Skip to main
The Salvation Army
Believe in good

News

Warcry celebrates 130 years in Australia

Published on
17 June 2013

The Salvation Army’s Warcry magazine turned 130 years old on 16 June.

Warcry continues to be Australia’s most popular weekly magazine on faith and culture issues.

The first ever issue of Warcry was released in London on 27 December 1879 by The Salvation Army’s founder General William Booth. As The Salvation Army began operations in countries around the world, local editions followed.

The Salvation Army began in Australia in September 1880 in Adelaide and in 1883 the first local issues of Warcry began circulating. Recognising a need for an official Salvation Army publication for the whole of Australia, the Salvo headquarters in Melbourne printed the first official Australian Warcry on 16 June 1883.

Until early 2000, The Warcry was produced for both the general public and members of The Salvation Army, but in 2000 it was decided that the magazine should be aimed purely at non-Salvos. 

While many may remember it in a black and white newspaper format, the modern Warcry is a full-colour magazine, released weekly and nationally. It has a firmly entrenched place in the Australian print media landscape.

The name refers to the Salvos’ ‘war’ against evil influences in the world and we raise a ‘war cry’ against anything that crushes the human spirit.

Warcry can be picked up from Salvation Army facilities including churches, Salvos Stores, Employment Plus and community programs. It can also be ordered at www.warcry.org.au and delivered right to your letter box each week.

Related news

friends sharing a Christmas meal
30 July 2026

Christmas — ‘tis the season to be jolly and money savvy

Christmas can be a time of joy and celebration, but also stress. The pressure to spend, along with the laundry list of...
A Salvos officer offers a hot coffee to a man sitting against a graffiti-covered wall.
20 July 2026

How The Salvation Army helps people experiencing homelessness

Learn how The Salvation Army supports people experiencing homelessness through emergency relief, crisis accommodation,...
Jonathan Dyer, Program Manager of The Salvation Army’s Veteran Support Team.
15 July 2026

Finding home: why veteran-specific homelessness support matters  

People experiencing homelessness often face overlapping challenges including trauma, addiction and a lack of secure...