John devoted life to helping other people

Published on Monday 7 July 2008 10:27

MAJOR John Brook-Smith, a lifelong Salvation Army member who helped people of different faiths in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, has died after a long illness, aged 65.

A soldier in the Salvation Army, John Brook-Smith was born in Lockerbie on July 21, 1942. The son of a Alexander Brook-Smith, a journalist, and Helen Bryden, a hotel worker, faith and religion was to play an important part in John's life as he grew up.

He worked for ICI, before moving to London in the late 1960s to enrol at the Salvation Army's international college for officers. It was there that he met his future wife, Joan, a fellow officer and secretary in the Salvation Army's typing pool. But the couple didn't hit it off straight away and Joan would try to find ways of avoiding the young officer at first.

She joked: "John just wouldn't leave me alone and would follow me around. He was very persistent. I'm glad he never stopped persevering because we had 38 wonderful years together and were blessed with twin daughters and two adorable grandchildren."

For their honeymoon a friend lent them 5 and the use of a caravan in Scarborough, where they ate fish and chips during their week-long stay.

When they returned to London the couple – who were both lieutenants by now with the Salvation Army – were posted to Northern Ireland at the height of the Troubles.

In December that year, 15 people were killed in a terror attack on a pub in Belfast. The Ulster Volunteer Force claimed responsibility.

John helped out in the aftermath of the explosion, helping firefighters and providing spiritual comfort to the victims. Despite serving with a Protestant organisation, there was no difference between Catholics and Protestants in John's eyes.

He would comfort those who needed help – often during scenes of terrible carnage and destruction – in his role as unofficial padre with the fire services, and would later be recognised with a British Empire Medal from the Queen.

The couple and their twin daughters, Shona and Stephanie, now 36, left Northern Ireland to set up a ministry in Gorgie Road in 1984. By this time they had both risen to the rank of major in the organisation.

They remained in Edinburgh until their retirement from the Salvation Army and moved to St Andrews to live.

John, who was diabetic, began to suffer from ill health and needed dialysis treatment on a regular basis. When he started to lose his sight because of the condition he began taping sermons that he would send out to partially-sighted and blind parishioners who could no longer see to read their scriptures.

Joan said: "John could talk the hind legs off a donkey, so making tapes wasn't difficult for him. He did it all through his retirement, almost until the day he died. John was that kind of person. He always said he was on this earth to help people."

A thanksgiving service celebrating John's life is being held at his former Salvation Army church in Gorgie Road, at 12.15pm tomorrow, followed by a cremation at Mortonhall.

John, who died on July 1, is survived by his wife, daughters Shona and Stephanie, and his two grandchildren.