Royal Air Force Chaplains Branch

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

Royal Air Force Chaplains Branch
RAF Chaplains Branch badge
Active1 April 1918 – Present
Country United Kingdom
Branch Royal Air Force
RoleChaplaincy
Motto(s)Ministrare Non Ministrari
(Latin for To serve, not to be served)[1]
Commanders
Chaplain-in-ChiefAir Vice-Marshal Giles Legood
Insignia
BadgeRoyal Air Force Chaplain Collar Insignia enlarged

Mission

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

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

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

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] The RAF also has an honorary Jewish chaplain, Rabbi Malcolm Weisman, who holds the position of Senior Jewish Chaplain to HM Forces.[14][15] 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.[16]

Noncombatant status
See: Military chaplain § Non-combatant status

Chaplain-in-Chief
See also: International Military Chiefs of Chaplains Conference

The RAF Chaplains Branch is led by a Chaplain-in-Chief.[17] 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.

World faith chaplains

The Royal Air Force Chaplains Branch has 5 world faith chaplains as of October 2021:[39]

  • Flt Lt. Mandeep Kaur (Sikh)[40]
  • Mr Krishan Attri (Hindu)
  • Sqn Ldr. Imam Ali Omar (Muslim)[41]
  • 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.[42][43] 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.[43] 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.[44]

Resident Chaplain

See also

Footnotes
  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. . RAF Chaplains Branch official website. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  15. . Military Chaplaincy: Christian and Jewish Perspectives. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  16. "First military Sikh Chaplain and Muslim Padre graduate from officer training". Royal Air Force. 14 December 2018. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  17. About Us: Welcome webpage. RAF Chaplains Branch official website. Retrieved 10 September 2010.
  18. "No. 31112". The London Gazette. 7 January 1919. p. 370.
  19. "No. 33215". The London Gazette. 26 October 1926. p. 6824.
  20. "No. 33671". The London Gazette. 19 December 1930. p. 8158.
  21. "No. 34004". The London Gazette. 12 December 1933. p. 8052.
  22. "No. 34831". The London Gazette. 16 April 1940. p. 2248.
  23. "No. 38573". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 March 1949. p. 1590.
  24. "No. 39843". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 May 1953. p. 2493.
  25. "No. 41664". The London Gazette (Supplement). 24 March 1959. p. 1981.
  26. "No. 43599". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 March 1965. p. 2629.
  27. "No. 44661". The London Gazette (Supplement). 27 August 1968. p. 9354.
  28. "No. 45873". The London Gazette (Supplement). 9 January 197. p. 375.
  29. "No. 48294". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 September 1980. p. 12378.
  30. "No. 51393". The London Gazette (Supplement). 27 June 1988. p. 7429.
  31. "No. 52615". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 July 1991. p. 11601.
  32. "No. 54140". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 August 1995. p. 11767.
  33. "No. 56340". The London Gazette (Supplement). 25 September 2001. p. 11210.
  34. "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.
  35. RAF Chaplains – Ven Ray Pentland (Retrieved 7 June 2012)
  36. "Chaplain-in-Chief (Designate)". RAF Chaplains. Royal Air Force. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  37. "Appointments". Church Times. No. 8314. 22 July 2022. p. 23. ISSN 0009-658X. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  38. "RAF Senior Appointments". Royal Air Force. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
  39. "RAF Chaplains". Royal Air Force. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  40. "Flight Lieutenant Mandeep Kaur Becomes First Sikh Padre To Join Royal Air Force Chaplain's Branch". Sikh Channel. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  41. https://www.muslimwarmemorial.org/imam-ali-omar-commissioned-as-a-squadron-leader// muslim war memorial website. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  42. https://www.raf.mod.uk/our-organisation/units/st-clement-danes-church// RAF MOD official website. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  43. https://stclementdanesraf.org// RAF St Clement Danes official website. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  44. 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.
  45. "Gerald Groves". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
  46. "Hugh Rees". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
  47. "Tom Ryder". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  48. "Leonard Ashton". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  49. "Walter Pellant". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  50. "Thomas Thomas". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  51. "Glyndwr Renowden". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  52. "Dennis Clark". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  53. "Hubble Raymond". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  54. "Roger Kenward". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  55. "Michael Stokes". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  56. "William Sirr". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  57. "Anthony Goode". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  58. "George McAvoy". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  59. "Anthony Mackenzie". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  60. "Christopher Long". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  61. "Thomas Lee". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  62. "Adrian Gatrill". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  63. "David Osborn". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  64. "Mark Perry". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 25 August 2022.

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