The Royal Army Chaplains' Department (RAChD) is an all-officer department that provides

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

to minister to the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

History

The Army Chaplains' Department (AChD) was formed by Royal Warrant of 23 September 1796; until then chaplains had been part of individual

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

s, but not on the central establishment. Only

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

chaplains were recruited until 1827, when

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

s were recognised, but not commissioned until 1858.

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

chaplains were recruited from 1836,

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

chaplains from 1881, and

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

chaplains from 1892. During the First World War some 4,400 Army Chaplains were recruited and 179 lost their lives on active service. The department received the "Royal" prefix in February 1919. During the Second World War another 96 British and 38 Commonwealth Army Chaplains lost their lives. From 1946 to 1996, the RAChD's Headquarters, Depot and Training Centre were at Bagshot Park in Surrey, now the home of The Duke and

Duchess of Edinburgh Duchess of Edinburgh is the principal Courtesy titles in the United Kingdom, courtesy title held by the wife of the Duke of Edinburgh. There have been five Duchesses of Edinburgh since the title's creation. Following the accession of Charles I ...

. In 1996, they moved to the joint service Armed Forces Chaplaincy Centre at Amport House near Andover, Hampshire. Since 2020 the joint centre has been based at Beckett House, part of the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, just outside Shrivenham, Oxfordshire. In November 2023, the Ministry of Defence announced the intent to recruit Non-Religious Pastoral Support Officers into chaplaincy in order to reflect the changing demographics of the United Kingdom and HM Forces.

Selection and training

Candidates, both regular and reserve, first make a familiarisation visit to meet serving chaplains at an Army camp. They proceed to the Army Officer Selection Board at Leighton House, Westbury, for physical and mental assessment. Successful candidates receive initial training at the Armed Forces Chaplaincy Centre, Beckett House, Shrivenham and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Candidates for chaplain to the

Army Cadet Force The Army Cadet Force (ACF), generally shortened to Army Cadets, is a national Youth organisations in the United Kingdom, youth organisation sponsored by the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), Ministry of Defence and the Bri ...

are interviewed by the Regional Senior Chaplain, then attend a regional Army Cadets Commissions Board. Successful candidates undergo familiarisation, followed by initial training at the Armed Forces Chaplaincy Centre.

Role

Serving regular chaplains in the British Army can be Catholic, one of several

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

denominations, or to the

faith. Uniquely within the Army, the Royal Army Chaplains' Department has different cap badges for its Christian and Jewish officers. Army chaplains, although they are all

commissioned officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent ...

s of the British Army and wear uniform, do not have executive authority. They are unique within the Army in that they do not carry arms. Many chaplains have been decorated for bravery in action, including four awarded

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

es: James Adams, Noel Mellish, Theodore Hardy and William Addison. At services on formal occasions, chaplains wear their medals and decorations on their clerical robes. The RAChD's

motto A motto (derived from the Latin language, Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian language, Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a Sentence (linguistics), sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of a ...

is " In this Sign Conquer" as seen in the sky before the Battle of the Milvian Bridge by the Roman Emperor Constantine. Its regimental march, both quick and slow, is the '' Prince of Denmark's March'', erroneously known as the ''Trumpet Voluntary''.

Museum

The Royal Army Chaplains' Museum is at Shrivenham, in a new building opened by the Countess of Wessex on 17 May 2022. Its newly curated collection replaced the Museum of Army Chaplaincy which was at Amport House near Andover, Hampshire until 2019.

Faith denominations and belief backgrounds

Chaplains are either classified as Jewish, a member of one of the following denominational Christian groups, a member of World Faiths or a Non-religious Pastoral Provider: *

(

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland (, ; , ) is a Christian church in Ireland, and an autonomy, autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the Christianity in Ireland, second-largest Christian church on the ...

Church in Wales The Church in Wales () is an Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses. The Archbishop of Wales does not have a fixed archiepiscopal see, but serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishops. The position is currently held b ...

and

Scottish Episcopal Church The Scottish Episcopal Church (; ) is a Christian denomination in Scotland. Scotland's third largest church, the Scottish Episcopal Church has 303 local congregations. It is also an Ecclesiastical province#Anglican Communion, ecclesiastical provi ...

