Royal Air Force Chaplains Branch Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids 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)
Commanders
Chaplain-in-Chief	Air Vice-Marshal Giles Legood
Insignia
Badge	Royal Air Force Chaplain Collar Insignia enlarged

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

Mission
History
Training
Endorsing authorities
Noncombatant status
Chaplain-in-Chief
World faith chaplains
Central Church of the Royal Air Force
Resident Chaplain
Gallery
See also

Mission

The Mission of the Royal Air Force Chaplains Branch is to serve the RAF Community through: Prayer, Presence and Proclamation. 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.

History

The Reverend Harry Viener was invested as the first Chaplain-in-Chief on 11 October 1918 with the Chaplaincy branch officially established in December 1918. Reverend Viener had been a Royal Naval Chaplain and was 'lent' to the Air Force by the Admiralty. A Chaplaincy school was established at Magdalene College, Cambridge University in November 1943 with the motto of 'Truth'. The Chaplaincy School was moved to Dowdeswell Court in Gloucestershire in February 1945. Thereafter it moved to Amport House in Hampshire in December 1961. 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

RAF chaplains receive training on the Specialist Officers Initial Training Course (SOITC) at RAF College Cranwell in Lincolnshire. Both RAF chaplains and candidates receive training at the Armed Forces Chaplaincy Centre, the latter was located at Amport House until 2020. 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.

Endorsing authorities

To serve in the Chaplains Branch, chaplains and candidates must be endorsed by a religious body. 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. The RAF also has an honorary Jewish chaplain, Rabbi Malcolm Weisman, who holds the position of Senior Jewish Chaplain to HM Forces. 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.

Noncombatant status

See: Military chaplain § Non-combatant status

Chaplain-in-Chief

The RAF Chaplains Branch is led by a Chaplain-in-Chief. 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
1926–1930 Robert Hanson OBE KHC
1930–1933 Sidney Clarke KHC
1933–1940 James Walkey OBE KHC
1940–1944 Maurice Edwards OBE KHC
1944–1949 John Jagoe CBE KHC
1949–1953 Leslie Wright CBE KHC
1953–1959: Alan Giles CB CBE QHC
1959–1965 Francis Cocks CB QHC (first Archdeacon for the RAF)
1965–1969 Wilfred Payton CB QHC
1969–1973 Leonard Ashton CB QHC
1973–1980 Hewitt Wilson CB QHC
1980–1983 Herbert Stuart CB QHC
1983–1988 Glyndwr Renowden CB QHC FRSA
1988–1991 Brian Halfpenny CB QHC FRSA
1991–1995 Brian Lucas CB QHC FRSA
1995–1998 Robin Turner CB DL QHC AKC
1998–2001 Peter Bishop CB QHC FRSA
2001–2006 Ron Hesketh CB QHC FRGS
2006–2009 Peter Mills CB QHC (Church of Scotland)
- Archdeacons for the Royal Air Force:
- 2006 onwards: Ray Pentland CB QHC
2009 – 2014 (ret.): Ray Pentland
2014 – 2018 Jonathan Chaffey CB QHC
2018 – 2022 (ret.): John Ellis CB QHC
2022 – present Giles Legood MBE KHC AKC

World faith chaplains

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

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

Central Church of the Royal Air Force

St Clement Danes Church is the Central Church of the Royal Air Force located in the City of Westminster, London. 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. 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.

Resident Chaplain

1958–1959 Gerald Groves OBE QHC
1959–1960 Hugh Rees QHC
1960–1965 Tom Ryder QHC
1965–1969 Leonard Ashton CB QHC
1969–1971 Walter Pellant OBE QHC AKC
1971–1976 Thomas Thomas QHC
1976–1979 Glyndwr Renowden CB QHC FRSA
1979–1982 Dennis Clark MBE QHC
1982–1984 Raymond Hubble QHC
1984–1987 Roger Kenward QHC
1987–1989 Michael Stokes QHC
1989–1991 William Sirr QHC
1991–1993 Anthony Goode QHC
1993–1995 George McAvoy MBE QHC
1995–1997 Peter Bishop CB QHC FRSA
1997–2002 David Mackenzie QHC FRSA
2002–2005 Christopher Long MBE QHC
2005–2009 Thomas Lee QHC AKC FRSA
2008–2010 Adrian Gatrill
2010–2022 David Osborn QHC AKC
2022–present Mark Perry MStJ FRSA

Gallery

A padre in combat uniform
Ray Pentland in service dress

Royal Air Force Chaplains Branch facts for kids

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