William Bryce Johnston, (16 September 1921 – 22 May 2005) was 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 Reformation of 1560, when it split from the Catholic Church ...

minister, most notably Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland from 1980 until 1981. He was Executive Committee Chairman of the British Council of Churches.

Life

He was born in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

the son of William B. Johnston, a civil servant, and his wife, Isabel W. Highley. He was educated at George Watson’s College. He then studied Classics and Divinity 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 ...

and New College Edinburgh. 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 ...

as a Chaplain to

HM 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, su ...

in 1945. Initially acting as Chaplain to the

Kings Own Scottish Borderers The King's Own Scottish Borderers (KOSBs) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division. On 28 March 2006 the regiment was amalgamated with the Royal Scots, the Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Margaret's Own ...

he later transferred to the highly unusual role as Chaplain to the captured German prisoners of war in Scotland, having special efforts to relieve the plight of the German chaplains captured (who were treated as normal soldiers). He was the Minister at

Bo’ness Borrowstounness (commonly known as Bo'ness ( )) is a town and former burgh and seaport on the south bank of the Firth of Forth in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. Historically part of the county of West Lothian, it is a place within the Falki ...

from 1949 to 1954; Greenock from 1955 to 1964; and

Colinton Parish Church Colinton Parish Church is a congregation of the Church of Scotland. The church building is located in Dell Road, Colinton, Edinburgh, Scotland next to the Water of Leith. History St Cuthbert's Church, originally called the parish of Hailes, w ...

from 1964 to 1991. At Greenock he was involved with work at Greenock women's prison. A frequent religious broadcaster he was a regular contributor to "

Good Morning Scotland ''Good Morning Scotland'' ( gd, Madainn Mhath Alba) is a Scottish breakfast radio news programme. It is broadcast on BBC Radio Scotland weekdays from 06:00 to 09:00. Established in 1973, it is the longest-running radio show broadcast from Scotl ...

". In 1975 he represented Scotland at the Assembly of the

World Council of Churches The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a worldwide Christian inter-church organization founded in 1948 to work for the cause of ecumenism. Its full members today include the Assyrian Church of the East, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, most ju ...

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper h ...

. His year as Moderator included a trip to

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

to mark the 50th anniversary of the building of the Scottish church there. He was an

Honorary Chaplain to the Queen An Honorary Chaplain to the King (KHC) is a member of the clergy within the United Kingdom who, through long and distinguished service, is appointed to minister to the monarch of the United Kingdom. When the reigning monarch is female, Honorary Ch ...

from 1991. He died on 22 May 2005 and was interred in the south side grounds of Colinton Church.

Family

In 1947 he married Ruth Cowley, daughter of Rev Cowley, who he met in post-war Germany. They had one son and two daughters.Independent (newspaper) obituary 28 May 2005

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnston, William Bryce 1921 births Clergy from Edinburgh People educated at George Watson's College Alumni of the University of Edinburgh 20th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland 2005 deaths Honorary Chaplains to the Queen 21st-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland