An ula throwing club and a Maori canoe bailer, brought back from the South Pacific by the Revd John Williams, a missionary with the London Missionary Society (LMS), have been sold at auction for thousands of pounds.

The items, which sold for £1,200 and £9,500 respectively, had remained in Mr Williams’ family since his death in 1839 at the hands of the indigenous population of the island of Erromango, Vanuatu. During an attempt to spread news of the Gospel, Mr Williams, along with fellow missionary James Harris, was beaten, killed, and eaten, by islanders who had been previously mistreated by the crew of a trading ship.

However, Mr Williams’ good works lived on after the LMS commissioned several missionary ships in his name. These ships – the first of which was launched in 1844 and decommissioned in 1968 – were funded by the donations of children.

In 1936, the LMS thanked young people for their generosity by creating the Pilots youth organisation which successfully continues within the United Reformed Church to this day.

Dr Sam Richards, Head of the URC’s Children’s and Youth Work department, said: ‘It’s wonderful to have this association with John Williams. His story is fascinating and his work invaluable – there were seven ships, that served the islands of the South Pacific, named after him. Many children who have been involved with Pilots have had fun, made friends, and learned skills that will serve them for years to come. Pilots helps children and young people, aged five to 18, make their communities a better place. This is what we believe God created people for and is what Mr Williams aimed to do through his missionary work. Long may it continue.’

In 2009 descendants of Erromango formally apologised to the descendants of John Williams, and in the June 2013 edition of Reform magazine, Tricia Legge, who served on the Pilots management committee, shared her experiences of being a young child who saved pennies towards one of the ships, James Williams VII, in a touching column.

The items were bought by private collectors in Dorchester, Dorset, in April.

Picture: The Massacre of the Lamented Missionary the Revd J Williams and Mr Harris 1841 Credit: George Baxter 1804-1867/WikiCommons

8 June 2018