| Royal Air Force Chaplains Branch | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 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 |
The Royal Air Force Chaplains Branch provides military chaplains for the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom.
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]
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.
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]
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.
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.
The Royal Air Force Chaplains Branch has 5 world faith chaplains as of October 2021: [37]
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]
The following have served as Resident Chaplain of St Clement Danes:
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St Clement Danes is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London. It is situated outside the Royal Courts of Justice on the Strand. Although the first church on the site was reputedly founded in the 9th century by the Danes, the current building was completed in 1682 by Sir Christopher Wren. Wren's building was gutted by Luftwaffe bombing raids during the Blitz and not restored until 1958, when it was adapted to its current function as the central church of the Royal Air Force.
John Green, is a Church of England priest and former Royal Navy chaplain. He was Chaplain of the Fleet, Director General of the Naval Chaplaincy Service and Archdeacon for the Royal Navy from 2006 to 2010. He was Archdeacon Pastor in the Diocese of Coventry from 2012 until his retirement in 2017.
Leonard James Ashton, was an English Anglican bishop and military chaplain. He was the inaugural Bishop in Cyprus and the Gulf, serving from 1976 to 1983. He had previously spent most of his ordained ministry serving in the Chaplains Branch of the Royal Air Force, and rose to become its Chaplain-in-Chief.
An Honorary Chaplain to the King (KHC) is a member of the clergy within the United Kingdom who, through long and distinguished service, is appointed to minister to the monarch of the United Kingdom. When the reigning monarch is female, Honorary Chaplains are known as Honorary Chaplains to the Queen (QHC). As of 2008 there are 33 appointees. They are also known as Honorary Chaplains to the Sovereign.
Raymond Harcourt Roberts was a Welsh Anglican priest and Royal Navy chaplain. He served as Chaplain of the Fleet and Archdeacon of the Royal Navy from 1980 to 1984.
Raymond Jackson Pentland, is a British Church of England priest. He is a retired military chaplain, having served as Chaplain-in-Chief of the Royal Air Force and head of its Chaplains Branch from 2009 to 2014.
Jonathan Paul Michael Chaffey is a British Church of England priest and former military chaplain, who served with the Royal Air Force. He serves as Archdeacon of Oxford in the same diocese; from 2014 to 2018 he served as the Chaplain-in-Chief and head of the Royal Air Force Chaplains Branch. He previously served as Deputy Chaplain-in-Chief.
Stephen Robbins is a British Church of England priest and former British Army officer. He is bishop's chaplain to Nick Holtam, Bishop of Salisbury. He was previously the most senior military chaplain in the British Army, serving as Chaplain-General from 2008 to 2011.
Ian James Wheatley, is a British Anglican priest and former Royal Navy officer. From 2014 to 2018, he has served as Chaplain of the Fleet, the senior military chaplain of the Royal Navy: he had also served as Deputy Chaplain of the Fleet and Principal Anglican Chaplain from 2012 to 2014.
Luke Jonathan Miller is a Church of England priest. Since January 2016, he has been Archdeacon of London. From 2010 until 2015, he was Archdeacon of Hampstead in the Diocese of London. He is an executive officer of the Society of Mary, an Anglican devotional society.
Martin George Poll, is a British Church of England priest and former Royal Navy chaplain. Since 2012, he has been the Canon Chaplain of St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, and Domestic Chaplain to the Queen. From 2010 to 2012, he was Archdeacon for the Royal Navy and Principal Anglican Chaplain of the Royal Navy Chaplaincy Services.
Ronald David Hesketh, is a British Anglican priest and retired military chaplain. From 2001 to 2006, he served as Chaplain-in-Chief, and thereby head of the Royal Air Force Chaplains Branch, and Archdeacon for the Royal Air Force.
Anthony Peter Bishop, CB, QHC, FRSA is a British Anglican priest and retired military chaplain. In 1995 to 1998 he was appointed Resident Chaplain of St Clement Danes in London, the central church of the Royal Air Force. From 1998 to 2001, he served as Chaplain-in-Chief, and thereby head of the Royal Air Force Chaplains Branch, and Archdeacon for the Royal Air Force.
Peter Robin Turner, CB, DL, QHC, AKC was a British Anglican priest and military chaplain. From 1995 to 1998, he served as Chaplain-in-Chief, and thereby head of the Royal Air Force Chaplains Branch, and Archdeacon for the Royal Air Force.
Brian Humphrey Lucas is a British Anglican priest and retired military chaplain.
Brian Norman Halfpenny, CB, QHC, FRSA is a British Anglican priest and retired military chaplain. From 1988 to 1991, he served as Chaplain-in-Chief, and thereby head of the Royal Air Force Chaplains Branch, and Archdeacon for the Royal Air Force.
Barry Keith Hammett, is a Church of England priest and former Royal Navy chaplain. He was Chaplain of the Fleet, Director General of the Naval Chaplaincy Service and Archdeacon for the Royal Navy from 2002 to 2006.
Clinton Matthew Langston, is a British Anglican priest and military chaplain. He served as Chaplain General of the Royal Army Chaplains' Department, British Army between 2018 and 2022, and as Archdeacon for the Army in the Church of England between 2017 and 2022. He was previously Deputy Chaplain General from 2017 to 2018.
Air Vice-Marshal John Raymond Ellis, is a British Anglican priest and former police officer. Between July 2018 and July 2022 he served as Chaplain-in-Chief of the Royal Air Force Chaplains Branch and Archdeacon for the Royal Air Force. He had worked as a police officer and then in parish ministry in the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich from 1997, before joining the Royal Air Force Chaplains Branch in 2004.
Air Vice-Marshal Giles Leslie Legood, is a British Anglican priest. Since July 2022 he has served as Chaplain-in-Chief of the Royal Air Force Chaplains Branch and Archdeacon for the Royal Air Force. He previously served as Deputy Chaplain-in-Chief.
