Committee on Chaplains
to
HM Forces
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INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the Committee on Chaplains to HM Forces.
On this page, you can find out more about
A guide to forces chaplaincy
History of chaplains
Other faiths
The committee's remit
A guide to forces chaplaincy
The Church of Scotland provides chaplains to serve the
men and women of the Army, the Royal Air Force and the
Royal Navy. Christian chaplains provide support and comfort
to a person in the armed forces, and their families, regardless
of their faith, belief or disbelief. With the appointment
of representative chaplains from other faiths, there are
now individuals available to both advise at a policy making
level and to visit their charges in units wherever they
may be.
History of chaplains
The Church of Scotland provides chaplains to serve the
men and women of the Royal Navy, the Army and the Royal
Air Force. There is a long history of providing for the
spiritual needs of the fighting man. Roman Legionaries
set up temples to their Gods and, in more recent times,
chaplains were in great evidence in the Parliamentarian
regiments in the English Civil War.
The formal appointment of chaplains to the Armed Forces
dates from 1796 when Anglican chaplains were appointed.
During the Crimean War (1854 to 1856) two Roman Catholic
priests joined the Army there, with additional priests
following. This led to the proper establishment of priests
and non-Anglican chaplains being appointed to the Army.
In the Royal Navy there were chaplains in the 'King's
Ships' from the late 13th century. For a long period
there was but one chaplain to a fleet or squadron although
in 1626 the king gave orders for a chaplain to be in
every one of his ships at sea, although it seems this
did not happen. It was the great Naval administrator,
Samuel Pepys, who did much to regularise the chaplains'
position.
By the formation of the Royal Air Force in 1918 inter-denominational
representation was a fact.
Other faiths
Servicemen who were Jews have been cared for by uniformed
rabbis during the Second World War and by an honorary
chaplain since then. Meanwhile, in 2005, clerics from
the Muslim, Budhist, Hindu and Sikh faiths have been appointed,
albeit as civil servants, but working with the Service
chaplaincy branches to care for the needs of members of
these faiths.
The committee's remit
The Church of Scotland Committee on Chaplains to Her Majesty's
Forces is one of several committees managing the Church's
day to day business. Under its convener it comprises a
number of ministers, often with experience in service
chaplaincy, and a number of lay members. The committee,
working through the convener, keeps abreast of Ministry
of Defence policy and makes a contribution to the formulation
of this as it concerns the spiritual well-being of the
women and men of the Armed Forces of the Crown. The committee
takes an interest in the recruiting of chaplains and in
their welfare.
| The convener regularly
visit formations and units. Each year, at the
General
Assembly of the Church of Scotland, there
is a morning during which service chaplaincy matters
may be discussed following the convener's comprehensive
report to the Assembly. Members normally serve
for three years and may be invited to serve for
one further such term, thus ensuring that there
is a steady injection of fresh ideas and experience.
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A Baptism is carried out
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The committee is an associate member of the Ministries
Council.
For more information about our chaplains and their
roles within the armed forces, use the navigation on
the right hand side.
Contact us
If you have any difficulty using this section of our website,
please contact the webteam
using our feedback form.
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