Neil E. Allison - The Clash of Empires 1914-1939

[Chris Noble]

Reviewed by my good friend Dave Stowe.

Look forward to reading it myself.

Regards to all.

Chris.

Neil E. Allison The Clash of Empires 1914-1939 (United Navy, Army and Air Force Board, 2008) (Series Editor: Rev Dr Brian Talbot) p. 131 ISBN 978-0-9554845-0-6 £6.99

I was intending to write a fairly lengthy review here, but I think anything I do write will be superfluous to the Foreword by the Reverend Jonathan Woodhouse in Neil E. Allison’s excellent The Clash of Empires 1914-1939. What I would like to say - briefly - is that good use is made throughout of testimony across all theatres of war and armed services. One account which stands out in particular is that of the Reverend Dexter’s rather gruesome description of a Turkish attack on ANZAC troops and its aftermath. Dexter was serving with Australian Forces during the Gallipoli Campaign at the time and helped to bury both Turkish and Australian dead. Much is also made elsewhere of the pastoral work carried out behind the lines, and the dangers faced both at the front and in the rear. Indeed, the book is dedicated to those United Board chaplains who lost their lives: amongst them United Methodist, Congregationalist, Salvation Army, Moravian, and Baptist. There is also a list of those who served which may be found in the Appendices, although if I do have one small criticism here it is the lack of any searchable index towards the end of the book. However, this is a minor point, and should not detract from the overall quality of Allison’s work which has been diligently researched and referenced throughout. The Official Historian to the United Board is a title Padre Allison rightly deserves, as The Clash of Empires is both wide ranging in scope, and serves as an important introduction to what is a long overdue history of the United Board and Free Churches between 1914 and 1939. Clear, concise, and totally captivating, The Clash of Empires is the first of three volumes, and will be available at the end of January 2009. A must for layperson and learned alike.

FOREWORD

Capturing the history of the unique ministry offered by United Board chaplains within the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force is a daunting task and long overdue. The challenge has been more than met in this outstanding first volume, The Clash of Empires 1914-1939. Here, Neil Allison sets out both the genesis of the United Board, traditionally understood as the 9th October 1914 when ‘the first tow U.B. chaplains were commissioned and sent to France’, and the years of Peace and Remembrance before the dark prospect of a Second World War cast its shadow over Europe in 1939.

The excellent use of Primary and Secondary sources establishes the scholarly credentials of the book but this is combined with both brightly sparkling and deeply moving personal stories of United Board chaplains ministering in the name of Christ on the battlefields of The First World War. This is underlined by the Army Chaplains’ Department being honoured for its war-time work by being given the ‘Royal’ title and so becoming the Royal Army Chaplains’ Department.

Neil Allison clearly describes the ecclesiastical and political background to the formation of the ‘United Navy and Army Board’ through to the United Board involvement in helping to establish the newly forming RAF Chaplaincy Service in 1918 to which several Army chaplains serving with the Royal Flying Corps were transferred.

Histories come in all shapes and sized, emphases and acknowledgements. This first of three volumes focuses more strongly on the story of the United Board Army Chaplains but volumes two and three give greater weight to Royal Navy and Royal Air Force United Board chaplains. Taken together the three volumes bring strong scholarship and spirituality to the story of the Ministry and Mission of United Board chaplains from all three Armed Services. I am delighted to commend this ‘labour of love’ in the hope that readers may draw vision and inspiration from the exploits of our forebears

The Reverend Jonathan Woodhouse QHC BA BSc Mth CF (UB)

Deputy Chaplain-General

Royal Army Chaplains’ Department

Upavon

September 2008

[Audax]

This is very worthwhile study. Neil Allison's Book covers the story of those Chaplains who belonged to those Churches which were at one time called Non C of E or Other Protestants. Within the Army they were on occassion referred to disparingly as 'Fancy Religions'.

This accessible study covers the growth of Non Conformist Chaplaincy from 1914. It contains useful of lists of commissioned United Board chaplains , details of gallantry awards and casualties and a detailed bibliography.

One or two illustrations would have been welcome.

Highly recommended to those who have an interest in the religious, social and political landscape of the First World War.

A