Royal Air Force Chaplains Branch

The Royal Air Force Chaplains Branch provides military chaplains for the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom.

Mission
The Mission of the Royal Air Force Chaplains Branch is to serve the RAF Community through: Prayer, Presence and Proclamation. The motto of the branch Ministrare Non Ministrari translates as ..To serve, not to be served and is derived from Mark chapter 10: verse 45.

History
The Reverend Harry Viener was invested as the first Chaplain-in-Chief on 11 October 1918 with the Chaplaincy branch officially established in December 1918. Reverend Viener had been a Royal Naval Chaplain and was 'lent' to the Air Force by the Admiralty. A Chaplaincy school was established at Magdalene College, Cambridge University in November 1943 with the motto of 'Truth'. The Chaplaincy School was moved to Dowdeswell Court in Gloucestershire in February 1945. Thereafter it moved to Amport House in Hampshire in December 1961. In September 2016, the Ministry of Defence announced that Amport House would be put up for sale as part of a programme of defence estate rationalisation. A Better Defence Estate, published in November 2016, indicated that the Armed Forces Chaplaincy would close by 2020, which it subsequently did.

Training
RAF chaplains receive training on the Specialist Officers Initial Training Course (SOITC) at RAF College Cranwell in Lincolnshire. Both RAF chaplains and candidates receive training at the Armed Forces Chaplaincy Centre, the latter was located at Amport House until 2020. The Armed Forces Chaplaincy Centre was relocated to Beckett House, Shrivenham, near Swindon. In 2020 The Reverend (Group Captain) Geoffrey Withers was the first RAF Chaplain appointed Principal, Armed Forces Chaplaincy Centre Shrivenham.

Endorsing authorities
To serve in the Chaplains Branch, chaplains and candidates must be endorsed by a religious body. RAF commissioned chaplains are accepted from the various Christian denominations. The British military forces are also served by "tri-service chaplains" from other world faiths, including Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh. In 2018, the first Sikh and Muslim military chaplains to join the British armed forces passed out from the Royal Air Force College Cranwell to join the RAF Chaplain's Branch. In November 2023 the Ministry of Defence announced the intent to recruit Non-Religious Pastoral Support Officers into Chaplaincy in order to reflect the changing demographics of the United Kingdom and HM Forces.

Noncombatant status

 * See: 

Chaplain-in-Chief
The RAF Chaplains Branch is led by a Chaplain-in-Chief. Harry Viener was the first Chaplain-in-Chief. When the Chaplain-in-Chief is an Anglican, he or she is also the Archdeacon for the Royal Air Force – otherwise, the most senior Anglican chaplain takes that title along with that of Principal Anglican Chaplain.


 * 1918–1926 Harry Viener
 * 1926–1930 Robert Hanson
 * 1930–1933 Sidney Clarke
 * 1933–1940 James Walkey
 * 1940–1944 Maurice Edwards
 * 1944–1949 John Jagoe
 * 1949–1953 Leslie Wright
 * 1953–1959: Alan Giles
 * 1959–1965 Francis Cocks (first Archdeacon for the RAF)
 * 1965–1969 Wilfred Payton
 * 1969–1973 Leonard Ashton
 * 1973–1980 Hewitt Wilson
 * 1980–1983 Herbert Stuart
 * 1983–1988 Glyndwr Renowden
 * 1988–1991 Brian Halfpenny
 * 1991–1995 Brian Lucas
 * 1995–1998 Robin Turner
 * 1998–2001 Peter Bishop
 * 2001–2006 Ron Hesketh
 * 2006–2009 Peter Mills (Church of Scotland)
 * Archdeacons for the Royal Air Force:
 * 2006 onwards: Ray Pentland
 * 2009–2014 (ret.): Ray Pentland
 * 2014 – 2018 Jonathan Chaffey
 * 2018–2022 (ret.): John Ellis
 * 2022–present: Giles Legood

World faith chaplains
The Royal Air Force Chaplains Branch has 5 world faith chaplains as of October 2021:


 * Flt Lt. Mandeep Kaur (Sikh)
 * Mr Krishan Attri (Hindu)
 * Sqn Ldr. Imam Ali Omar (Muslim)
 * Dr Sunil Kariyakarawana (Buddhist)
 * Rabbi Reuben Livingstone CF (Jewish)

Central Church of the Royal Air Force
St Clement Danes Church is the Central Church of the Royal Air Force located in the City of Westminster, London. For generations, members of the Royal Air Force family have enjoyed services of Holy Matrimony and Baptisms. Memorial and funeral serves have taken special place. These remain a strong feature today. The church holds the Books of Remembrance to all those who have died in service in the Royal Air Force. The Friends of St Clement Danes support the work and ministry of the Central Church of the Royal Air Force. The Friend's Patron-in-Chief is Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester.

Resident Chaplain, St Clement Danes
The following have served as Resident Chaplain of St Clement Danes:


 * 1958–1959 Gerald Groves
 * 1959–1960 Hugh Rees
 * 1960–1965 Tom Ryder
 * 1965–1969 Leonard Ashton
 * 1969–1971 Walter Pellant
 * 1971–1976 Thomas Thomas
 * 1976–1979 Glyndwr Renowden
 * 1979–1982 Dennis Clark
 * 1982–1984 Raymond Hubble
 * 1984–1987 Roger Kenward
 * 1987–1989 Michael Stokes
 * 1989–1991 William Sirr
 * 1991–1993 Anthony Goode
 * 1993–1995 George McAvoy
 * 1995–1997 Peter Bishop
 * 1997–2002 David Mackenzie
 * 2002–2005 Christopher Long
 * 2005–2009 Thomas Lee
 * 2008–2010 Canon Adrian Gatrill
 * 2010–2022 David Osborn
 * 2022–present Mark Perry