In 1894 a young man from Cambridgeshire left England for China. His name was John Pledger, known to his friends as Jack. Years later he became Rev JRF Pledger and took on several important roles. But as he boarded the ship, he was a keen, earnest 24 year-old, excited to be embarking on the adventure of a lifetime and to have an opportunity to serve God.
China Inland Mission (CIM)
John was a missionary with the China Inland Mission (now known as OMF International), founded by Hudson Taylor. Taylor’s vision was a non-denominational group who integrated with society in so far as they wore Chinese dress, learned to speak and write Chinese and adopted those customs which did not conflict with their Christian beliefs. The CIM was also notable for its inclusion of missionaries from the working classes and single women.
After two years of medical training and a similar period at theological college, John was prepared both to preach and to provide medical aid. He was, literally and figuratively, on a mission!
Why am I so interested in John Pledger and how do I know so much about him?
John, or JRFP as he is often known as in my family, was my great grandfather. I never knew him as he died during the Second World War, but I grew up hearing stories about him told by my grandmother and great aunt who were his daughters. And since my mother’s death I now have a very precious mission of my own.
From the moment the ship set off for China, John wrote letters to a certain young lady, Fannie Long. At first the letters were cordial and friendly. They had only met a few times, through Church contacts, in Bromley where she lived. John had confided to a friend, however, that he rather hoped he might eventually marry her.
It was not until he had arrived in China that Fannie wrote to say she felt she had been called to become a missionary in China herself. John, as ethical as he was passionate, had not said a word to her about his affectionate feelings until he received this letter.
There followed a courtship, a proposal, eventually a ring which he asked his sister in England to buy. Meanwhile Fannie applied to the CIM and set about preparing herself to become a missionary.
I do know how the story ends but it was not without heartache and suffering. And I am learning the twists and turns of that story in detail because I have his letters and am painstakingly transcribing all of them, one by one. They are written on the flimsiest of paper and my great grandfather’s handwriting was not the easiest to decipher. I often wonder whether Fannie despaired as I do when she tried to interpret what he was saying.
So far, having started in the autumn of 1894, I have reached the end of November 1895 and have well over 50,000 words transcribed. Before I started I thought it would be arduous work. I couldn’t have been more wrong. John, despite his youth, was an engaging and humorous letter writer. He relates various adventures as he spends weeks on a boat on the Yangtze river, walks many miles day after day, and eventually sets up a clinic where he is able to draw teeth, perform minor surgery, give vaccinations (one of the newest medical treatments at the time) and dispense medicine. Over and over he professes his love for Fannie and his faith that she will join him in China.
I am getting to know this young man, the same age as my son is now, with all his attributes and the occasional fault laid out in the letters for me to discover. He studies hard, learning Chinese characters and trying to acquire as much as possible of the various dialects because he is longing to preach. But he also delights in his medical cases and in the adventure of it all. He is proud to be fit and strong and he enjoys the companionship, both of his fellow missionaries and of the local people he works hard to be able to converse with.
What will happen when I have finished transcribing?
It’s too early to say but, knowing the whole story of John and Fannie, I am convinced it needs to be shared more widely than just within my family. If you would like to know more, watch out for subsequent blog posts and why not visit my Patreon page?
