David George Coulter, (born 29 December 1957) is a

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...

minister and former

military chaplain A military chaplain ministers to military personnel and, in most cases, their families and civilians working for the military. In some cases they will also work with local civilians within a military area of operations. Although the term ''cha ...

. From 2014 to 2018, he served as Chaplain General and head of the

Royal Army Chaplains' Department The Royal Army Chaplains' Department (RAChD) is an all-officer department that provides ordained clergy to minister to the British Army. History The Army Chaplains' Department (AChD) was formed by Royal Warrant of 23 September 1796; until the ...

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

. He was previously Principal of the

Armed Forces Chaplaincy Centre The Royal Army Chaplains' Department (RAChD) is an all-officer department that provides ordained clergy to minister to the British Army. History The Army Chaplains' Department (AChD) was formed by Royal Warrant of 23 September 1796; until the ...

and Deputy Chaplain General.

Early life and education

Coulter was born on 29 December 1957 in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

, Northern Ireland. He grew up in Dundonald, and attended Dundonald Presbyterian Church. He was educated at Regent House School, a state

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...

Newtownards Newtownards is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies at the most northern tip of Strangford Lough, 10 miles (16 km) east of Belfast, on the Ards Peninsula. It is in the Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish of Newtownard ...

County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to the ...

. Having won a scholarship from the British Army, he studied economic and social history at

Queen's University Belfast , mottoeng = For so much, what shall we give back? , top_free_label = , top_free = , top_free_label1 = , top_free1 = , top_free_label2 = , top_free2 = , established = , closed = , type = Public research university , parent = ...

and was a member of its

Officer Training Corps The Officers' Training Corps (OTC), more fully called the University Officers' Training Corps (UOTC), are military leadership training units operated by the British Army. Their focus is to develop the leadership abilities of their members whilst ...

. He graduated in 1980 with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree. He continued his studies, graduating from the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

with a

Bachelor of Divinity In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD or BDiv; la, Baccalaureus Divinitatis) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology ...

(BD) degree and from

Cranfield University , mottoeng = After clouds light , established = 1946 - College of Aeronautics 1969 - Cranfield Institute of Technology (gained university status by royal charter) 1993 - Cranfield University (adopted current name) , type = Public research uni ...

with a Master of Defence Administration (MDA) degree. He undertook postgraduate research at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

, completing his

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

(PhD) degree in 1998: his doctoral thesis was titled "The Church of Scotland army chaplains in the Second World War". In 2011, he was a Farmington Fellow at

Harris Manchester College, Oxford Harris Manchester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It was founded in Warrington in 1757 as a college for Unitarian students and moved to Oxford in 1893. It became a full college of th ...

Military career

Early career

On 1 October 1979, he was commissioned into the Royal Irish Rangers,

, as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

(on probation) as part of his university cadetship. His commission was confirmed on 13 July 1980 and he was granted seniority in the rank of second lieutenant from 1 August 1976. On 13 July 1980, he was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

and granted seniority in that rank from 1 August 1978. On 1 February 1983, he was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. He resigned his commission on 20 September 1985, thereby ending his first period of full-time military service.

Reserve service

On 1 November 1985, he joined the 4th Battalion Royal Irish Rangers (North Irish Militia), part of the Territorial Army, in the rank of captain with seniority from 14 March 1983. He left the Territorial Army when he resigned his commission on 2 April 1989.

Ordained ministry

Coulter undertook training for

ministry Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian ...

and studied theology at the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

, graduating with a

(BD) degree. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

into the

on 2 April 1989. On 3 April 1989, he joined the

as a Chaplain to the Forces 4th Class (equivalent in rank to captain but lacking executive authority). He relinquished his commission on 2 April 1992 and spent the next two years working outside of the military. On 21 February 1994, he rejoined the military as a Chaplain to the Forces 4th Class. He was promoted to Chaplain to the Forces 3rd Class (equivalent in rank to

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

) on 22 March 1996. On 22 March 1997, he transferred from a short service to a permanent commission. He was promoted to Chaplain to the Forces 2nd Class (equivalent in rank to

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

) on 22 March 2002. He was promoted to Chaplain to the Forces 1st Class (equivalent in rank to

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

) on 23 June 2005. On 1 June 2008, he was appointed the Church of Scotland Denominational Representative Chaplain. From 2008 to June 2011, he served as Principal of the

. On 3 June 2011, he was appointed Deputy Chaplain General (equivalent in rank to

brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...

