Memorial to Harold Edward Wynn in Ely Cathedral

Harold Edward Wynn (1889–1956) 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 ...

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

. He was born on 15 January 1889 and educated at Mercers' School, London and

Trinity Hall, Cambridge Trinity Hall (formally The College or Hall of the Holy Trinity in the University of Cambridge) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. It is the fifth-oldest surviving college of the university, having been founded in 1350 by ...

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 ...

a priest on

Trinity Sunday Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost in the Western Christianity, Western Christian liturgical year, liturgical calendar, and the Sunday of Pentecost in Eastern Christianity. Trinity Sunday celebrates the Christian doctrine of the ...

1912 (2 June), by Frederic Chase,

Bishop of Ely The Bishop of Ely is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Ely in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese roughly covers the county of Cambridgeshire (with the exception of the Soke of Peterborough), together with a section of nort ...

, at

Ely Cathedral Ely Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is an Anglican cathedral in the city of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. The cathedral has its origins in AD 672 when St Etheldreda built an abbey church. The presen ...

, his first post was 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 ...

Jesus College, Cambridge Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's full name is The College of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint John the Evangelist and the glorious Virgin Saint Radegund, near Cambridge. Its common name comes fr ...

, a period interrupted by

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

service as a

to the

British Armed Forces The British Armed Forces, also known as His Majesty's Armed Forces, are the military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, s ...

. He was very young at 25 when he was interviewed for a commission as a chaplain in October 1914, but served successfully in France, Italy and finally, the Army of the Rhine. He was Mentioned in Despatches and awarded the Croce di Guerre, an Italian decoration for meritorious service. He was regarded as "A very capable Chaplain. Has indeed most Valuable Servuces both on the ministerial and administrative side of Department's work". The choice for Ely in 1941 rested between George Chase, a future Bishop of Ripon and Edward Wynn. Archbishops Lang and Temple preferred Chase. Wynn's outgoing personality had led to perceived drawbacks in his candidature for the post e.g. "... he had never quite grown up and had remained something of a Peter Pan". However, Prime Minister Churchill preferred Wynn and he was consecrated bishop on 25 July 1941.'Someday I'll Find You', HA Williams, p171, Mitchell Beasley, 1982 He died suddenly on 12 August 1956, having proved very popular and acquiring a reputation as "... one of the gentlest and most compassionate of men ... Everybody who knew him well will know how consistently benevolent he always was". Wynn was the first alumnus of

Ely Theological College Ely Theological College was a college in Ely, Cambridgeshire, for training clergy in the Church of England. Founded in 1876 by James Woodford, Anglican Bishop of Ely, the college had a strong Anglo-Catholic tradition. Ely's "ritualistic" (i.e. ...

to become a diocesan bishop.Mascall, E. L. (1992) ''Saraband''. Leominster: Gracewing; p. 102 There is a commemorative plaque in Ely Cathedral.

References

1889 births 1956 deaths People educated at Mercers' School Alumni of Trinity Hall, Cambridge Anglo-Catholic bishops Fellows of Pembroke College, Cambridge Bishops of Ely 20th-century Church of England bishops Members of Anglican religious orders Royal Army Chaplains' Department officers Staff of Westcott House, Cambridge Alumni of Ely Theological College {{ChurchofEngland-bishop-stub