The Royal Air Force Chaplains' Association
Message from The Chaplain-in-Chief
The Venerable (Air Vice-Marshal) Dr Giles Legood QHC MBE RAF
A very warm welcome to this website where you can view the work of the Royal Air Force Chaplains’ Association. Whether you are a member of the Association or just browsing, you will recognise the excellence of the Association’s aims: the maintenance of ties of friendship and support, the enablement of a communications bridge between serving and retired members and the encouragement of prayer, both for each other and for the continued ministry of chaplaincy within the Royal Air Force community. As Chaplain-in-Chief I very much value the rich resources that lie within the Association and I pray that we can develop these yet further.
I hope that you enjoy reading these pages as together we seek ‘to serve and not to be served’.
Aims and Activities
Supporting serving and retired RAF Chaplains
The Royal Air Force Chaplains' Association exists to provide a link between serving and retired RAF Chaplains, to provide opportunities for fellowship for former Chaplains, to provide resources, to communicate news, to preserve the history of the RAF Chaplains' Branch and to support the spiritual life of the Royal Air Force
The photograph on the left is of members of the Association outside the Armed Forces Chaplaincy Centre during the Annual Meeting in 2022
Members of the RAF Chaplains' Association seek to pray regularly for the RAF in general and the RAF Chaplains' Branch in particular. They are asked to use daily the RAF Chaplains' Branch Prayer Diary. The RAF Chaplains' Association seeks to commemorate departed former Chaplains especially those who died in service in wartime. Every attempt is made to observe an Annual Act of Remembrance.
The photograph on the left is of the Act of Remembrance held at the Annual Meeting of the Chaplains' Association before the Chaplains' Memorial Boards in St Clement Danes, the Central Church of the RAF, in 2023
As well as gathering annually for a residential national meeting, including an Annual General Meeting, former and serving Chaplains meet in local areas throughout the year to enjoy a lunch together. Regularly, webinars take place to which all Association members are invited and in which serving Chaplains speak about their current roles. This website also serves to keep Association members in touch with one an other, as does a Facebook Group and regular communication by email from the Association Committee.
OFFICERS OF THE RAF CHAPLAINS' ASSOCIATION
COMMITTEE 2025/2026
Chairman The Very Revd John Morley
01256 242609
revjmorley@talktalk.net
Secretary The Revd Dr Kevin Maddy
07484 770817
rafchapsassn@outlook.com
Treasurer The Revd Dr Peter Mills
07863 794793
pwmills@live.co.uk
Welfare Officer Mrs Kathie Morley
01256 242609
revjmorley@talktalk.net
Membership of the RAF Chaplains' Association is open to all serving and retired RAF Chaplains and their partners. The subscription is £10 per year. Please click the button below for a membership application form. Click the other button for a copy of the Association Constitution.
Annual Meetings 2025/2026
Unfortunately, it was not possible, owing to security issues for the RAF Chaplains' Association Annual Reunion and Annual General Meeting to take place at the Armed Forces' Chaplaincy Centre in 2025. The AGM, as a consequence was held on line on 16 October. Click the button below to see the draft minutes of this meeting. As we met on line in 2025 it was not possible to hold an Act of Remembrance, this will hopefully be put right in 2026 as it is intended that the Reunion and AGM will be held at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. Click the button to see a note from the Association Secretary giving details of this event. The date of the event is Thursday 14 May.
The photograph on the right is of the Association Act of Remembrance that took place in the Chapel at RAF Cosford in October 2024.
Biographies
The RAF Chaplains' Branch has existed for just over 100 years and during that time hundreds of Chaplains have served in its ranks, some for two decades and more, others for a very few years. In an attempt to preserve the stories of the lives of as many of these Chaplains as possible, information is being sought from wherever it may be available and retained in an archive. Clicking the buttons below will reveal some of these biographies and allow access to them. If anyone has any information that would assist with this search, please contact the Website Administrator on rafassn@btinternet.com. The painting is of an unknown Second World War RAF Chaplain; as he is without a clerical collar he's likely to be from the Church of Scotland and Free Church section of the Chaplains' Branch.
