1. The holyland-Jerusalem.
The number of Christians in Europe and the Mediterranean was increasing. Many pilgrims went to the holyland. During their journey to the East, there was bound to be injuries and sicknesses among the pilgrims. The need of a service of a hospice (lodging maintained by a religious order) therefore arose.

2. Islam in the Arabian countries.
There were often fighting between the Christians and the Moslems (Muslims), especially over the occupation of the Holyland.

3. Pirates in the Mediterranean Sea.
The journey to Jerusalem was at all times fraught with danger from pirates by the sea and robbers on land.

The Holyland
The date of the origin of the order of St. John is lost in legend, but it is known that about A.D. 600, a hospice for pilgrims was established in Jerusalem by an Abbot named Probus on the instructions of Pope Gregory the Great. This hospice was rebuilt and enlarged by Emperor Charlemagne. It was later destroyed by the Moslems early in the eleventh century (1010), but soon afterwards was again rebuilt by some merchants from the Italian Republic of Amalfi.

When the First Crusades captured Jerusalem in 1099, the hospice was maintained by Benedictine monks under their Rector Gerald, known to history as the Blessed Gerald. Many Crusades were nursed back to health in the hospital and in gratitude lavished gifts upon it. As a result, Gerald was able to found the New Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem, which was recognised by Pope Paschal II in 1113.

Gerald's successor, Raymond du Puy, who first took the title of Master of the Hospital, instituted a new class of military Brethren to help the Knight Templars in protecting the Kingdom of Jerusalem. From that time onwards, there were three main classes of Brethren of the Hospital: the Knights, the Chaplains, and the Serving Brothers. The Hospitallers, however, never neglected the original purpose for which the order had been founded, namely to care for the sick and to succour (aid given in time of need) the poor and the homeless.

Name Of The Order
The Most Venerable Order Of The Hospital Of The St John Jerusalem.

Original Purpose And Aim Of The Order
To care for the sick and to succour (aid given in time of need) for the poor and the homeless.

By the end of the twelfth century, the knights of the Hospital had won undying fame and their renown for valour stood as high as that of their great comrades and rivals the Knights Templar. These two powerful Orders constituted the main defence of the Holy Land for nearly two centuries until its evacuation by the Christians after the fall of Acre in 1291.

Notes
1. The Crusades
The military expeditions which Christians undertook from the end of 11th to the end of the 13th century to recover the Holy Land from the Moslems.

2.Knights Templars
Members of the religions military Order established by the Crusaders at Jerusalem in 1118 to project pilgrims and the Holy sepulchre (burial vault).

3.Knights Hospitallers
Members of the military religions order established by the Order of St John to care for the sick, needy and also to help the Knights Templars to protect the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

Cyprus
After their heavy losses at the siege of Acre, the few surviving Knights of St John escaped to Cyprus and made their headquarters for nineteen years in Cyprus, and from there continued to wage war on the Saracens by sea.

Rhodes
In 1310, under their Master Fulk de Villaret, the Knights captured Rhodes, where they built a new hospital and fortified the city. In 1312, Pope Clement V dissolved the Order of the Templars and transferred the possessions of the Templars to the Order of St John, thereby greatly increasing its wealth and power.

The Hospitallers held Rhodes for over 200 years, and there underwent two great sieges. In the first, under Grand Master Peter d' Aubusson, the Knights forced the Turks to abandon the siege. In the second, however, in 1522, after a most gallant defence lasting nearly six months, Grand Master de L' Isle Adam decided to surrender in order to save the civil population from massacre.

As a mark of respect for the gallantry of the defenders, the young Sultan Suleiman granted most honourable terms and allowed the remnant of the proud Order to leave in their own ships, taking with them many of their possessions.

Malta
For the next few years, the Order had no settled home, until when in 1530 the Emperor Charles V granted the island of Malta. The Hospitallers held the island for nearly 270 years and during this period became known as the Knights of Malta. It was there that the navy of the Order won further renown in many engagements with the Barbary Corsairs who infested the Mediterranean.

In 1565, under the inspiring leadership of Grand Master John de la Vallette, the Knights withstood another great siege by the Turks, holding out for four months until relief arrived from Sicily. At this siege, few English Knights were present, as the Grand Priory of the Order in England had been dissolved by Henry VIII in 1540.

St. John Baptist Day
The St. John Baptist Day falls on June 24 of every year.

