Alfred James Broomhall
Encyclopedia
Alfred James Broomhall a.k.a. A. J. Broomhall, was a British
Protestant Christian
medical missionary
to China
, and author and historian of the China Inland Mission
(renamed as Overseas Missionary Fellowship, OMF International
in 1964 and based in Singapore).
), Shandong
, China, in 1911, the son of Benjamin Charles Broomhall and his wife Marion, missionaries to China with the Baptist Missionary Society
. The Broomhalls were a missionary family, and Jim was the third generation to be involved in such work. His grandfather, Benjamin Broomhall
, had been the general secretary of the China Inland Mission for 20 years and had married Amelia, sister of the founder of the agency, James Hudson Taylor. His uncle, Marshall Broomhall
was the most famous of Benjamin’s sons as a missionary
and historian
– a professional pattern repeated in Jim’s life.
) at Yantai
, and later at Monkton Combe
, Bath, England. When Jim Broomhall was nineteen, he read a book about the Yi people
(also called Nosu), an isolated people of the Liangshan mountains in China's Sichuan
province. Intrigued, he made up his mind to tell them about Jesus. In preparation, like his great-uncle Hudson Taylor before him, he became a medical doctor receiving his training at the Royal London Hospital
. After completing his courses, he joined the China Inland Mission (C.I.M.) and sailed for China in 1938.
. The Japanese were already in control of much of China and travel in the country was difficult. Undaunted, he and some fellow missionaries went to Hongkong where they bought station wagons which they then drove through French Indochina
and back over the Chinese border to Chongqing
, Sichuan. Jim decided to stay in China to face the difficult times alongside the Chinese people. During this wartime, Jim practiced medicine in Sichuan
at the mission hospital.
Jim married Theodora Janet Churchill (born 13 June 1913; died November 2000) in 1942 in China. They had four daughters. The couple began pioneering work among the Nosu tribe in 1943, They traveled among them giving medical aid and making friends. But a Japanese advance forced them to leave, still not having reached Jim's target—the Liangshan mountains. The family had to flee to India
for safety.
Although thwarted, Jim told everyone
. He had traveled the thousand miles from Lanzhou
to Liangshan. Supported by British missionaries, Ruth Dix and Joan Wales
, he opened a clinic to help the sick and to spread the Gospel
at the same time. He was greatly loved by the local people. In order to dispel the misunderstanding and fear the public had for people with leprosy
, he invited a leper to live in his house for a year. The Yi were appalled when Jim took in a leper. The two shared a room and ate the same food. The villagers were so outraged that the leper would endanger Jim this way that they wanted to kill him, but his condition improved, although the irreversible damage could not be undone. Jim often traveled far and wide by donkey to treat patients in remote mountain areas for free.
Jim rode a mule along the river banks, treating patients and inviting them to a clinic that he had established. On one occasion he removed a young man's festering arm (it had been damaged in a dynamite
explosion) and replaced it with an artificial limb, much to the joy of the boy's family. One summer he rode his mule up into remote mountain villages, tending the sick.
Without even the aid of an x-ray
machine, Jim performed two operations on a girl with a crippling bone disease and gave her a new life. Multiply these instances by hundreds and you can see why the Yi came to love their missionary doctor.
In 1951 the Broomhalls spent several months under house arrest, at the end of which they were expelled from China by the Communists with their four daughters. Many Yi came to say goodbye to Jim
led to three hospitals being founded there; also a pioneering missionary among the Mangyan
people of the island of Mindoro
in the Philippines
for 11 years from 1953 until he retired.
, London.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Protestant Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
medical missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, and author and historian of the China Inland Mission
China Inland Mission
OMF International is an interdenominational Protestant Christian missionary society, founded in Britain by Hudson Taylor on 25 June 1865.-Overview:...
(renamed as Overseas Missionary Fellowship, OMF International
OMF International
OMF International is an interdenominational Protestant Christian missionary society, founded in Britain by Hudson Taylor on 25 June 1865.-Overview:...
in 1964 and based in Singapore).
Chinese roots
“Jim” Broomhall was born in Chefoo (YantaiYantai
Yantai is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Shandong province, People's Republic of China. Located on the southern coast of the Bohai Sea and the eastern coast of the Laizhou Bay, Yantai borders the cities of Qingdao and Weihai to the southwest and east respectively.The largest fishing...
), Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
, China, in 1911, the son of Benjamin Charles Broomhall and his wife Marion, missionaries to China with the Baptist Missionary Society
Baptist Missionary Society
rightBMS World Mission is a Christian missionary society founded by Baptists from England in 1792. It was originally called the Particular Baptist Society for the Propagation of the Gospel Amongst the Heathen, but for most of its life was known as the Baptist Missionary Society...
. The Broomhalls were a missionary family, and Jim was the third generation to be involved in such work. His grandfather, Benjamin Broomhall
Benjamin Broomhall
Benjamin Broomhall was a British advocate of foreign missions, administrator of the China Inland Mission, and author. Broomhall served as the General Secretary of the China Inland Mission ,...
