, but with some areas (most notably Clapham Common) extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. History Early history T ...

. Commissioner James Dowdle died in the hospital at the Salvation Army Farm Colony at Hadleigh in

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

in July 1900. His funeral service was conducted by General William Booth. His coffin was draped with the Salvation Army Flag on top of which were laid his cap and fiddle. Like other prominent Salvationists, he was buried in

Abney Park Cemetery Abney Park cemetery is one of the "Magnificent Seven" cemeteries in London, England. Abney Park in Stoke Newington in the London Borough of Hackney is a historic parkland originally laid out in the early 18th century by Lady Mary Abney, D ...

. He left an estate valued at £122 to his widow. After his death two Salvationist biographies of his life were published: ''Life of Commissioner Dowdle'' (1901), and ''Commissioner James Dowdle: the Saved Railway Guard'' (1930).''Commissioner James Dowdle: the Saved Railway Guard''
The Salvation Army Miniature Biographies, No 3, Salvationist Publishing and Supplies (1930)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dowdle, James 1840 births 1900 deaths Salvation Army officers Commissioners in The Salvation Army English Salvationists Burials at Abney Park Cemetery