Maurice Edwards

The Venerable
Maurice Edwards
OBE
Chaplain-in-Chief, Royal Air Force
Church Church of England
In office 1940 to 1944
Successor John Jagoe
Orders
Ordination 1911
Personal details
Birth name Maurice Henry Edwards
Born (1886-05-17)17 May 1886
Died 26 April 1961(1961-04-26) (aged 74)
Education Ripon Grammar School
Alma mater Queens' College, Cambridge

Maurice Henry Edwards, OBE (17 May 1886 – 26 April 1961) was an Anglican priest in the second half of the twentieth century. During World War II, from 1940 to 1944, he was Chaplain-in-Chief of the Royal Air Force.

Early life

Edwards was born on 17 May 1886, he was educated at Ripon Grammar School and Queens' College, University of Cambridge.[1]

Career

Edwards was ordained a priest in the Church of England[2] in 1911. He was a curate in Bedale, North Riding, Yorkshire, from 1911 to 1914.[1] He was appointed a Royal Navy chaplain on 6 August 1914.[3] In 1918, he joined the fledgling Royal Air Force Chaplaincy Service. He was granted the relative rank of squadron leader on 1 August 1919,[4] the relative rank of wing commander on 6 August 1929,[5] and the relative rank of group captain on 6 August 1934.[6] On 10 April 1940, he granted the relative rank of air commodore and appointed Chaplain-in- Chief, the most senior chaplain of the Royal Air Force.[7]

From 1944 to 1947, he was based at the Rother Vale Collieries, after which he became rector of Acton Burnell cum Pitchford, a post he held until his retirement in 1953.[1]

He died on 26 April 1961.[8]

Honours

In the 1928 King's Birthday Honours, Edwards was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).[9]

He was appointed an Honorary Chaplain to the King (KHC) on 10 April 1940.[7]

Notes and references

  1. 1 2 3 “Who was Who” 1897-2007 London, A & C Black, 2007 ISBN 978-0-19-954087-7
  2. ↑ Crockford's clerical directory 1947-48 Oxford, OUP, 1947
  3. ↑ "No. 28864". The London Gazette. 7 August 1914. p. 6203.
  4. ↑ "No. 32017". The London Gazette. 13 August 1920. p. 8410.
  5. ↑ "No. 33531". The London Gazette. 3 September 1929. p. 5720.
  6. ↑ "No. 34078". The London Gazette. 14 August 1934. p. 5195.
  7. 1 2 "No. 34831". The London Gazette. 16 April 1940. p. 2248.
  8. ↑ The Times Thursday, 27 April 1961; pg. 1; Issue 55066; col A Deaths
  9. ↑ "No. 33390". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 June 1928. p. 3854.
Church of England titles
Preceded by
James Rowland Walkey		 Chaplain-in-Chief of the RAF
1940–1944 		Succeeded by
John Arthur Jagoe


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.