, had been the general secretary of the China Inland Mission for 20 years and had married Amelia, sister of the founder of the agency, James Hudson Taylor. His uncle, Marshall Broomhall
Marshall Broomhall
Marshall B. Broomhall , was a British Protestant Christian missionary to China with the China Inland Mission. He also authored many books on the subject of Chinese missionary work. He was the most famous son of the anti-opium trade activist and General Secretary of the C.I.M...
was the most famous of Benjamin’s sons as a missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
and historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
– a professional pattern repeated in Jim’s life.
Commitment to service
Jim was educated in the city of his birth at the China Inland Mission Boy’s Preparatory School (Chefoo SchoolChefoo School
The Chefoo School a.k.a. Protestant Collegiate School or China Inland Mission School was a Christian boarding school established by the China Inland Mission - under James Hudson Taylor- at Chefoo , in Shandong province in northern China, in 1880...
) at Yantai
Yantai
Yantai is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Shandong province, People's Republic of China. Located on the southern coast of the Bohai Sea and the eastern coast of the Laizhou Bay, Yantai borders the cities of Qingdao and Weihai to the southwest and east respectively.The largest fishing...
, and later at Monkton Combe
Monkton Combe
Monkton Combe is a village and civil parish in north Somerset, England, south of Bath. The parish, which includes the hamlet of Tucking Mill, has a population of 356.-History:Monkton Combe was part of the hundred of Bath Forum.According to Rev...
, Bath, England. When Jim Broomhall was nineteen, he read a book about the Yi people
Yi people
The Yi or Lolo people are an ethnic group in China, Vietnam, and Thailand. Numbering 8 million, they are the seventh largest of the 55 ethnic minority groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China...
(also called Nosu), an isolated people of the Liangshan mountains in China's Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
province. Intrigued, he made up his mind to tell them about Jesus. In preparation, like his great-uncle Hudson Taylor before him, he became a medical doctor receiving his training at the Royal London Hospital
Royal London Hospital
The Royal London Hospital was founded in September 1740 and was originally named The London Infirmary. The name changed to The London Hospital in 1748 and then to The Royal London Hospital on its 250th anniversary in 1990. The first patients were treated at a house in Featherstone Street,...
. After completing his courses, he joined the China Inland Mission (C.I.M.) and sailed for China in 1938.
Return to China
Before he arrived, China was at war with JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The Japanese were already in control of much of China and travel in the country was difficult. Undaunted, he and some fellow missionaries went to Hongkong where they bought station wagons which they then drove through French Indochina
French Indochina
French Indochina was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin , Annam , and Cochinchina , as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887....
and back over the Chinese border to Chongqing
Chongqing
Chongqing is a major city in Southwest China and one of the five national central cities of China. Administratively, it is one of the PRC's four direct-controlled municipalities , and the only such municipality in inland China.The municipality was created on 14 March 1997, succeeding the...
, Sichuan. Jim decided to stay in China to face the difficult times alongside the Chinese people. During this wartime, Jim practiced medicine in Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
at the mission hospital.
Jim married Theodora Janet Churchill (born 13 June 1913; died November 2000) in 1942 in China. They had four daughters. The couple began pioneering work among the Nosu tribe in 1943, They traveled among them giving medical aid and making friends. But a Japanese advance forced them to leave, still not having reached Jim's target—the Liangshan mountains. The family had to flee to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
for safety.
Although thwarted, Jim told everyone
Return to the Nosu
After the war, Broomhalls returned to China in 1946 and Broomhall went to Nosuland, leaving his wife and two daughters at Luoshan, southwest China, for a while. In the end the Broomhalls spent four more years among the Nosu and established a clinic before the arrival of the Communists. In 1947 Jim finally arrived at the place he had dedicated his life to serve, a region in southwestern Sichuan where he could minister again to the Yi peopleYi people
The Yi or Lolo people are an ethnic group in China, Vietnam, and Thailand. Numbering 8 million, they are the seventh largest of the 55 ethnic minority groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China...
. He had traveled the thousand miles from Lanzhou
Lanzhou
Lanzhou is the capital and largest city of Gansu Province in Northwest China. A prefecture-level city, it is a key regional transportation hub, allowing areas further west to maintain railroad connections to the eastern half of the country....
to Liangshan. Supported by British missionaries, Ruth Dix and Joan Wales
Joan Wales
Joan Margaret Wales is a British protestant missionary to China with the China Inland Mission. She was born on 29 November 1916 in Seven Kings, Ilford, the second daughter of George and Bertha Wales. The family moved to Tunbridge Wells in 1922. Wales was educated at St James Infant School and...