). In September 2013, it was announced that he would succeed

Jonathan Woodhouse Jonathan Woodhouse (born 1987) is an English actor, director and producer. Woodhouse was born in London and attended school and college in the London Borough of Newham. He is of English and Filipino descent. He studied for a Master of Arts i ...

as Chaplain-General to Her Majesty's Land Forces when Woodhouse retired in September 2014. On 17 September 2014, he was appointed Chaplain General and promoted to a rank equivalent to

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

. He undertook his final official engagement as Chaplain General in September 2018, during which he consecrated new colours for the Royal Irish Regiment (the successor to the Royal Irish Rangers with whom he had served in the 1980s). Coulter retired from the British Army on 17 April 2019.

Retirement and later ministry

Having retired from the British Army, Coulter returned to civilian ministry. From 2019 to 2021, he was the minister of St Andrew's in the Grange, Saint Peter Port, the Church of Scotland church on

Guernsey Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency. It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...

. In 2020, Coulter was appointed as

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 ...

to the

Order of St. John 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 headqu ...

Guernsey. He returned to Scotland in February 2021 to take up the role of clerk to the Presbytery of Fife.

Honours and decorations

Coulter was awarded the

Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service The King's Commendation for Valuable Service is a British military award for meritorious service in an operational theatre. It was established in 1994, when the award of the Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct and the Queen's Commendation for ...

'in recognition of distinguished services in Northern Ireland during the period 1 October 1995 to 31 March 1996'. On 18 October 2007, he was appointed Honorary Chaplain to the Queen (QHC). He was appointed Serving Brother of the Order of St John (SBStJ) in August 2011, promoted to

Officer of the Order of St John The Order of St John, short for Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (french: l'ordre très vénérable de l'Hôpital de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem) and also known as St John International, is a British royal order of ...

(OStJ) in September 2017, and is a recipient of the

Service Medal of the Order of St John The Service Medal of the Order of St John is awarded to recognise both conspicuous and long service with the Venerable Order of St John, particularly in St John Ambulance, both in the United Kingdom and in a number of other Commonwealth countr ...

. In the

2016 Queen's Birthday Honours The 2016 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as pa ...

, he was appointed a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregive ...

(CB). He is a recipient of the General Service Medal with

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

clasp Clasp, clasper or CLASP may refer to: * Wrist clasp, a dressing accessory * Folding clasp, a device used to close a watch strap * Medal bar, an element in military decoration * Fastener, a hardware device that mechanically joins objects together * ...

, the

United Nations Service Medal The United Nations Service Medal for Korea (UNKM) is an international military decoration established by the United Nations on December 12, 1950 as the United Nations Service Medal. The decoration was the first international award ever created by t ...

for

UNFICYP The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) is a United Nations peacekeeping force that was established under United Nations Security Council Resolution 186 in 1964 to prevent a recurrence of fighting following intercommunal violen ...

Gulf Medal The Gulf War Medal was a campaign medal approved in 1992, for issue to officers and men of British forces who served in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia during Operation Granby (the Liberation of Kuwait) in 1990–91. Medal The Gulf Medal is cupro-nickel ...

with clasp, the

Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (french: link=no, Médaille du jubilé d'or de la Reine Elizabeth II) or the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2002 to mark the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's ...

, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, and the

Accumulated Campaign Service Medal The Accumulated Campaign Service Medal and the Accumulated Campaign Service Medal 2011 are medals awarded by King Charles III to members of his Armed Forces to recognise long campaign service. The original Accumulated Campaign Service Medal, inst ...

. With the change in regulations opening the medal up to officers, he was awarded the

Medal for Long Service and Good Conduct (Military) The Medal for Long Service and Good Conduct (Military) is a medal awarded to regular members of the armed forces. It was instituted by King George V in 1930 and replaced the Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal as well as the Permanent For ...

with one clasp in 2018: the medal recognises 15 years of service and the clasp is for a further 10 years.

UK Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal ribbon

Ribbon - Medal for Long Service and Good Conduct (Military)

Service Medal of the Order of St John Ribbon

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coulter, David Living people 20th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland 21st-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland Royal Army Chaplains' Department officers Royal Irish Rangers officers Alumni of Queen's University Belfast 1957 births Military personnel from Belfast Clergy from Belfast British military personnel of The Troubles (Northern Ireland) Chaplains General to the Forces Honorary Chaplains to the Queen Companions of the Order of the Bath Officers of the Order of St John Recipients of the Commendation for Valuable Service Alumni of the University of St Andrews People educated at Regent House Grammar School People from Dundonald, County Down Presbyterian ministers from Northern Ireland Alumni of Cranfield University Alumni of the University of Edinburgh