Royal Air Force Chaplains Branch

RAF Chaplains Branch badge

Active| 1 April 1918 – Present
Country|  United Kingdom
Branch|  Royal Air Force
Role| Chaplaincy
Motto(s)| Ministrare Non Ministrari
(Latin for To serve, not to be served)[1]
Commanders
Chaplain-in-Chief| Air Vice-Marshal Giles Legood
Insignia
Badge| Royal Air Force Chaplain Collar Insignia enlarged

Military unit

Royal Air Force
of the British Armed Forces
Components

* Royal Air Force

* Air Command
* Space Command
* Royal Air Force Regiment
* Royal Air Force Reserve
* Royal Air Force Medical Service
* Nursing Service (PMRAFNS)
* Chaplaincy
* Royal Air Force Police

* Special Forces

* Aviation Wing

History and future

* History of the Royal Air Force
* Future of the Royal Air Force

Aircraft

* Current aircraft
* Historic aircraft

Personnel

* Air Force Department
* Uniforms
* Officer / other rank insignia

Organisation

* Structure of the Royal Air Force
* List of Royal Air Force stations

Auxiliary services

* Royal Auxiliary Air Force
* Royal Auxiliary Air Force Regiment

* v
* t
* e

The Royal Air Force Chaplains Branch provides military chaplains for the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom.

## Mission

[edit]

The Mission of the Royal Air Force Chaplains Branch is to serve the RAF Community through: Prayer, Presence and Proclamation.[2] The motto of the branch Ministrare Non Ministrari translates as ..To serve, not to be served and is derived from Mark chapter 10: verse 45.[3]

## History

[edit]

The Reverend Harry Viener was invested as the first Chaplain-in-Chief on 11 October 1918[4] with the Chaplaincy branch officially established in December 1918.[5] Reverend Viener had been a Royal Naval Chaplain and was 'lent' to the Air Force by the Admiralty.[6] A Chaplaincy school was established at Magdalene College, Cambridge University in November 1943 with the motto of 'Truth'.[7] The Chaplaincy School was moved to Dowdeswell Court in Gloucestershire in February 1945. Thereafter it moved to Amport House in Hampshire in December 1961.[8] In September 2016, the Ministry of Defence announced that Amport House would be put up for sale as part of a programme of defence estate rationalisation. A Better Defence Estate, published in November 2016, indicated that the Armed Forces Chaplaincy would close by 2020, which it subsequently did.

## Training

[edit]

RAF chaplains receive training on the Specialist Officers Initial Training Course (SOITC) at RAF College Cranwell in Lincolnshire.[9] Both RAF chaplains and candidates receive training at the Armed Forces Chaplaincy Centre, the latter was located at Amport House until 2020.[10] The Armed Forces Chaplaincy Centre was relocated to Beckett House, Shrivenham, near Swindon. In 2020 The Reverend (Group Captain) Geoffrey Withers KHC was the first RAF Chaplain appointed Principal, Armed Forces Chaplaincy Centre Shrivenham.[11]

## Endorsing authorities

[edit]

To serve in the Chaplains Branch, chaplains and candidates must be endorsed by a religious body.[12] RAF commissioned chaplains are accepted from the various Christian denominations. The British military forces are also served by "tri-service chaplains" from other world faiths, including Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh.[13] In 2018, the first Sikh and Muslim military chaplains to join the British armed forces passed out from the Royal Air Force College Cranwell to join the RAF Chaplain's Branch.[14] In November 2023 the Ministry of Defence announced the intent to recruit Non-Religious Pastoral Support Officers into Chaplaincy in order to reflect the changing demographics of the United Kingdom and HM Forces.[1]

## Noncombatant status

[edit]

See: Military chaplain § Non-combatant status

## Chaplain-in-Chief

[edit]

See also: International Military Chiefs of Chaplains Conference

The RAF Chaplains Branch is led by a Chaplain-in-Chief.[15] Harry Viener was the first Chaplain-in-Chief. When the Chaplain-in-Chief is an Anglican, he or she is also the Archdeacon for the Royal Air Force – otherwise, the most senior Anglican chaplain takes that title along with that of Principal Anglican Chaplain.

