ARCHBISHOP’S DEATH AT MELBOURNE

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6809, 12 January 1929, Page 10

ARCHBISHOP’S DEATH AT MELBOURNE

COLLAPSE AT LUNCH. TRAGIC HAPPENING. United Press Association—By Electria T elegraph—Copyright. MELBOURNE, Jan. 11. The death occurred suddenly yesterday of the Most Rev. Harrington Lees, Archbishop of Melbourne. He was recently married in England, from where he and his wife had only recently returned. Ho had been confined to his bed for several days with influenza, but had not seen a doctor until yesterday morning. The Archbishop was having lunch with his wife when ho collapsed all attempts to revive him failing. Death was due to heart disease from which he had suffered for many years. He was formerly a prominent athlete and strained his heart during his university career. He had just made an appeal for peace in industry which is attracting a good deal of attention.

Tho Most Rev. Harrington Clare Lees, M.A., was vicar of Swansea in Wales, when in August, 1921, he accepted the Archbishopric of Melbourne. Some years previously, when Bishop Langley resigned the Sec of Bdndigo, the Rev. Mr Lees had been offered the vacant post, but he declined it on tho ground that he had only recently become vicar of the Swansea parish. Tho late Archbishop, who completed his fifty-eighth year in March last, re- • ceivcd his education at Leys School, Cambridge, where he was head and senior prefect; thence he went to St. John’s College, winning a classical scholarship there. Later he proceeded to Ridley Hall, and read for orders under the present Bishop of Durham, the Right Rev. Hensley Henson. He graduated at, Cambridge in 1892, and was ordained to the curacy of St. Mary’s, Reading, in 1893. His scholastic career was a brilliant one, as, in addition to winning the classeal scholarship at St. John’s, he won the Greek Testament prize ,and took the second-class in tile theological tripos at Ridley Hall. In .1894 he was ordained priest. From 1895 to 1597 ho was chaplain at Turin. ' Italy, and afterwards became curate of Cliildwall, Lancashire. In 1900 Mr Lees was promoted to the incumbency of St. John’s, Kenilworth; in 1900 he was selected as a member of the special mission for the deepening of spiritual life in South Africa, and after his return to England he became vicar of Christ Church, Beckenham. This appointment he held for twelve years, until he took the incumbency of the Swansea parish. The parish was the largest in Wales, consisting of 25,000 persons, and a fine church, almost a cathedral. When he was appointed to the archdiocese of Melbourne he was consecrated on Ist November, 1921, by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishops of London, St. David’s, Rochester, Hereford, Bristol, Chelmsford, Worcester, Archbishop Lowther Clarke, and Bishops Taylor Smith and Lander. He was enthroned as Lord Archbishop of Melbourne and Metropolitan of Victoria in St. Paul’s Cathedral, at Melbourne, on 15th February ,1922. Ho has written a number of theological books, including “When Jesus Came,” published in 1909, “The King’s Way" 11910) “Christ and His Slaves” (1911), “God’s Garden and Ours” (1918),. “Failure and Recovery” (1919), and a number of other works. He was first imarried in 1895 to Miss Winifred Cranswiek, a daughter of the late Rev. .T. M. Cranswiek, D.D., vicar of St. Paul’s, Staylcy His second marriage took place at St. Margaret’s, Westminster, on 19th April, 1928, tho bride being Miss Joanna Linnoll, elder daughter of Mr Herbert Linnell, of Beckenham, Kent. .