Gladys Aylward
Gladys May Aylward | |
---|---|
Republic of China (1936–1970) | |
Education | Silver Street School, Edmonton, London |
Occupation | Christian missionary |
Gladys May Aylward (24 February 1902 – 3 January 1970) was a British-born
Early life
Aylward was born in 1902, one of three children of Thomas John Aylward (a postman) and Rosina Florence, a working-class family from Edmonton, North London.[2] From her early teens, Gladys worked as a housemaid. Following a calling to go overseas as a Christian missionary, she was accepted by the China Inland Mission to study in a preparatory three-month course for aspiring missionaries. Because of her lack of progress in learning the Chinese language, she was not offered further training.[3]
On 15 October 1930, having worked for Sir
Work in China
Upon arriving in
Aylward became a national of the Republic of China in 1936 and was a revered figure among the people, taking in orphans and adopting several herself, intervening in a volatile prison riot and advocating prison reform, risking her life many times to help those in need.[8] In 1938, the region was invaded by Japanese forces, and Aylward led more than 100 orphans to safety over the mountains, despite being wounded and sick, personally caring for them (and converting many to Christianity).
She did not return to Britain until 1949, when her life in China was thought to be in great danger from the Communists – the army was actively seeking out missionaries. Settling in
The Inn of the Sixth Happiness
A film based on her life,
Death and legacy
Aylward died on 3 January 1970, about a month and a half short of her 68th birthday, and was buried in a small cemetery on the campus of Christ's College in Guandu, New Taipei, Taiwan. She was known to the Chinese as 艾偉德 (Àiwěidé; 'The Virtuous One' – a Chinese approximation to 'Aylward'). Her ministry in Taipei continues to develop and is now called Bethany Children's Home.[a][15] The new director, Sharon Chiang (Chinese: 江秀圈), was called from Seattle to develop Bethany Children's Home further for its new vision and new building.[11][tone]
A London secondary school, formerly known as 'Weir Hall and Huxley', was renamed the Gladys Aylward School shortly after her death. There is a blue commemorative plaque on the house where Gladys lived near the school at 67 Cheddington Road, London N18.
A "house" was also named after Gladys Aylward at Fernwood Comprehensive (formerly Secondary Modern) School, in Wollaton, Nottingham.
Numerous books, short stories, and films have been developed about the life and work of Gladys Aylward.
References
- ^ Crowther, Bosley (14 December 1958). "The Inn of the Eighth Happiness". New York Times. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
- ^ http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/b/l/i/Ian-Blight/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0060.html[self-published source][permanent dead link]
- ^ Latham, pp4-6
- ^ a b "GLADYS AYLWARD – MISSIONARY TO CHINA". Berith. Archived from the original on 26 November 2017. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
- ^ "Gladys Aylward, Missionary to China".
- ^ "Journal of the Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. 44: 118. 2006.
- ^ "Yangcheng and the Inn of the Eight Happinesses".
- ^ Burgess, Alan. Gladys Aylward, The Small Woman.
- ^ IDEA – Magazine of the Evangelical Alliance Jan/Feb 2018 p.18 with photo
- ^ "GLADYS AYLWARD, MISSIONARY, DIES". New York Times. 4 January 1970. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
- ^ a b c "Bethany children's home". Bethany Children's Home. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ Wellman 1998, p. 197
- ^ Cast Script. British Film Institute.
- ^ Wellman 1998, p. 198
- ^ Wellman 1998, p. 201
General References
- Hero Tales by Dave & Neta Jackson
- These Are My People by Mildred T. Howard
- The Woman with the Book by M. A. Mijnders-VanWoerden
Notes
Further sources
Archives
- The archive of Gladys Aylward, including artefacts from her time in China, is held by SOAS Special Collections[permanent dead link]. Digitised material from the collection is available to view online here Archived 9 April 2021 at the Wayback Machine.
Bibliography
- Aylward, Gladys, MS 291571: Letters and relics of Gladys Aylward, missionary to China, School of African and Oriental Studies, University of London
- Aylward, Gladys (1980), Gladys Aylward: The Little Woman, Moody Publishers, ISBN 978-0-8024-2986-5
- Burgess, A (1957), The Small Woman (New Impression ed.), Pan Books, ISBN 0-330-10196-X
- Hunter, C (1971), Gladys Aylward: Her Personal Story, Coverdale House Publishers, ISBN 0-902088-25-4
- Latham, R. O. (1952), Gladys Aylward, One of the Undefeated: The Story of Gladys Aylward, Edinburgh House Press, OCLC 24941398
- Thompson, P (1971), London Sparrow: The Story of Gladys Aylward, Word Books, ISBN 0-85009-026-1
- Benge, Janet; Benge, Geoff (1998), Gladys Aylward: The Adventure of a Lifetime, YWAM, ISBN 978-1-57658-019-6
- Purves, Carol (2005), Chinese Whispers: The Gladys Aylward Story, Day One Publications, ISBN 978-1-903087-57-2
- Jackson, Dave; Jackson, Neta (1994), Flight of the Fugitives: Gladys Aylward, Bethany House Publishers, ISBN 978-1-55661-466-8
- Wellman, Sam (1998). Gladys Aylward: Missionary in China. Barbour.
Videography
- The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958) – feature film
- Gladys Aylward, the Small Woman with a Great God (2008) – documentary
- Torchlighters: The Gladys Aylward Story (2008) – animated DVD for children ages 8–12