* 1918–1926 Harry Viener CBE KHC[16]
* 1926–1930 Robert Hanson OBE KHC[17]
* 1930–1933 Sidney Clarke KHC[18][19]
* 1933–1940 James Walkey OBE KHC[19][20]
* 1940–1944 Maurice Edwards OBE KHC[20]
* 1944–1949 John Jagoe CBE KHC
* 1949–1953 Leslie Wright CBE KHC[21]
* 1953–1959: Alan Giles CB CBE QHC[22]
* 1959–1965 Francis Cocks CB QHC (first Archdeacon for the RAF)[23]
* 1965–1969 Wilfred Payton CB QHC[24]
* 1969–1973 Leonard Ashton CB QHC[25]
* 1973–1980 Hewitt Wilson CB QHC[26]
* 1980–1983 Herbert Stuart CB QHC[27]
* 1983–1988 Glyndwr Renowden CB QHC FRSA
* 1988–1991 Brian Halfpenny CB QHC FRSA[28]
* 1991–1995 Brian Lucas CB QHC FRSA[29]
* 1995–1998 Robin Turner CB DL QHC AKC[30]
* 1998–2001 Peter Bishop CB QHC FRSA
* 2001–2006 Ron Hesketh CB QHC FRGS[31]
* 2006–2009 Peter Mills CB QHC (Church of Scotland)
* Archdeacons for the Royal Air Force:
* 2006 onwards: Ray Pentland CB QHC[15][32][33]
* 2009–2014 (ret.): Ray Pentland[15][32][33]
* 2014 – 2018 Jonathan Chaffey CB QHC[34]
* 2018–2022 (ret.):[35] John Ellis CB QHC[36]
* 2022–present: Giles Legood MBE KHC AKC[35]

## World faith chaplains

[edit]

The Royal Air Force Chaplains Branch has 5 world faith chaplains as of October 2021:[37]

* Flt Lt. Mandeep Kaur (Sikh)[38]
* Mr Krishan Attri (Hindu)
* Sqn Ldr. Imam Ali Omar (Muslim)[39]
* Dr Sunil Kariyakarawana (Buddhist)
* Rabbi Reuben Livingstone CF (Jewish)

## Central Church of the Royal Air Force

[edit]

St Clement Danes Church is the Central Church of the Royal Air Force located in the City of Westminster, London.[40][41] For generations, members of the Royal Air Force family have enjoyed services of Holy Matrimony and Baptisms. Memorial and funeral serves have taken special place. These remain a strong feature today. The church holds the Books of Remembrance to all those who have died in service in the Royal Air Force.[41] The Friends of St Clement Danes support the work and ministry of the Central Church of the Royal Air Force. The Friend's Patron-in-Chief is Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester.[42]

### Resident Chaplain, St Clement Danes

[edit]

The following have served as Resident Chaplain of St Clement Danes:

* 1958–1959 Gerald Groves OBE QHC[43]
* 1959–1960 Hugh Rees QHC [44]
* 1960–1965 Tom Ryder QHC[45]
* 1965–1969 Leonard Ashton CB QHC[46]
* 1969–1971 Walter Pellant OBE QHC AKC[47]
* 1971–1976 Thomas Thomas QHC[48]
* 1976–1979 Glyndwr Renowden CB QHC FRSA[49]
* 1979–1982 Dennis Clark MBE QHC[50]
* 1982–1984 Raymond Hubble QHC[51]
* 1984–1987 Roger Kenward QHC[52]
* 1987–1989 Michael Stokes QHC[53]
* 1989–1991 William Sirr QHC[54]
* 1991–1993 Anthony Goode QHC[55]
* 1993–1995 George McAvoy MBE QHC[56]
* 1995–1997 Peter Bishop CB QHC FRSA
* 1997–2002 David Mackenzie QHC FRSA[57]
* 2002–2005 Christopher Long MBE QHC[58]
* 2005–2009 Thomas Lee QHC AKC FRSA[59]
* 2008–2010 Canon Adrian Gatrill[60]
* 2010–2022 David Osborn QHC AKC[61]
* 2022–present Mark Perry MStJ FRSA[62]

## Gallery

[edit]

* A padre in combat uniform

* Ray Pentland in service dress

## See also

[edit]

* RAF Chapel
* Royal Army Chaplains' Department
* Royal Navy Chaplaincy Service
* Bishop to the Forces (Anglican)
* Bishopric of the Forces (Roman Catholic)
* Military chaplain § United Kingdom
* Chaplain
* Category:Royal Air Force chaplains

## Footnotes

[edit]

