Bishop of London in the Firing Line.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume V, Issue 12, 1 June 1915, Page 141

Bishop of London in the Firing Line.

From the pen of an officer appointed to accompany the Bishop of I/ondon during his Easter visitation of the men .at the front comes a picturesque and intensely interesting description of the many incidents which marked Dr. Win-nington-Ingram's tour. The success of the Mission far exceeded the hope and expectations of those who were responsible for the Bishop's presence in France, says the writer. Certainly, as the. Bishop said in the last sermon that he preached to the troops at the front, he had had the most remarkable experience of his life. All alon^ the line, from start to finish, . everyone, from the generals commanding to the lowest ranks, showed clearly that the sense of spiritual things is not confined to the civilian population with which the Bishop has in the main had to deal, but that it animates with great intensity all grades of the British Army in the field. Nothing could have been more impressive than the silence with which vast bodies of men listened to the Bishop's addresses, and the earnest and reverent manner in which they joined in the response to the prayers. Those who were privileged, "to be present were struck as never before by the upJifting power of our great English hymns, as " Rock of Ages," "\Tesu, 1,-over of mv Soul," swelled forth in the stillness which was only broken by the frequent booming forth of great guns. THE SOLDIER'S GRAVE. A programme had been carefully prepared beforehand, so that no branch of the Army in the field should be forgotten. To each division and brigade the Bishopi had a special message, and in each case it seemed to be the right word to the right man. The sombre colour of the mud-bespattered khaki uniforms was relieved by the red and gold of the generals and their staffs, who were always present in great numbers. So the Bishojp passed, along the entire British front, often well within the range of the German guns, ai\d through places devastated bv shell fire, so that those who were responsible

for his safety had many anxious moments. Among all the services held by the Bishop, whose untiring energy was the wonder of all who met him, there were several that deserve m»ore detailed and special mention. At one part of the line, where there had "been recently heavy fighting, some five hundred officers, many of whom had been engaged in battle, were present. Such a service naturally was very impressive,' and the fact that the attendance was voluntary, and in many cases entailed considerable inconvenience, shows how unfailingly men find that the only power which can give them strength to endure dangers and hardships is that which religion alone can give. There were veteran generals kneeling side "by side with newly commissioned subalterns, in silent reverence, on t£e hard stone floor. Here and there along the line are little spots where our comrades who have died the death of honour sleep their last earthly sleep. The simple wooden crosses and a few spring- flowers show how carefully all our soldiers' graves are kept, and many will be glad to know that the Bishop said simple prayers of consecration at all such places which he passed. The Bishop spent Palm Sunday at General Headquarters. Not the least significant service on that day was a (Confirmation, to which some seventy men. were brought. He held two other Confirmations during the week, and on one occasion several men came straight out of the trenches with the mud still caked upon their putties to ' receive the laying-on of hands. Throughout the week the Bishop had been looking forwards eagerly to meeting the members of the . Territorial regiment of which he is chaplain, and he had speciallv asked that he might be allowed to celebrate the Holv Communion with them on Easter Day. BATTI,EFr£I,D COMMUNION. The regiment is in a most exposed position, and the Bishop motored into the village (a village that, by the way, has been very much knocked about by shell fire) in pitch darkness, only broken by the weird glare of star shells fired from the German trenches about a mile away. A most enthusiastic reception awaited him from ,the

two hundred and fifty men who were billeted in the village, the,remainder of the battalion being in the trenches. Cheer after cheer greeted him as he entered the barn where a " sing-song " of the most lively nature was in progress. After giving a short address, the Bishop went with some of the men to their billets and had a cheery word for each. At seven a.m. on Easter Day he celebrated the Holv Communion in a barn, the roof and walls of which had been scared and shattered by gun-fire. Strange as the surroundings were, with guns firing, and the crack of rifles, distinctly heard, one would doubt if in any Church, however beautiful, a more reverent congregation had ever gathered together on an Easter morning, or if the meaning of the great central service of the Christian Church could ever be more clearly realised, or the Sacred Presence more distinctly felt. On the evening- of Easter Day the Bishop preached his final sermon at (general Headquarters in the presence of Sir John French, many distinguished officers, and a large body of men. So ended a week which certainly will take a foremost place among the many historic journeys undertaken by Bishops in the past. One heard on every side how much the Bishop's presence and his words had inspired and encouraged the gallant men who were present at the services. Easter Monday saw him leave the front to visit Rouen and Havre before returning to England.