) *

Assemblies of God The World Assemblies of God Fellowship (WAGF), commonly known as the Assemblies of God (AG), is a global cooperative body or communion of over 170 Pentecostal denominations that was established on August 15, 1989. The WAGF was created to provi ...

* Baptist Union of Great Britain *Buddhist *

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...

* Free Church of Scotland * Churches in Communities International * Congregational Federation * Elim Pentecostal Church *Hindu * Methodist Church *Muslim * Presbyterian Church in Ireland *

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

United Reformed Church The United Reformed Church (URC) is a Protestant Christian church in the United Kingdom. As of 2024 it had approximately 44,000 members in around 1,250 congregations with 334 stipendiary ministers. The URC is a Trinitarian church whose theolog ...

Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...

* Sikh faith There are also religious advisors from other faiths. An Army chaplain is expected to minister to and provide pastoral care to any soldier who needs it, no matter their denomination or faith or lack of it. In 2004, Defence Minister Ivor Caplin said: “It is our aspiration to have armed forces which are representative of UK society as a whole.” The move might also help when dealing with soldiers in other armies from different faiths. At the time there were about 740 personnel that declared themselves to be from the four other main religions, but only Christian chaplains are employed by the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

. The number of non religious Ministry of Defence personnel including those in uniform numbered in the tens of thousands. In 2011, following a

freedom of information request Freedom of information laws allow access by the general public to data held by national governments and, where applicable, by state and local governments. The emergence of freedom of information legislation was a response to increasing dissatis ...

on Ministry of Defence spending on chaplaincy, the

National Secular Society The National Secular Society (NSS) is a British campaigning organisation that promotes secularism and the separation of church and state. It holds that no one should gain advantage or disadvantage because of their religion or lack of it. The Soc ...

proposed that £22m of spending should come directly from churches while professional counselling should continue to be funded by the taxpayer, in order to better serve the non-religious in the military. The proposal was rejected by the

. In September 2021, Defence

Humanists Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential, and agency of human beings, whom it considers the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humanism" has ...

, through a submission to the Government’s Integrated Review of foreign policy, defence, security and international development, called for an independent review of pastoral support for the armed forces which takes into account the nation’s changing religion and belief demographics and the need for a multi-faith and belief approach. In November 2023, the Ministry of Defence announced the intent to recruit Non-Religious Pastoral Support Officers into chaplaincy in order to reflect the changing demographics of the United Kingdom and HM Forces. The

armed forces of the Netherlands The Netherlands Armed Forces () are the military forces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (mainland Netherlands in Europe and islands of the Dutch Caribbean). The armed forces consist of four service branches: the Royal Netherlands Navy (), the ...

have had Humanist chaplains since 1964, known as Humanist Counseling in the Dutch Armed Forces.

Ranks

An Army Padre in Afghanistan with a Cross MOD 45152621

Chaplains are the only British Army officers who do not carry standard officer ranks. They are instead designated Chaplain to the Forces (CF) (e.g. "The Reverend John Smith CF"). They do, however, have grades which equate to the standard ranks and wear the insignia of the equivalent rank. Chaplains are usually addressed as "Padre" , never by their nominal military rank. *

Chaplain-General The chaplain general is a senior chaplain in non-church organisations, such as the British and Canadian armies, and is responsible for the supervision of chaplains conducting religious services and ceremonies, representing the Christian faith in ...

(CG) = Major-General *Deputy Chaplain-General (DCG) =

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 (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

*Chaplain to the Forces 1st Class (CF1) =

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...

*Chaplain to the Forces 2nd Class (CF2) = Lieutenant-Colonel *Chaplain to the Forces 3rd Class (CF3) =

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

*Chaplain to the Forces 4th Class (CF4) =

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

The senior Church of England chaplain is ranked within the church hierarchy as an

archdeacon An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denomina ...