The Priory of Clerkenwell
For purposes of administration the vast estates and possessions of the Order in the countries of Western Europe were divided into Priories and Commanderies, which helped to provide the funds and supplies needed for the defence of the Holy Land, and later of Rhodes and Malta. About 1144, the English Branch of the Order was granted some land at Clerkenwell on the outskirts of the city of London, and there, the Knights built the Priory which was their headquarters in this country throughout the Middle Ages. The Gate House of the Priory, rebuilt in 1504, is still standing and is today the chancery of the Order of St John in the British Realm.

Subordinate to the Grand Priory of England there was also a Grand Priory (head of a religious house) of Ireland and a Priory of Scotland.

Dissolution And Restoration
At the time of the suppression of the monasteries by Henry VIII the Grand Priory of England was also dissolved, and the rich estates of the Order were confiscated. Under Queen Mary England temporarily returned to the church of Rome, and in 1557, the Queen issued letters reviving the Order and restoring its estates. Those letters were never revoked, but Elizabeth I again confiscated the estates, and nearly for three centuries, the Order remained titular.

In 1831, though the good officers of a group of Knights, the Order was revived and the English committee elected the Reverend Sir Robert Peat to be the Prior of the Tongue of England. Because of religious differences, however, despite prolonged negotiation, the revived English Tongue was refused recogition by the parent body, the Sovereign Order of the Knights of Malta in Rome, and therefore developed independently.

The British Order In The Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries
In the later parts of the nineteenth century, the order of St. John in England was very active in the development of Ambulance, First Aid and Nursing work both in war and peace, and also played a leading part in the foundation of the British Red Cross society.

In 1874, the life-saving medal of the Order was instituted, while in 1877 the St. John Association was founded, and ten years later, the St. John Ambulance; meanwhile, in 1882, the Ophthalmic Hospital had been established in Jerusalem. The first division of the St. John Ambulance overseas was formed at Dunedin in New Zealand in 1892, followed by division at Cape Town and Rondebosch, South Africa, the following year.

During the twentieth century, these charitable activities of the Order increased tenfold and have been extended to every part of the Commonwealth.

Royal Charters
The Order first came under royal patronage when H.R.H. the Princes of Wales, later Queen Alexandra, became a lady of Justice. A few years later, in 1888, Queen Victoria granted the first royal charter. The Queen became the sovereign head of the Order and the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII was appointed the Grand Prior. Since that time, the reigning monarch has always been the sovereign head, and the Grand Prior has always been a member of the royal family.

In 1907, King Edward VII granted a supplementary charter to enable the Order to establish priories within the Empire, while later King George V granted a new Royal charter by which the title of, "Grand Priory of England" was changed to that of "Grand Priory in the British Realm", and at the same time, as an outward sign of its ancient origin, the honourable prefix of "Venerable" (deserving of respect) was added to the title.

The Order is governed in accordance with powers granted by the charters and the provisions of statutes made by virtue of such powers.

The headquarters of the Order are St. John's Gate Clerkenwell, where there are still many trances of the ancient fabric of the Priory of Clerkenwell. Separate and largely autonomous branches exist in all the principal Commonwealth countries and in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The charitable work of the Order is now expressed principally through two foundations:

1. The St. John Ophthalmic Hospital in Jerusalem founded in 1882 and rebuilt in 1960 is designed to serve as a consulting Ophthalmic Hospital for the Middle East. It gives free treatment every year to very large numbers of patients who come to it from far and wide.
2. The St. John Ambulance Association and Bridage, or in short St. John Ambulance, operate throughout the Commonwealth and in some other countries too. Its objectives are to spread a knowledge of First Aid, Nursing and all allied subjects as widely as possible amongst the general public and industry and to provide a voluntary practical service in these subjects for the community. To these ends it organizes classes and examinations, issues government-recognised certificates to successful candidates, arranges competitions, publishes textbooks, and develops training aids.

The practical service is provided by uniformed and trained volunteers - men, women and cadets - who accept a code of discipline and give up their time to be on duty whenever crowds collect and casualties may be expected.

The Grand Priory In The British Realm Of The Most Venerable Order Of The Hospital Of St John Of Jerusalem
The Objects Of The Order
The encouragement of all that makes for the moral and spiritual strengthening of mankind in accordance with the first great principal of the Order of embodied in its motto 'Pro Fide' (For the Faith).

