Charles Douglas Symons, CB, MC (13 October 1885 – 15 October 1949) was an

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

priest.

Early life and education

He was born on 13 October 1885 and was educated at

Kelly College Kelly College was a coeducational independent school in the English public school tradition situated in the outskirts of Tavistock, Devon, with around 350 students ranging from ages 3 to 18. There was an associated preparatory school for pri ...

, now known as

Mount Kelly Mount Kelly is a mountain with an elevation of that is the tallest peak in the Scabby Range and is situated on the border of the Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales, Australia. The summit of the mountain is located within the AC ...

, Tavistock and Trinity College, Cambridge. He graduated from the University of Cambridge with a second class Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree; as per tradition, this was later promoted to a Master of Arts (MA (Cantab)) degree. He awarded a

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth, historically in the County of Surrey. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The population of the London Borough of Lambeth was 303,086 in 2011. The area expe ...

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...

(DD) degree in 1939.

Ordained ministry

Symons was ordained a deacon in 1908. His first post was as chaplain to Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School in Cranbrook, Kent. He was ordained a priest by

Randall Davidson Randall Thomas Davidson, 1st Baron Davidson of Lambeth, (7 April 1848 – 25 May 1930) was an Anglican priest who was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1903 to 1928. He was the longest-serving holder of the office since the English Reformation, Re ...

, the

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...

, on Trinity Sunday 1911. He undertook two curacies; at Biddenden and at Walmer in the Diocese of Canterbury. Symons served in the ranks of the

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps a ...

from 1915 to 1916.'SYMONS, Rev. Charles Douglas', '' Who Was Who'', A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2016; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2014; online edn, April 201
accessed 3 Aug 2017
/ref> He served with the Royal Army Chaplains Department from 1916 to 1944. From 1939 to 1944, he served as Chaplain-General to the Forces. An Honorary Chaplain to the King and a

Chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

of the

Order of St John of Jerusalem The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headq ...

, he died on 15 October 1949.'' The Rev. C. D. Symons '' The Times Wednesday, 19 October 1949; p. 7; Issue 51516; col E

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Symons, Charles 1885 births People educated at Kelly College Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge 20th-century English Anglican priests Recipients of the Military Cross Chaplains General to the Forces Companions of the Order of the Bath Honorary Chaplains to the King 1949 deaths World War I chaplains World War II chaplains British Army personnel of World War I British Army personnel of World War II War Office personnel in World War II