THE ARMY CHAPLAIN

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume 31, Issue 1, 1 March 1940, Page 5

THE ARMY CHAPLAIN

Carrying Out A Noble Task In France

PHYSICAL STRAIN.

The 'great physical strain of all this is so severe that it has automatically settled a controversy as to whether men over forty or under 40 makes the best chaplains (writes E. A. Montague, special correspondent with the British forces m France, to the Manchester Guardian). Other things being equal, the older men, those with past war ser- » vice, would probably be the better, but it has been found that they cannot stand the strain. Of all the Anglican chaplains m the forward areas to-day only two are over thirty. There are now 207 chaplains m France, of whom half are Church •of England and a quarter Roman Catholic, and the other quarter represent the remaining denominations. There are no Jewish chaplains, but the others have copies of the Jewish "burial service, which they lend to a Jewish officer or man to read if 'necessary. They also try to put - Jewish soldiers m touch with local synagogues. Steps are now being taken to find out how many Jews are serving with the Expeditionary Force, •so that the chaplain-general can judge what is the best method of serving their spiritual needs. Long, Arduous Work. The work of the chaplains is long and arduous, but it has its compensations. Those of them who served also m the last war say that on the evidence of the letters which they have to censor the average soldier is more religious now than he was then. The number of communicants has increased tremendously, more so than it did last time. Men are coming iorward to be prepared for confirmation, and confirmation services will "be taken m due course by visiting bishops all over our area, even m the -front line, wherever there happen to

be enough candidates. More and more men, nauseated with politics and their effects, are beginning to feel that only a great spiritual change can save the world from a recurrence of these present miseries. War has brought more than its usual Opportunity to the chaplains, if they have the wisdom and energy to take it. It is Sunday morning. Outside my warm room the wind is howling and the rain is pouring down. I am thankful that I do not have to go out. But there are others who are not so lubky. All over the forward areas at this moment men m officers' uniforms with black- buttons and white stiff collars are hurrying through the rain, sometimes m cars, sometimes begging lorry rides or splashing through the fields on foot— the chaplains, making their way from one service to another* doing their duty by the men of the Expeditionary Force. Hard things have been said about chaplains, and will be said again. Once m a hundred times the Chap-lain-General's Department picks the wrong man, and his failure is the more conspicuous because the soldiers' expectation of him is so high. The ceaseless devotion of the other ninety-nine is less advertised. One Padre to 1100 Men. The official ration of chaplains is one to every 1100 men. That is not enough, particularly m these days when troop's are more widely scattered than they were m the last war. The chaplains have to serve large areas, and about one m four of them has to do it on foot. It is common for Anglican and Nonconformist chaplains to take five or six different services every Sunday morning. The Roman Catholics take only

two, but they have to hear confessions as well. They must hold their services m any building they can find; the other day a chaplain was taking a service m a barn, and was somewhat interrupted by noises from the other end of the barn, but his congregation told him to carry on — it was only a cow calving there. On weekdays the chaplain is just as busy. He must help the soldier to 'fight the evils of boredom and homesickness. For that purpose he must, among other things > organise entertainments for the men until the more highly publicised professional entertainers arrive, and some chaplains have been running concerts every night for the past month. Hep censors letters, and encourages the men to write and so keep' 'Open the channel of communicatibn between home and France. He must go about among his scattered congregation and talk to them individually- He provides an unofficial mea'ns 'bjy which soldiers may express their'dissatisfaction. He must be constantly traversing a big area m the Vilest of weather, for he serves not one unit but several, sometimes many. ""'>