The Volunteer Missionary Movement (VMM) archive has found a home in the Mill Hill Missionaries Central Archive in Freshfield, Liverpool, being previously housed at 1 Victoria Road, Mill Hill, All Hallows London Colney, then with the Comboni Missionaries in Sunningdale, Berkshire, at various locations in and around Dublin, including All Hallows, and finally in Liverpool Hope University. In the early days, the Mill Hill Missionaries and Missionaries of Africa played an important role in the formation of Volunteer Missionaries at St Joseph’s College and the Missionaries of Africa house in Totteridge. Many VMM collaborated with members of Mill Hill and the Missionaries of Africa in the proclamation of the Gospel; so it is fitting after all that the VMM archives rests in Freshfield.
Between 1969-2021 when the VMM closed its doors, over 3000 volunteer missionaries served the worldwide Church. Contracts were of two years duration and VMM appointments to missions was based on a skills basis whereby men and women with trades and professions were matched with the requirements and requests of mission churches and institutions.
The VMM archive comprises reports and photographs from countries of appointments, mainly in East and West Africa, but also in Asia and South America, field-trip reports from the 1980s, records of some fifty-one VMM groups, and of course, newspaper articles and cuttings on the VMM founder, Edwina Gateley.
Curating the VMM archive commences shortly, and thereafter, will be available to researchers.
Stephen Giles MHM
Archivist
