Commissioner Lucy Milward Booth-Hellberg (28 April 1868 – 18 July 1953) was the eighth and youngest child of

Catherine Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria. In the early Christ ...

and

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 ...

, the Founder of

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 ...

Salvation Army officer

At the age of 16, Lucy and her sister Emma went to

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

to work with

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 ...

there. Emma married Frederick Tucker in 1888. The Booth-Tuckers soon moved to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

because of Emma's failing health, and Lucy followed. On 18 October 1894 Lucy married Colonel Emanuel Daniel Hellberg, a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

officer.Lucy Milward Booth on ''The Salvation Army International Heritage Centre'' website
/ref> As was the custom in the Booth family, the couple added 'Booth' to their married name, becoming Booth-Hellberg. They went on to have five children together: Emma, Eva, Lucy, Daniel and Ebba Mary Booth-Hellberg. Their son Daniel died in infancy in 1896. Lucy returned to India with her new husband and they together commanded the Indian Territory, taking on the names Ruhani and Raj-Singh respectively. They were appointed to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

in 1896. Lucy wrote the song "Keep On Believing" for the Salvation Army. In 1909 her husband died. For a brief time she was engaged to Commissioner Cornelius Obadiah Phelps, before her brother Bramwell ended it. She went on to become the territorial commander for

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

, and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

, before retiring in 1934. In 1933 she was admitted to the Salvation Army's most prestigious award, the

Order of the Founder In 1917, five years after the death of the founder of the Salvation Army William Booth, his son, General Bramwell Booth, inaugurated the Order of the Founder to recognise Salvationists who had rendered distinguished service, such as would have spe ...

, "for long and exceptional service under peculiarly difficult circumstances, together with her readiness at all times to answer to the call of duty, particularly in the earlier years in India and France, and, latterly, in South America".The Award of The Order of the Founder on ''The Salvation Army International Heritage Centre'' website
/ref> "Commissioner Lucy" died at Bromma in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

on 18 July 1953, at the age of 85.

References

External links

Photograph of Emanuel and Lucy Booth-Hellberg on ''The Salvation Army International Heritage Centre'' website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Booth, Lucy 1868 births 1953 deaths Salvation Army officers English Salvationists

Lucy Lucy is an English feminine given name derived from the Latin masculine given name Lucius with the meaning ''as of light'' (''born at dawn or daylight'', maybe also ''shiny'', or ''of light complexion''). Alternative spellings are Luci, Luce, Lu ...