Separation from everything and everyone.
Except Rob.
Since birth, one of the few constants in Eric’s life had been his older brother. But as the boys grew into young adulthood, even Rob had left him, after graduating from London’s Eltham College—an elementary through high school educational institution for the sons of missionaries.
By this point, Rob and Eric had only seen their parents—along with Jenny and their younger brother, Ernest—a handful of times since arriving at school. And while their relationships with their immediate family had been maintained by letters passed between China and Great Britain, their relationship to each other had been set on a firm foundation of scholastics, faith, and sports, first in Blackheath in their elementary years and then at Eltham in 1912.
Back then, like their classmates, the Liddell brothers—known as Liddell i and Liddell ii—could not have been more delighted to move out of the drafty dormitories of Blackheath and into a larger, newer, and more advanced facility, a facility made up of more than brick and mortar. This facility sported a real game field—acreage of green grass that would change the course of young Eric’s life.
Excelling at sports was one thing. Academically, Eric’s bulb had never shone the brightest. But as he developed, his mind gravitated toward chemistry, thanks in part to one of his instructors, D. H. Burleigh. Through Master Burleigh’s teaching, Eric learned that his young Christian mind did not have to be at odds with the scientific world and that God and his creation have a unique parent-child relationship.
Another teacher who had long-lasting impact on Eric was A. P. Cullen, better known by faculty and students as simply “Cullen.”
Back in the early days, Cullen often said (with a chuckle) that he believed Eric wasn’t as angelic as he appeared to be, because of Eric’s bent toward mischief-making. But what he could never have known—or begun to figure out—was that he would be the only nonrelative Eric Liddell interacted with through the three major phases of his life: childhood, young-adult athletics, and the missionary years in China during World War II.
It was Cullen who was with Eric in his childhood . . . and it was Cullen who would be with Eric in the days of war and imprisonment.
In Eric’s mind, Rob had been the real sportsman all along; Eric had only played in his brother’s shadow. But once Rob left Eltham for the University of Edinburgh to study for a medical degree, Eric’s talents in rugby and cricket rose to new levels.
Of the two sports, Eric tended to favor rugby. Schoolmates couldn’t help but take notice. The life Eric had led—whether knowingly or unknowingly—in his brother’s shadow was swiftly coming to a close as he began to outstrip Rob.
“Get the ball to Eric,” teammates said, because they knew if Eric had the ball, the win belonged to them.
So while the high school student may not have shone in the classroom, on the grassy field his star made a slow ascent—so much so that during his final year at Eltham, Eric broke the 11-second barrier in the 100-yard sprint, and his running times began to flirt with some of the 100-yard sprinting records, not only in England but also in the world.
Popularity—something Eric had always enjoyed—gave way to celebrity.
Despite the sudden acclaim, however, Eric remained remarkably modest without change to his character. As his star climbed ever higher, he seemed to already display a keen sense that there were more important issues in life on which to focus.
Because when Eric wasn’t busy with sports and studies, his focus zeroed in on the other constant in his life—church.
The Liddells were members of a Congregational church, a smaller and lesser-known church body compared to the much larger Scottish Presbyterian Church. Eric had picked up portions of his parents’ Congregationalist doctrine in China, but in Scotland he found himself immersed in its rhythm, traditions, and instruction.
Compared to the state religion, Scottish Congregationalists, by profession, were much more ecumenical in nature and had no issue mixing with other varieties of Christianity. Independence and freedom in Christ were important virtues for Scottish Congregationalists, and in that Eric was no exception.
In March 1920, Eric moved out of Eltham and in with Rob. Once again, the Liddell brothers were under the same roof. But a larger blessing was that their mother, along with Jenny and Ernest, was set to arrive within the month, and James would follow soon thereafter.
Mary’s role in arriving early was to secure and create a home for her family. Five years earlier, when Rob and Eric had said their last good-bye to their parents and siblings, they’d been two schoolboys. Now as grown men they would meet the woman who had brought them into the world. And this time, one of them—Rob—would have a young woman at his side.
Nerves plagued him. Ria Aitken had become more than a passing flirtation. Ria, he hoped, would one day become his bride. The family’s acceptance of her, therefore, was critical.
The family moved in to their furnished flat at 21 Gillespie Crescent in Edinburgh and began reacquainting themselves. Eric managed to find a French tutor to aid him in passing the last of his classes. He also took a job as a farmhand just outside the city. Each morning, long before the rooster crowed, Eric hopped on his newly purchased bicycle and pedaled to the farm where he put in a hard day’s work. In the evenings, he returned home to a family he loved dearly but from whom he had learned to live apart, despite that affection.
By autumn the Liddell family moved to Merchiston Place and began worshiping