The Reverend Canon Wallace Harold Elliott (1884 - 1957) was a Church of England clergyman and Precentor of the

Chapels Royal The Chapel Royal is an establishment in the Royal Household serving the spiritual needs of the sovereign and the British Royal Family. Historically it was a body of priests and singers that travelled with the monarch. The term is now also appl ...

, and a broadcaster on religious matters for the BBC, known as "the Radio Chaplain".

Early life and education

Elliott was educated at

Brasenose College, Oxford Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The library and chapel were added in the mi ...

, where he was Colquitt Exhibitioner, and took a 2nd-class BA in Theology in 1906, being promoted to MA in 1910. He subsequently studied at Ripon College Cuddesdon, outside Oxford.

Career

Being ordained deacon in 1907 and priest in 1908, Elliott was curate at

Guisborough Guisborough ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the borough of Redcar and Cleveland, North Yorkshire, England. It lies north of the North York Moors National Park. Roseberry Topping, midway between the town and Great Ayton, is a landmark i ...

, North Yorkshire from 1907 to 1909, before being appointed

Church of England Men's Society The Church of England Men's Society was founded in 1899 by Archbishop Frederick Temple Frederick Temple (30 November 1821 – 23 December 1902) was an English academic, teacher and churchman, who served as Bishop of Exeter (1869–1885), ...

organizing secretary for the Northern Provinces. From 1909 he was also curate at Leeds. In 1918 he became vicar of Holy Trinity, Folkestone, "a carpeted and golden edifice built in 1868 for the West End of Folkestone", remaining there until 1928; from 1924 to 1928 he was also a prebendary of

Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England. It forms part of a World Heritage Site. It is the cathedral of the Archbishop of Canterbury, currently Justin Welby, leader of the ...

. His service as chaplain to the King began in 1926, and he was a canon of

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...

, London from 1928. From 1930 to 1941, Elliott was vicar of St Michael's church, Chester Square, in London's Belgravia district. Along with serving as Precentor of the Chapels Royal from 1941 to 1946, he was sub-dean from 1942 to 1948, when he retired. He was also

Deputy Clerk of the Closet The Deputy Clerk of the Closet is the Domestic Chaplain to the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. The office was created in 1677. Since 1931, the Deputy Clerk is also the sub-dean of the Chapel Royal (under the Clerk of the Closet). The Deputy Cler ...

and

Sub-Almoner The Royal Almonry is a small office within the Royal Households of the United Kingdom, headed by the Lord High Almoner, an office dating from 1103. The almoner is responsible for distributing alms to the poor. The Lord High Almoner is usually a ...

to the King from 1941 to 1948, and

Domestic Chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intelligence ...

to the King from 1942 to 1948. Alongside his broadcasting for the BBC, Elliott was also a writer. He appeared as a castaway on the BBC Radio programme '' Desert Island Discs'' on 26 March 1942. Elliott persuaded Plomley to let him write his own script which Plomley regretted as the script turned out to be a kind of sermon.

Personal life

Elliott married Edith Plaistow Kilburn; their son was the theatre and television director Michael Elliott.Who's Who in the Theatre, ed. John Parker, Pitman, 1981, p. 204

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elliott, W. H. 20th-century Church of England clergy BBC people 20th-century British people English chaplains 1884 births 1957 deaths