December 2015-January 2016
NOTICE board
Priest charts impact of First World War on Colchester
Meaning is in the Waiting request
ROBERT BEAKEN is parish priest of St Mary the Virgin, Great Bardfield, and St Katharine, Little Bardfield, in Essex. He holds a PhD from King’s College, London, and is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He is the author of seven works, including Cosmo Lang: Archbishop in War and Crisis (2012).
Front cover: The Burial of the unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey, (detail), oil painting by Frank O Salisbury © Estate of Frank O Salisbury. All rights reserved, DACS 2015. Image courtesy of Palace of Westminster Collection WOA 2957 www.parliament.uk/art Back cover: Unloading wounded soldiers at St Botolph’s Station
CofE Home Front jkt 20150727A.indd 1
‘Robert Beaken provides an elegantly written account of an important aspect of how English society coped with the 1914–1918 war on the home front. In his study of parochial life in Colchester during the period, Dr Beaken tests and demolishes a number of myths, tracing their origins to the late 1920s, a period of disillusionment and literary reconstruction of the war years. His final chapter on the dubious contrast between a “bad” First World War and a “good” Second World War for the Church of England makes an important contribution to remembering those who endured and fought in 1914–1918, without condescension but with honesty and compassion.’ The Right Rev. and Right Hon. Richard Chartres KCVO DD FSA, Bishop of London ‘In telling the story of the Church and its people in Colchester, a garrison town, Robert Beaken enlivens our understanding of the First World War – not only as a clash of mighty forces, but also at a personal and communal level.’ The Very Rev. Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster
‘An admirable book. In a year when we are encouraged to assess or reassess our attitudes to the Great War, it is useful to have this timely account of how the Church of England faced its wartime duties.’ The Right Hon. Lord Hurd of Westwell CH CBE
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Robert Beaken
I would urge readers not to skip the insightful introduction which reminds us of what we are waiting for and why! This year Paula has also published Journey to the Manger (above) which looks at the story of the birth of Jesus. l Both books are available from the bookshop at special prices: The Meaning is in the Waiting - £7.99 (RRP £8.99) and Journey to the Manger- £11.50 (RRP £12.99). Everyone is welcome to join the reading group. It meets at 1pm on the first Wednesday of each month in the Library at the Diocesan Office. Contact Rachel or Sally on 01245 294405 or email bookshop@ chelmsford.anglican. org for details. RACHEL ORFORD Manager, Chelmsford Christian Bookshop
ROBERT Beaken, parish priest of Great Bardfield Little Bardfield, has written an elegant account of an important aspect of how English society coped with the 1914-1918 war on the Home Front. In his study of parochial life in Colchester during the period (right), Dr Beaken tests and demolishes a number of myths, tracing their origins to the late 1920s, a period of disillusionment and literary reconstruction of the war years. In his foreword, Terry Waite says: "The late Robert Runcie, one-time Archbishop of Canterbury and a distinguished holder of the Military Cross, frequently proclaimed that ‘nothing was real unless it was local’. Mischievously, his private staff requested that he define what he meant by ‘real’, even though they knew full well what he really meant. "In a world where history is too often relegated to a lowly place
THE CHURCH OF ENGL AND AND THE HOME FRONT, 1914–1918
PAULA Gooder has been a much requested author by our bookshop reading group, so for December 2 we have chosen to look at Advent with her book The Meaning is in the Waiting. Written in Paula’s usual accessible style, readers can take either daily or weekly bites or, as I did, consume it at whole-in-one sitting. This presumably illustrates how hopeless I am at waiting. In fact, a slower approach is by far the better way. The author provides plenty of opportunities and suggestions for reflection on different ways of waiting, how we might become better at it and how this might bring us closer to God. She skilfully uses the stories traditionally associated with the four candles on the Advent wreath: Abraham and Sarah, the prophets, John the Baptist and Mary as her focus, but
THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND AND THE HOME FRONT 1914–1918 CIVILIANS, SOLDIERS AND RELIGION IN WARTIME COLCHESTER
Robert Beaken Foreword by Terry Waite CBE
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in the school curriculum, another distinguished scholar, Dr Beaken, has done a distinct service to Colchester in recording the impact of the First World War on the garrison town. He has written a focused and detailed local history which he has placed in its wider context, and his careful research has revealed some fascinating statistics. Who would have thought that the Borough of Colchester Social Club for the
BOOKSHELF
The Church of England is popularly believed to have had a bad First World War. This book challenges that tired orthodoxy. It examines the relationship between parish churches and the army during the war, using the important garrison town of Colchester as a case study. Colchester in 1914–18 was a microcosm both of English society and of the Church of England, in all their diversity. The presence of the army also meant that wartime experiences and trends which were noticeable elsewhere in England were sharply felt in Colchester.
Troops, well supported by the Church of St Mary-atthe-Walls, would have distributed 11 tons of cake to hungry troops during the war years? That is indeed a lot of cake! "However, Dr Beaken does not confine his research to statistics. Throughout the centuries, Christians of every persuasion have been divided in their attitude to warfare. "The episcopate urged the clergy to remain in their parishes, in order to give pastoral care to the many hundreds of people who were bereaved or who were suffering from other forms of distress as a result of the war. "Understandably, such were the social pressures, and their individual convictions, that not all priests felt able to obey this injunction. Most clergy did, and the book illustrates how the Anglican parishes of For the generation of Britons who lived through the Great War, Christianity was an important part of their culture, world view and, in many instances, personal lives. To understand life on the home front during the war, it is vital to understand the part played by Christianity, and particularly by the parishes of the Church of England. With the help of newly discovered archival material, this book reassesses the relations between clergy, soldiers and civilians, to show that, contrary to widely-held belief, the clergy and their parishioners responded to the crisis of 1914–18 with courage, common sense, and self-sacrifice: their ministry kept much of the population going during the Great War.
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Colchester served their community in diverse ways during harsh and difficult years of 1914–18. As might be expected, there are many references to the army, and the interaction between the civilian population and the troops, both positive and negative, is well documented. "There has been much controversy across the years in respect of the Church’s attitude to warfare, and in particular concerning the thorny question of the blessing of weapons of war. The author quotes research conducted by the director of the Army Chaplaincy Museum, who has been unable to uncover any such incidents, apart from the naming of an aircraft by an obscure princess in 1918. The myth continues, but, says the author, there are no documents to support this claim. "Reading this book,
one is reminded what enormous changes have taken place in both Church and society during in the last 100 years. Then, there was little doubt that the CofE was in fact the Church for all the people of the country, regardless of their religious or political persuasion. Organisations such as the Church of England Men’s Society flourished, as did their female equivalent. The CofE was a force to be reckoned with in the Colchester of the early 20th century, and it played a substantial role in bringing comfort to those in distress, and in enabling wartime society to hold together. "Dr Beaken shows the impact that the global conflict of 1914-18 had on a local community, and the response of the CofE. It was real and meaningful, and Dr Runcie would have fully approved." l The book is available from the Diocesan Bookshop (details left) at a special price of £22.50.
DIOCESAN CYCLE OF PRAYER — DECEMBER 2015-JANUARY 2016 Cycle of Prayer for daily use in Diocese of Chelmsford 'Being conscious of being in the presence of God.'
DECEMBER 1 Tuesday Charles de Foucauld, Hermit in the Sahara, 1916 ● Today is World Aids Day ● DEANERY OF DUNMOW & STANSTED Cilla Hawkes, Rural Dean. Belle Beszant, Lay Chair. Joanna Pratt (RDR). ● Your prayers are asked for the deanery’s continued work as they grow together for their future Mission and Ministry Unit, faced with the task of showing God in the growing housing without losing sight of their existing ministry. Pray, too, for the chaplaincy at Stansted Airport and the 10,000 employees there. ● Diocese of West Tennessee (Province IV, The Episcopal Church). 2 Wednesday ● THE SOUTH RODINGS: ABBESS RODING (St Edmund), BEAUCHAMP RODING (St Botolph), WHITE RODING (St Martin), LEADEN RODING (St Michael)—Clergy: Clive Duxbury (PIC). ● FELSTED (Holy Cross) and LITTLE DUNMOW (St Mary the Virgin)—Clergy: Colin Taylor (V). Readers: Joanna Pratt, Robert Stone. ● Felsted School: Nigel Little (CHP). ● Diocese of West Texas (Province VII, The Episcopal Church). 3 Thursday Francis Xavier, Missionary, Apostle of the Indies, 1552 ● BROXTED w CHICKNEY (St Mary Vn)
and TILTY (St Mary Vn) and GREAT EASTON (St John & St Giles) and LITTLE EASTON—Clergy: Ivy Crawford (PIC) [Also Diocesan CMD Adviser]. ● Great Easton School: Claire Jackman (HT). ● GREAT BARDFIELD (St Mary Vn) and LITTLE BARDFIELD (St Katharine)— Clergy: Robert Beaken (PIC). ● Dioceses of Southern and West Virginia (Province III, The Episcopal Church). 4 Friday John of Dasmascus, Monk, Teacher of the Faith, c.749 Nicholas Ferrar, Deacon, Founder of the Little Gidding Community, 1637 ● GREAT DUNMOW (St Mary Vn) w BARNSTON—Clergy: Ruth Patten (PIC). ● St Mary’s Primary School: Clare Griffiths (HT). ● Dioceses of Western Izon (Bendel, Nigeria) & Northern Izon (Niger Delta, Nigeria). 5 Saturday ● Churches often make Advent far too much like Lent, even to using the same colours at services (in England it used to be blue for Advent and purple for Lent – now most churches use purple for both). But they are very different. The traditional themes of Lent are prayer and penitence, whereas the traditional themes of Advent are hope and expectation as we wait for the birth of God. ● Diocese of Western Kansas (Province VII, The Episcopal Church). 6 THE SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT ● Pray for the work of the Diocesan Evangelical Association and its Chair, Gordon Simmonds. ● Diocese of Western Louisiana (Province VII, the Episcopal Church). 7 Monday Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, Teacher of the Faith, 397
GREAT BARDFIELD— Please pray for the clergy and congregation on December 3
● GREAT CANFIELD (St Mary Vn) w HIGH RODING (All Saints) and AYTHORPE RODING (St Mary Vn): also HIGH EASTER (St Mary Vn) and GOOD EASTER (St Andrew) w MARGARET RODING (St Margaret of Antioch)—Clergy: Dub Gannon (PIC). ● Diocese of Western Michigan (Province V, The Episcopal Church). 8 Tuesday THE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY ● STEBBING (St Mary Vn) & LINDSELL (St Mary Vn) w GREAT SALING (St James) and LITTLE (BARDFIELD) SALING (St Peter & St Paul)—Clergy: Tim Goodbody (PIC), Cilla Hawkes (AD, AC), Helen Pelly (A), Reader: Nigel Warren. ● TAKELEY (Holy Trinity) w LITTLE CANFIELD (All Saints)—Clergy: Rob Burles (PIC), Hugh Mascetti (LLM).
● Diocese of Western New York (Province II, The Episcopal Church). 9 Wednesday ● Ember Day ● STANSTED MOUNTFITCHET (St John) w BIRCHANGER (St Mary Vn) & FARNHAM (St Mary Vn)—Clergy: Paul Wilkin (R). ● St Mary’s School, Stansted: Christine Tonkins (HT). ● The retired clergy, Readers and lay ministers who live and work in the Deanery of Dunmow and Stansted. ● Diocese of Western Tanganyika (Tanzania). 10 Thursday ● UN HUMAN RIGHTS DAY ● DEANERY OF HARWICH—Area Dean: Guy Thorburn, Lay Chair: John Baker. Asst. Area Dean: Simon Heron. ● Gillian Moore (CHP, St Helena Hospice). ● Diocese of Wiawso (Ghana). 11 Friday ● Ember Day ● DEDHAM (St Mary Virgin)—Clergy: Vacancy (V). ● Dedham School: Heather Tetchner (HT). ● ELMSTEAD (St Anne and St Laurence)—Clergy: Vacancy (PIC). ● Diocese of Willochra (South Australia, Australia). 12 Saturday ● Ember Day ● Today is what is sometimes called an “ember” day. It is a very old Anglo Saxon word, but all it means is that today we specially prayer for the mission and ministry of the church; for our bishops, CONTINUED ON PAGE II