1. ^ Mark 10–45
2. ^ See: About Us: Welcome webpage. RAF Chaplains Branch official website. Retrieved 10 September 2010.
3. ^ "The Royal Air Force, Chaplains Branch, 90th anniversary service" (PDF). Royal Air Force. Ministry of Defence. 27 November 2008. p. 9. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
4. ^ Pitchfork 2008, p. 318.
5. ^ Pitchfork 2008, p. 373.
6. ^ Pitchfork 2008, p. 163.
7. ^ Pine, L G (1983). A dictionary of mottoes. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. p. 237. ISBN 0-7100-9339-X.
8. ^ Johnson, Bruce R (2012). Sehnsucht: The C S Lewis journal 2011-2012. Wipf & Stock. pp. 97–98\. ISBN 9781620323861.
9. ^ "RAF Recruitment | Chaplain | Royal Air Force".
10. ^ Who we are: Amport House. RAF Chaplains Branch official website. Retrieved 10 September 2010.
11. ^ "Geoffrey Withers". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
12. ^ Endorsing Authorities. RAF Chaplains Branch official website. Retrieved 10 September 2010.
13. ^ World Faiths. RAF Chaplains Branch official website. Retrieved 10 September 2010.
14. ^ "First military Sikh Chaplain and Muslim Padre graduate from officer training". Royal Air Force. 14 December 2018. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
15. ^ a b c About Us: Welcome webpage. RAF Chaplains Branch official website. Retrieved 10 September 2010.
16. ^ "No. 31112". The London Gazette. 7 January 1919. p. 370.
17. ^ "No. 33215". The London Gazette. 26 October 1926. p. 6824.
18. ^ "No. 33671". The London Gazette. 19 December 1930. p. 8158.
19. ^ a b "No. 34004". The London Gazette. 12 December 1933. p. 8052.
20. ^ a b "No. 34831". The London Gazette. 16 April 1940. p. 2248.
21. ^ "No. 38573". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 March 1949. p. 1590.
22. ^ "No. 39843". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 May 1953. p. 2493.
23. ^ "No. 41664". The London Gazette (Supplement). 24 March 1959. p. 1981.
24. ^ "No. 43599". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 March 1965. p. 2629.
25. ^ "No. 44661". The London Gazette (Supplement). 27 August 1968. p. 9354.
26. ^ "No. 45873". The London Gazette (Supplement). 9 January 197. p. 375.
27. ^ "No. 48294". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 September 1980. p. 12378.
28. ^ "No. 51393". The London Gazette (Supplement). 27 June 1988. p. 7429.
29. ^ "No. 52615". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 July 1991. p. 11601.
30. ^ "No. 54140". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 August 1995. p. 11767.
31. ^ "No. 56340". The London Gazette (Supplement). 25 September 2001. p. 11210.
32. ^ a b "Pentland, Ven. Raymond Jackson, (born 14 July 1957), Archdeacon, 2006–14, and Director General Chaplaincy Services Headquarters Air Command and Chaplain-in-Chief, 2009–14, Royal Air Force". WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO.
33. ^ a b RAF Chaplains – Ven Ray Pentland (Retrieved 7 June 2012)
34. ^ "Chaplain-in-Chief (Designate)". RAF Chaplains. Royal Air Force. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
35. ^ a b "Appointments". Church Times. No. 8314\. 22 July 2022. p. 23\. ISSN 0009-658X. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
36. ^ "RAF Senior Appointments". Royal Air Force. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
37. ^ "RAF Chaplains". Royal Air Force. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
38. ^ "Flight Lieutenant Mandeep Kaur Becomes First Sikh Padre To Join Royal Air Force Chaplain's Branch". Sikh Channel. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
39. ^ "Imam Ali Omar commissioned as a Squadron Leader". National Muslim War Memorial Trust. 2 April 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
40. ^ https://www.raf.mod.uk/our-organisation/units/st-clement-danes-church// RAF MOD official website. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
41. ^ a b Rice, David. "St Clement Danes Church". St Clement Danes Church. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
42. ^ https://www.raf.mod.uk/our-organisation/units/st-clement-danes-church/friends-of-st-clement-danes// RAF MOD official website. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
43. ^ "Gerald Groves". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
44. ^ "Hugh Rees". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
45. ^ "Tom Ryder". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
46. ^ "Leonard Ashton". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
47. ^ "Walter Pellant". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
48. ^ "Thomas Thomas". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
49. ^ "Glyndwr Renowden". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
50. ^ "Dennis Clark". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
51. ^ "Hubble Raymond". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
52. ^ "Roger Kenward". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
53. ^ "Michael Stokes". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
54. ^ "William Sirr". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
55. ^ "Anthony Goode". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
56. ^ "George McAvoy". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
57. ^ "Anthony Mackenzie". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
58. ^ "Christopher Long". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
59. ^ "Thomas Lee". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
60. ^ "Adrian Gatrill". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
61. ^ "David Osborn". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
62. ^ "Mark Perry". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 25 August 2022.

### Bibliography

[edit]

* Pitchfork, Graham (Air Cdre (Ret'd)). The Royal Air Force Day by Day. Stroud, UK: History Press, 2008. ISBN 978-0-7509-4309-3.

## External links

[edit]

* RAF Chaplains official website
* Careers: Jobs: Chaplain. RAF Careers official website
* RAF MOD St Clement Danes Church. RAF MOD official website for St Clement Danes
* St Clement Danes Church. RAF St Clement Danes official website

* v
* t
* e

Royal Air Force

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* v
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Royal Air Force Chaplains-in-Chief

* Harry Viener
* Robert Hanson
* Sidney Clarke
* James Walkey
* Maurice Edwards
* John Jagoe
* Leslie Wright
* Alan Giles
* Francis Cocks
* Wilfred Payton
* Leonard Ashton
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* Jonathan Chaffey
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* Giles Legood

Archdeacons for the RAF (since 2001)|

* Ron Hesketh, Chaplain-in-Chief
* Ray Pentland, Principal Anglican Chaplain
* Ray Pentland, Chaplain-in-Chief
* Jonathan Chaffey, Chaplain-in-Chief
* John Ellis, Chaplain-in-Chief
* Giles Legood, Chaplain-in-Chief

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