Royal Air Force Chaplains Branch

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

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 Centre would close by 2020, which it subsequently did.

Training

RAF chaplains receive training on the Specialist Officers Initial Training Course 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 Geoffrey Withers 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. 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. 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.

Noncombatant 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
1926–1930 Robert Hanson
1930–1933 Sidney Clarke
1933–1940 James Walkey
1940–1944 Maurice Edwards
1944–1949 John Jagoe
1949–1953 Leslie Wright
1953–1959: Alan Giles
1959–1965 Francis Cocks
1965–1969 Wilfred Payton
1969–1973 Leonard Ashton
1973–1980 Hewitt Wilson
1980–1983 Herbert Stuart
1983–1988 Glyndwr Renowden
1988–1991 Brian Halfpenny
1991–1995 Brian Lucas
1995–1998 Robin Turner
1998–2001 Peter Bishop
2001–2006 Ron Hesketh
2006–2009 Peter Mills
*Archdeacons for the Royal Air Force:
*2006 onwards: Ray Pentland
2009–2014 : Ray Pentland
20142018 Jonathan Chaffey
2018–2022 : John Ellis
2022–present: Giles Legood
World faith chaplains

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

Flt Lt. Mandeep Kaur
Mr Krishan Attri
Sqn Ldr. Imam Ali Omar
Dr Sunil Kariyakarawana
Rabbi Reuben Livingstone CF
Central Church of the Royal Air Force

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, St Clement Danes

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

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