With Our Fighting Men / The story of their faith, courage, endurance in the Great War

by William E. Sellers

CHAPTER X[ToC]

CHAPLAINS DESCRIBE THEIR WORK

Church of England Army Chaplains' Work at the Front—Permanently Commissioned Chaplains—Hospital Ministrations—Six Parade Services on one Day—Holy Communion in Strange Places—Services under Shell Fire—Tonic Effect of Difficulties—The Work of the Free Churches—The Salvation Army and the War—One Hundred and Thirty Best Rooms—A General's Testimony—He Plunged down on his Knees—In Belgium—At Hadleigh—Send them to the Salvation Army—S.A. Patrols.

Readers of this book will be glad to have first-hand reports of Christian work among our soldiers. I have therefore asked representatives of the different churches and religious organisations to give their own statements of the work attempted and accomplished. I do not purpose, therefore, in this chapter doing more than presenting to my readers the statements received, merely introducing them with a few explanatory words.

The first is the Church of England report. It is written by the Rev. J.G. Tuckey, one of the senior Church of England chaplains at the front, and has been prepared for me at the request of the Rev. E.G.F. Macpherson, the senior Church of England chaplain. Mr. Tuckey has had long experience of army work. He served through the South African War with distinction, and has served throughout the present war. Few know the British soldiers better than he.

I preface his report with a brief extract from a letter received from the Rev. E.G.F. Macpherson and dated March 8, 1915. He says: "We are kept very busy. In addition to my work in Boulogne, I have to keep in touch with Church of England chaplains at the front, and on the lines of communications. I went up to Ypres the other day, they were shelling the place, and I nearly got a shell in my car.

"The Church of England has a large number of chaplains at the front, and they are doing splendid work for God. Their number, though, makes it difficult for me to keep in touch with them all."

But now for Mr. Tuckey's report.

"You ask me about the Church of England work. Where am I to begin? How tackle it? It is so vast. As to number of chaplains, all details can be seen by reference to the Army List. It will be noticed that the very vast majority of permanently commissioned chaplains belong to the Church of England. The Presbyterians are now the only other body which has permanent commissions. The Roman Catholics do not now allow their men to accept them. They are only appointed temporarily for five years, and even if re-appointed can never rise above the rank of captain. This, of course, makes no difference to the Roman Catholic chaplains appointed before the new regulations, but they will gradually die out. As no doubt you know, the Wesleyans were offered four commissions and refused. But though we have such a relatively large number of chaplains to the forces, the work is so great that it has to be supplemented by a very considerable and increasing body of acting chaplains.