, and he or she holds the appointment of Archdeacon for the Army whether or not he or she is also the

. The senior Roman Catholic Chaplain (usually a CF1) is sometimes ranked as a

monsignor Monsignor (; ) is a form of address or title for certain members of the clergy in the Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" can be abbreviated as Mons.... or Msgr. In some ...

List of Chaplains General

Deputy Chaplains General

Order of precedence

Notable British Army chaplains

Michael Adler Michael Adler DSO, SCF (27 July 1868 – 30 September 1944) was an English Orthodox rabbi, an Anglo-Jewish historian and author who was the first Jewish military chaplain to the British Army to serve in time of war, serving with the Bri ...

* William Addison * Edward Armstrong Bennett * Harry Blackburne * A. C. Bouquet *

Tubby Clayton Philip Thomas Byard Clayton (12 December 1885 – 16 December 1972), known as "Tubby" Clayton, was an Anglican clergyman and the founder of Toc H. Life and career Philip Clayton was born in Maryborough, Queensland, Australia, to English pa ...

(Founder,

Toc H Toc H (also TH) is a registered charity and an international Christian movement. The name is an abbreviation for Talbot House, "Toc" signifying the letter T in the Royal Corps of Signals#History, signals spelling alphabet#History, spelling alpha ...

) * Francis Lyon Cohen * David Cooper * Cox Edghill *

Willie Doyle William Joseph Gabriel Doyle, (3 March 1873 – 16 August 1917) was an Irish Catholics, Irish Catholic priest who was killed in action while serving as a military chaplain to the Royal Dublin Fusiliers during the First World War. He is a candida ...

* Francis Gleeson * Samuel Leighton Green * Alexander Macdonell * Theodore Hardy * James Harkness *

Hugh Hornby Hugh Leycester Hornby (20 November 1888 – 24 March 1965) was an Anglican clergyman. Hornby was born at St. Michael's-on-Wyre, near Preston, Lancashire. He was educated at Rugby School and Balliol College, Oxford. He was curate of St. Annes-o ...

Rupert Inglis Rupert Edward Inglis (17 May 1863 – 18 September 1916) was an England international rugby football, rugby player who later became a Church of England rector. During the First World War, Inglis was a Military Chaplain, chaplain to the British Ar ...

, former England rugby international * Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy ("Woodbine Willie") * Noel Mellish * George Smith (Padre at Rorke's Drift) *

Neville Talbot Neville Stuart Talbot MC (21 August 1879 – 3 April 1943) was Bishop of Pretoria in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa and later a robust vicar of St Mary's Church, Nottingham and assistant Bishop of Southwell who turned down the chanc ...

Maurice Wood Maurice Arthur Ponsonby Wood, (26 August 1916 – 24 June 2007) was an Anglican bishop in the Evangelical tradition. He was a Royal Navy commando chaplain in World War II and later the Bishop of Norwich. Early life and education Wood was born ...

Gallery

IMCCC UK chaplains (David Coulter cropped).jpg, David Coulter in

mess dress Mess dress uniform is the most formal (or semi-formal wear, semi-formal, depending on the country) type of evening-wear uniform used by military personnel, Police officer, police personnel, and other uniformed services members. It frequently ...

Archbishop of Canterbury with military chaplains (Jonathan Woodhouse cropped 2).jpg, Jonathan Woodhouse in service dress ABF carols (Clinton Langston cropped).jpg, Clinton Langston in

choir dress Choir dress is the traditional vesture of the clerics, seminary, seminarians and religious order, religious of Christian churches worn for public prayer and the administration of the sacraments except when celebrating or Concelebration, con ...

with medals New Army Chaplains (camo cropped).jpg, Padres in combat dress Army chaplain conducts a service from the cockpit of an aeroplane, France, during World War I (3017163160).jpg, An army chaplain conducts a service from the cockpit of an aeroplane, France, during World War I

Footnotes

Sources

External links

*
Royal Army Chaplains' Department
at the National Army Museum, Chelsea {{The British Army British administrative corps British military chaplains Religion in the military Religion in the United Kingdom Military units and formations established in 1796 1796 establishments in Great Britain