, he opened a clinic to help the sick and to spread the Gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
at the same time. He was greatly loved by the local people. In order to dispel the misunderstanding and fear the public had for people with leprosy
Leprosy
Leprosy or Hansen's disease is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Named after physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen, leprosy is primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions...
, he invited a leper to live in his house for a year. The Yi were appalled when Jim took in a leper. The two shared a room and ate the same food. The villagers were so outraged that the leper would endanger Jim this way that they wanted to kill him, but his condition improved, although the irreversible damage could not be undone. Jim often traveled far and wide by donkey to treat patients in remote mountain areas for free.
Jim rode a mule along the river banks, treating patients and inviting them to a clinic that he had established. On one occasion he removed a young man's festering arm (it had been damaged in a dynamite
Dynamite
Dynamite is an explosive material based on nitroglycerin, initially using diatomaceous earth , or another absorbent substance such as powdered shells, clay, sawdust, or wood pulp. Dynamites using organic materials such as sawdust are less stable and such use has been generally discontinued...
explosion) and replaced it with an artificial limb, much to the joy of the boy's family. One summer he rode his mule up into remote mountain villages, tending the sick.
Without even the aid of an x-ray
X-ray
X-radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation. X-rays have a wavelength in the range of 0.01 to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz and energies in the range 120 eV to 120 keV. They are shorter in wavelength than UV rays and longer than gamma...
machine, Jim performed two operations on a girl with a crippling bone disease and gave her a new life. Multiply these instances by hundreds and you can see why the Yi came to love their missionary doctor.
In 1951 the Broomhalls spent several months under house arrest, at the end of which they were expelled from China by the Communists with their four daughters. Many Yi came to say goodbye to Jim
New focus
Broomhall's investigations as to whether the CIM could undertake medical work in ThailandThailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
led to three hospitals being founded there; also a pioneering missionary among the Mangyan
Mangyan
Mangyan is the generic name for the eight indigenous groups found in the Philippine island of Mindoro, each with its own tribal name, language, and customs...
people of the island of Mindoro
Mindoro
Mindoro is the seventh-largest island in the Philippines. It is located off the coast of Luzon, and northeast of Palawan. The southern coast of Mindoro forms the northeastern extremum of the Sulu Sea.-History:...
in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
for 11 years from 1953 until he retired.
Writing career
When he retired as a doctor, putting down his surgical knives, he started picking up his pen to record history. He spent over a decade going through the vast range of records regarding Hudson Taylor and the China Inland Mission. Consequently, he wrote the most comprehensive and reliable biography of Hudson Taylor. Broomhall subsequently held a number of positions in the OMF's national office at Newington GreenNewington Green
Newington Green is an open space in north London which straddles the border between Islington and Hackney. It gives its name to the surrounding area, roughly bounded by Ball's Pond Road to the south, Petherton Road to the west, the southern section of Stoke Newington with Green Lanes-Matthias Road...
, London.
Last visit to China
In 1988, although in ill health, he obtained permission to visit the Yi again. He returned to the region in Sichuan where he had first ministered to the Yi people. He left in tears, declaring he wanted to return again in two years. By then he was deaf and paralyzed along one side of his body, but people ran to tell each other that Dr. Broomhall was back. A woman knelt before him with a ring, given to her by her mother. During a subsequent return in 1991, he donated US$20,000 worth of medical equipment to the local hospital. Knowing he could never return again, the teary-eyed doctor picked up a clod of earth to take home with him. Three years later Jim died on 11 May 1994. He was 82. His work lives on in the Christian lives he left behind and in the several books he wrote about the Yi.Published works
- Strong Tower (1947)
- Strong Man's Prey (1953)
- Fields for Reaping (1953)
- Time for Action (1965)
- Hudson Taylor & China’s Open Century Volume One: Barbarians at the Gates; Hodder and Stoughton and Overseas Missionary Fellowship, 1982
- Hudson Taylor & China’s Open Century Volume Two: Over the Treaty Wall; Hodder and Stoughton and Overseas Missionary Fellowship, 1982
- Hudson Taylor & China’s Open Century Volume Three: If I Had a Thousand Lives; Hodder and Stoughton and Overseas Missionary Fellowship, 1982
- Hudson Taylor & China’s Open Century Volume Four:: Survivors’ Pact; Hodder and Stoughton and Overseas Missionary Fellowship, 1983
- Hudson Taylor & China’s Open Century Volume Five: Refiner’s Fire; Hodder and Stoughton and Overseas Missionary Fellowship, 1984
- Hudson Taylor & China’s Open Century Volume Six: Assault On The Nine; Hodder and Stoughton and Overseas Missionary Fellowship, 1988
- Hudson Taylor & China’s Open Century Volume Seven: It Is Not Death To Die; Hodder and Stoughton and Overseas Missionary Fellowship, 1989
Further reading
- Ronald Clements. Point Me To The Skies: The Amazing Story of Joan Wales. Monarch Books. 2007. ISBN 978-0-8254-6157-6