The encouragement and promotion of all works of humanity and charity for the relief of persons in sickness, distress, suffering and danger, without distinction of race, or creed, and the extension of the second great principle of the Order, embodied in its motto 'Pro Utilitate Hominum' (For the Service Of Mankind).

The Great Officers Of The Order
Her Majesty The Queen Is The Sovereign Head Of The Order
The Grand Prior
The Lord Prior
The Prelate
The Chancellor
The Bailiff of Egle

The Grand Prior, under the Sovereign Head, is supreme over the Order and all its establishments, Members and Associations.

The supreme governing body of the Order, under the Sovereign Head and subject to the Grand Prior's right of veto, is the chapter-General. It consists of the Great Officers and other Bailiffs Grand Crors the Priors, the Executive Officers, certain Knights and representatives of the other grades of the Order. A smaller body which can be summoned more easily is the Council. It is primarily the advisory body of the chapter-General, but may also act for it in all matters of routine or urgency.

The Executive Officers Of The Order
The Chancellor
The Secretary-General
The Receiver-General (The Chief Financial Officer)
The Director-General of the St. John Ambulance Association
The Hospitaller (responsible for the control of the Ophthalmic Hospital at Jerusalem)
The Almoner
The Librarian
The Registrar
The Genealogist
The Director of Ceremonies
The Commissioner-in-Chief of the St. John Ambulance Brigade

The Order And Its Foundation
The Grand Prior
The Lord Prior
The Chapter-General
The Council

The Foundations Of The Order
There are three foundations of the Order, namely:

1. The St. John Ophthalmic Hospital at Jerusalem, founded in 1882 and recently rebuilt on a new site in the Kingdom of Jordan, outside the old city of Jerusalem, was formally opened in 1960.
2. The St. John Ambulance Association, established in 1877, the teaching body of the order.
3. The St. John Ambulance Brigade, established in 1887. In 1961, the total strength of the Brigade in the United Kingdom and overseas, including both adults and cadets, was over 250,000.

The Grades Of The Order

Admission To The Order
The names of the members for admission to the Order or for promotion to a higher grade, are recommended to the Grand Prior by the Chapter-General and, if approved by him, are submitted for sanction to the Sovereign. New members must take a Declaration of Allegiance and sign the Homage Roll. They are then, in due course, formally invested with the badge or insignia of their grade by the Grand Prior or by the Lord Prior acting as his deputy. On rare occasions of special importance investitures may be held by the sovereign.

The Objects Of The Brigade

The Objects Of The Cadet Divisions

1. To provide opportunities for boys and girls to learn and practise First Aid, Home Nursing, and other subjects conducive to the training of good citizens.
2. To encourage young people to follow the way of life exemplified in the Cadet Code of chivalry.
3. To develop the spirit of combined effort while giving due consideration to the personality, of the individual cadet.
4. To promote Health.
5. To encourage among young people a full and enterprising use of leisure by providing all the facilities of a National Youth Organisation.
6. To lay the foundation for membership of the Ambulance and Nursing Divisions of the Brigade.

Cadet Code Of Chivalry

1. To serve God.
2. To be loyal to the Queen and my Officers.
3. To observe the mottoes of the Order which are 'Pro Fide' - For the Faith, and 'Pro Utilitate Hominum' - For the Service of Mankind.
4. To be through in work and play.
5. To be truthful and just in all things.
6. To be cheerful and prompt in all I do.
7. To help the suffering and needy.
8. To be kind to all animals.

Priory For South Africa
Priory Of New Zealand
Priory Of Canada
Priory In Australia
Commandery In Western Australia
Commandery In Central Africa

Other Overseas Countries

A. Independent Nations
Bahamas
Bangladesh
Barbados
Brunei
Cyprus
Fiji
Ghana
Grenada
Guyana
India
Jamaica
Kenya
Malawi
Malaysia
Malta
Mauritius
Nepal
Nigeria
Pakistan
Papua New Guinea
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
South Yemen
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Swaziland
Tanzania
Trinidad and Tobago
Uganda
Zambia

B. Associated States
Antigua
Dominica
St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla
St. Lucia
St. Vincent

C. Other Overseas Territories
Bermuda
Belize
British Virgin Islands
Gibraltar
Hong Kong
Monserrat