The museum of army chaplaincy andover

[(RIP) john plane]

sounds a hoot who wants to go

[muppix]

Ooh, me, me! Religion *and* war in one splendid outing - will there be a gift shop?

[Vern]

Have a look for Basil Pratt. Mad as a bucket of frogs, and used to keep his Vincents in the church

[MMC]

Actually, that sounds interesting.

But then, I think old bunkers are interesting too. Here's one I looked at earlier - it's the blast shelter from the dummy RAF Brize Norton near Tadpole Bridge. It was a flare and lights decoy, intended to draw German attacks away from the real base at Brize:

[STUBBS]

sounds great

[Lo-IQ]

in war I would have thought the chaplains would have seen the lot and some...

[Richeyroo]

He wrote a book called "The Man who worked on Sundays"


They are his diaries from when he was a Chaplain to the 8th Armoured Brigade. He landed on D-Day with the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry and followed the Regiment through its battles all the way to Germany. He absolutely refused to remain safely in the rear, kept as far forward as possible, visiting the forward troops, ministering to the wounded and, assisted only by his driver, recovering and burying the bodies of the dead, including that of the war poet and artist Keith Douglas. I think he used to use a dustpan and brush to get em out of the tanks in the end.

My old man served in the 7th Hussars in the 50s and his Chaplain did a fair bit of interesting stuff in the Far East between '39 and '45.

There are so many fabulous characters, I bet it is a super place to visit.

[MasterDabber]

Have a look for Basil Pratt. Mad as a bucket of frogs, and used to keep his Vincents in the church

What a small world. I used to know Basil when we were both members of the Royal Canoe Club. He had taken part in the Rome Olympics. He used to ride the Vincent over to the club to train.
When he was at eccesiastical college traing to be a Rev he was going out with a stripper who he brought along to club parties.
He had all sorts of adventures after that with Blashford-Snell.

Very posh, larger than life.

[Vern]

If we were stuck on camp on a Suday, we used to go to church, just because he was so feckin funny.

Is he still alive?

[MasterDabber]

I don't know Vern. I've got a feeling he is... I was in my teens when I knew Basil, this larger than life character. There's another canoeist who was more of Basil's age who I'm still in touch with and I seem to remember when we last spoke he referred to Basil in the present. I owe him a call and check.

I did a quick Google and Wiki shows him as still alive and in his mid 70s.

You know it was great to come across Basil for the first time when I guess I was around 16 or 17.. he was so unlike anyone I'd ever met before ... totally over the top, so eccentric, crazy, totally charming and actually a very kind man. The world could do with a few more like him.

[MikeP]

"The Man who worked on Sundays"

They are his diaries from when he was a Chaplain to the 8th Armoured Brigade. He landed on D-Day with the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry and followed the Regiment through its battles all the way to Germany. He absolutely refused to remain safely in the rear, kept as far forward as possible, visiting the forward troops, ministering to the wounded and, assisted only by his driver, recovering and burying the bodies of the dead, including that of the war poet and artist Keith Douglas. I think he used to use a dustpan and brush to get em out of the tanks in the end.

The BBC broadcast either excerpts from his diaries or it was him interviewed at length (it's a while ago now and I can't recall which) in the run-up to the 60th anniversary of D-Day. Not only did he do as you say but he insisted that no-one else do the recovery of the dead, his reason being that most of it was so gruesome (particularly those "brewed-up" in armoured vehicles) that the men shouldn't have to see their friends and comrades in those conditions. His view was that as he did not have to face such risks himself, it was only fair that he should deal with the aftermath in person.

I hope the BBC have an archive of the programme somewhere.

My own experiences of army Padre's is formed from having been a squaddie's brat, dragged off to church wherever my father was stationed and later joining the army myself. Without exception all those I knew were out of the same mould, all extremely committed to their faith but without any trace of being sanctimonious. Despite making no secret of my atheism, they were never inclined to evangelising.

Some Great War chaplains VC's here:

http://www.hellfire-corner.demon.co.uk/coulson.htm