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History
As the youngest of the Armed Forces' Chaplaincies it has not felt necessary until recently for the history of the RAF Chaplains' Branch to be recorded. Attempts are now being made to collate information related to RAF Chaplaincy. The biographies in the section above represent the fruit of some of this work. The events of the early years of RAF Chaplaincy have been addressed in an article entitled Anglicans and Aviators: The First World War and the Forgotten Origins of Royal Air Force Chaplaincy published in 2021 by The Revd Eleanor Rance, a former RAF Chaplain, and Professor Michael Snape of Durham University. Press the button below to access a copy of this article. In 2025 The Revd Stephen Ware published A History of Royal Air Force Chaplaincy (as illustrated opposite). This study is a compilation from various sources, including the words of RAF Chaplains themselves, of the history of RAF Chaplaincy from its inception in the First World War to the present day. This History is available for £14.65 plus postage and packing by completing and returning the order form attached to the button below.
"What a Wonderful World"
by
Donald Wallace
Published in 2025 "What a Wonderful World: Memories from an adventurous life well lived" is the fascinating and entertaining memoir of Padre Donald Wallace who served in the RAF Chaplains' Branch 1951 - 1980 as a Church of Scotland Chaplain. It is largely based on the diary that he kept throughout his ministry and long life. He died in 2018 at the age of 92. It is a beautifully produced book and can be obtained from Donald's daughter at fionatyson@me.com
Remembrance
During the course of its history the RAF Chaplains' Branch has lost a number of Chaplains whilst serving on operations or in wartime. On 7 November 1944, The Revd Dewi Henry James from Newcastle Emlyn, Carmarthenshire and The Revd Eric Walter McKeeman from Maidstone, were on board Landing Craft LST-420 (a large landing ship built to transport tanks and other heavy equipment - the photograph below is of a similar vessel) that was transporting a party of RAF personnel, mostly from No1 Base Signals and Radar Unit, trucks and supplies to Belgium from Dover. It was unable to enter Ostend because of a severe storm and the captain, Lieutenant Commander Douglas Everett, decided to return to England; whilst still in sight of Ostend it hit a mine, split in two and sank. Fourteen officers and 224 other ranks were lost and only 32 were saved. The severe weather prevented more lives being saved by other vessels that were in the same convoy. It was the greatest loss of lives on a British landing craft during the War. Above the wreck today is a marker buoy “LST 420”. Both Chaplains are remembered on the Runnymede Memorial. Another Chaplain, The Revd Alec Ross, died in 1962 during a war between Indonesia and British Forces in Borneo. Although a more elderly Chaplain, he was in his 50s, Ross volunteered to deploy to this area and, having arrived in theatre at Christmas time, he insisted on being taken immediately to the front line. It was while he was being flown to the front line troops in an Auster aircraft that he came under fire from the ground and a bullet passed through the leg of the Sergeant pilot hitting Ross in the heart and killing him. He is buried in Changi war cemetery in Singapore. His photograph is below.
Press the button to see a list of Chaplains who have died whilst serving in the RAF Chaplains' Branch.
The Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain Day is 15 September, the day when the Battle of Britain is commemorated. This is the day in 1940 when the Battle reached its climax and Hitler hoped that by carrying out a large day time raid on London, the RAF would be drawn into the air to be finally defeated by the Luftwaffe. This did not happen and 15 September could be claimed as the day that the RAF won the Battle - and saved Britain from invasion.
Press the button for resources to help with the commemoration of the Battle. Press the other button to read the story of one "The Few" who, despite being no less brave or prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice, is perhaps not so well known.
Bibliography
Many members of the Association maintain a keen interest in the RAF, both past and present, and Chaplaincy in general; as a consequence a Bibliography is maintained to inform members of different books that may be of interest. If you have any suggestions please contact rafassn@btinternet.com.
Articles
Chaplains and others, over the years, have written reflective pieces on ministry and witness in a military environment. Press the buttons below to access a selection of these pieces.
St Clement Danes
The Church of St Clement Danes is a Wren Church in The Strand in the City of London. In May 1941 it received direct hits from the bombing of the Luftwaffe and was left with no roof and a destroyed interior. After the War, the Church was rebuilt and re-ordered and passed to the Royal Air Force, and specifically to the RAF Chaplains' Branch, to be the Central Church of the Royal Air Force. To this day a RAF Chaplain has been the Resident Chaplain at the Church. For more information see stclementdanesraf.org
The Church on the night of the Bombing
As can be seen the tower of the Church was very badly damaged on the night of 10/11 May 1941. It is still suffering ill effects and is currently being restored
The Church Today
St Clement Danes holds regular weekly and daily services, both traditional and contemporary with a very high standard of music. The Church also hosts many special services especially related to the RAF community
Remembrance
The Church houses Books of Remembrance for all RAF personnel who have died in service. There are also memorial boards for RAF Chaplains who have died on operational service.
