By Peter Howson
It is easy to miss the Royal Army Chaplains’ Museum. It lies off the Faringdon Road in Shrivenham between the stone gates to the old estate and the new wire gates that mark the entrance to the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom. The location speaks of a close connection between faith and military service, a connection that needs almost constant reconsideration. The museum helps in that process.
The final approach to the museum is through an area of planting and across a small bridge (Fig. 1). It welcomes the visitor into a glass walled entrance. Despite the museum’s relatively small size it is possible to spend a couple of hours absorbed by the story of the importance of faith to the British army. The entrance area includes a desk for the initial welcome by the member of staff, sometimes a former chaplain or the Curator of the collection (Fig 2). There is also a small bookcase containing relevant works of reference.
A door leads into the collection proper and through it the visitor is faced with David Shepherd’s monumental painting ‘Christ on the Battlefield’. The painter of elephants and steam engines was proudest of this work. It is good to see it displayed sensitively for the first time. It forms the centrepiece of an area devoted to the army at worship (Fig. 3). A sensor triggers a recording from a service in April 1945 after the liberation of a Prisoner of War camp in Germany. It is a good example of the inclusion of the importance of the spoken word in the experience of faith. At the foot of the painting is a low stool made by the chaplain during his five years in captivity. A QR code allows exploration of the background to the artefact. It is one of many that encourage visitors to pause and delve deeper into what the items on display signify. Opposite the painting is a display of chaplaincy material from the Afghanistan war.
The arrangement of the displays means that the museum can provide a number of themed areas which cover aspects of faith in the army over the last two centuries without an over concentration on a single aspect. Whilst there are themes such as ‘Moral and Morale’ within the displays there are important historical objects. The iconic World War One chaplain, the Rev G. A. Studdert Kennedy (aka ‘Woodbine Willie’) is remembered in a small case with his watch, the medal ribbons from his preaching scarf, and a packet of the eponymous cigarettes.
An airborne chaplain tending to a wounded soldier forms part of the recreation of a scene from the battle for the Rhine bridge at Arnhem. Although the involvement of chaplains in conflicts from the time of Wellington to the deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan are well covered, other aspects of the role of chaplains have not been forgotten. The input into what was known at one time as ‘Character Training’ – a scheme that had its origins in the 1940s – is well recorded. The importance of standards of conduct remains to this day and chaplains remain key players, as a number of displays point out, in delivering the message to the army. Temperance might not be as central to the modern chaplains’ message as it was for many of them in the late nineteenth century but the ‘Temperance Kettle’, a trophy that marked the units with the largest numbers of abstainers, reflects one method used by chaplains to spread an ethical message.
The British army asks all its soldiers to declare their religion on joining. 65% of regulars claim to belong to one of the major Christian denominations, 32% to have no religion, while only 3% claim another faith. The museum, though, makes a special effort to understand the army as multi-faith. The first Jewish chaplain was commissioned into the Territorial Force before 1914. Michael Adler was joined by others and their service in World War One is marked in one of the displays. A copy of the ‘Jewish Book of Honour’ published after the war reflects the contribution of the community. Another small display includes a Sikh turban with the badge of the Army Air Corps and other regalia. The contribution of Black chaplains is highlighted for the first time, giving another perspective on the long and diverse story of army chaplaincy.
Chaplains have touched the lives of every soldier, some perhaps more than others, and in some situations more than elsewhere. This is equally true of the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, but the work of their chaplains is featured in the national museums of those services, making this museum about the army. The experiences of all chaplains, coupled with the need for every member of the armed forces to answer the great religious questions of life, makes this an important museum to reflect on the past and a resource for serving soldiers to wrestle with the questions they still face. It is fitting that it should be at the entrance to the Defence Academy. It is well worth a visit. The chance to talk to whoever happens to be on duty will be an added bonus.
Religion & Collections 