Maurice Henry Edwards, OBE (17 May 1886 – 26 April 1961) was a British Anglican priest. During World War II, from 1940 to 1944, he was Chaplain-in-Chief of the Royal Air Force.
Maurice Edwards | |
|---|---|
| Chaplain-in-Chief, Royal Air Force | |
| Church | Church of England |
| In office | 1940 to 1944 |
| Predecessor | James Walkey |
| Successor | John Jagoe |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1911 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Maurice Henry Edwards 17 May 1886 |
| Died | 26 April 1961 (aged 74) |
| Nationality | British |
| Denomination | Anglicanism |
| Education | Ripon Grammar School |
| Alma mater | Queens' College, Cambridge |
Early life edit
Edwards was born on 17 May 1886. He was educated at Ripon Grammar School and Queens' College, University of Cambridge.[1] He trained for Holy Orders at Leeds Clergy School, before leaving in 1911 to be ordained in the Church of England.[2]
Career edit
Edwards was ordained in the Church of England as a deacon in 1911 and as a priest in 1912.[3] He was a curate in Bedale, North Riding, Yorkshire, from 1911 to 1914.[1]
He was appointed a Royal Navy chaplain on 6 August 1914.[4] He then served in the First World War.[2]
In 1918, he joined the fledgling Royal Air Force Chaplaincy Service.[2] He was granted the relative rank of squadron leader on 1 August 1919,[5] the relative rank of wing commander on 6 August 1929,[6] and the relative rank of group captain on 6 August 1934.[7] He saw active service in Iraq from 1919 to 1921, in Egypt from 1921 to 1924 and then in Iraq again from 1930 to 1932.[2]
On 10 April 1940, he was appointed Chaplain-in-Chief, the most senior chaplain of the Royal Air Force, and granted the relative rank of air commodore.[8] In 1941, he convinced C. S. Lewis to undertake tours of RAF bases as a lay lecturer.[9]
From 1944 to 1947, he was based at the Rother Vale Collieries, after which he became rector of Acton Burnell cum Pitchford, a post he held until his retirement in 1953.[1]
He died on 26 April 1961.[10]
Honours edit
In the 1928 King's Birthday Honours, Edwards was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).[11]
He was appointed an Honorary Chaplain to the King (KHC) on 10 April 1940.[8]
Notes and references edit
- ^ a b c "Who was Who" 1897-2007 London, A & C Black, 2007 ISBN 978-0-19-954087-7
- ^ a b c d "Edwards, Rev. Maurice Henry, (17 May 1886–26 April 1961), KHC". Who Was Who. Oxford University Press. 1 December 2007. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U54257.
- ^ Crockford's clerical directory 1947-48 Oxford, OUP, 1947
- ^ "No. 28864". The London Gazette. 7 August 1914. p. 6203.
- ^ "No. 32017". The London Gazette. 13 August 1920. p. 8410.
- ^ "No. 33531". The London Gazette. 3 September 1929. p. 5720.
- ^ "No. 34078". The London Gazette. 14 August 1934. p. 5195.
- ^ a b "No. 34831". The London Gazette. 16 April 1940. p. 2248.
- ^ Johnson, Bruce R. (2011). ""Answers that Belonged to Life": C. S. Lewis and the Origins of the Royal Air Force Chaplains' School, Cambridge". Sehnsucht: The C.S. Lewis Journal. 5/6: 81–102. ISSN 1940-5537. JSTOR 48580491.
- ^ "Deaths", The Times, 27 April 1961.
- ^ "No. 33390". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 June 1928. p. 3854.
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