Bishop Walter Baddeley, 1894-1960: Soldier, Priest and Missionary
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Bishop Walter Baddeley, 1894-1960: Soldier, Priest and Missionary. Antony Hodgson Thesis submitted for the degree of Master of Philosophy King’s College, London. Downloaded from Anglicanhistory.org Acknowledgements I am most grateful to the staff and trustees of several libraries and archives especially; Blackburn Diocesan Registry, Blackburn Public Library, the Bodleian Library, the Borthwick Institute, York, the National Archives, King’s College, London, Lambeth Palace Library, Lancashire County Records Office, the Harris Library, Preston, St Deiniol’s Library, Hawarden, St Annes-on-the-Sea Public Library, the School of Oriental and African Studies, Teeside Public Records Office and York Minster Library. I wish to acknowledge the generous assistance of the Clever Trustees, the Lady Peel Trustees and Dr Richard Burridge, dean of King’s College, London. Colleagues and friends have given much help and I would particularly like to thank David Ashforth, John Booth, Colin Podmore, John Darch, Dominic Erdozain, Christine Ellis, Kenneth Gibbons, William Gulliford, Peter Heald, William Jacob, Bryan Lamb, Geoffrey Moore, Jeremy Morris, Paul Wright and Tom Westall. Finally, I owe the greatest debt of gratitude to my wife, Elizabeth and my supervisor, Professor Arthur Burns. ii Synopsis of Thesis The dissertation consists of an introduction and five biographical chapters, which follow Baddeley’s career from subaltern in 1914 to diocesan bishop in 1954. The chapters correspond with four distinct periods in Baddeley’s life: the First World War 1914-19 (Chapter 1), Melanesia, 1932-47 (Chapter 2), the suffragan bishopric of Whitby, 1947-54 (Chapter 3), and the diocesan bishopric of Blackburn 1954-60 (Chapters 4 and 5). Because his career possessed unusual diversity Baddeley illuminates several neglected aspects of Anglican history. Baddeley was an active participant within theatres of combat during both world wars and for this reason is unique among the bishops of his generation. His record as an infantry officer in the Great War (he was awarded the D.S.O, M.C., and Bar) distinguished him as an exceptionally brave individual. After the war Baddeley was a successful priest in demanding urban parishes in the north of England. The years 1932-47 were spent as a missionary bishop of Melanesia. When the Japanese invaded his diocese in January 1942, he went ‘underground’ for nine months, evading capture. The Americans started to wrest the Islands from Japanese control in August 1942 with the battle of Guadalcanal. Inevitably during the hostilities numerous allied aircrews bailed out over the sea, or in the bush behind the Japanese lines. Baddeley assisted in rescuing these crews before the Japanese could get to them. In 1943, after the United States Forces had liberated the Islands, the Americans acknowledged Baddeley with an honorary doctorate from Columbia and the Congressional Medal of Freedom. From 1947-60 Baddeley served, first as suffragan of Whitby, 1947-54, then, as diocesan of Blackburn from 1954 until his death, age 65, in 1960. A recurring theme of the dissertation concerns the subject of changing clerical identity. Baddeley gives iii important insight into these changes because the key points of transition in his career occurred at times when the institutional church was undergoing radical change. iv Contents Introduction 1 1: From Soldier to Cleric 21 2: From Middlesbrough to Melanesia 51 3: Whitby, a port en route to the cruel see of Blackburn 94 4: Finding a diocese for the former-colonial bishop 139 5: The Episcopate: A Man’s Man for Blackburn 174 Sources and Bibliography 225 v Abbreviations BLO Bodleian Library Oxford CEMS Church of England Men’s Society DD Doctor of Divinity DSO Distinguished Service Order FP Fisher Papers GB Garbett Papers LRO Lancashire Records Office LP Lang Papers LPL Lambeth Palace Library MMS Melanesian Mission Society MC Military Cross SOAS School of Oriental and African Studies STD Doctor of Sacred Theology TNA the National Archive WO War Office YML York Minster Library vi Introduction A crematorium chapel on the Fylde coast of Lancashire is not the obvious place to begin a study of a man whose most distinguished accomplishments were achieved on the Western Front and in the South Pacific. The consecration stone of Lytham crematorium, ‘dedicated by the Lord Bishop of Blackburn, the Right Reverend Walter H. Baddeley, D.S.O., M.C., D.D., S.T.D.’, briefly conveys a significant amount of biographical information about the bishop who dedicated the building in March 1958. The two medals — the DSO and MC (and bar) — and the two degrees — the DD and the STD — signpost the route of his career from subaltern in 1914 to diocesan bishop in 1954. They denote three periods in his career: the First World War, 1914- 19 (the DSO and MC); Melanesia, 1932-47 (the STD); and the diocesan bishopric of Blackburn 1954-60 (the DD). These three phases in turn supply the focus of the five chapters of this dissertation. The distinctions indicate why Baddeley is worthy of academic study. An active participant within theatres of combat during both world wars, Baddeley is unique amongst the bishops of his generation. Nonetheless, outside specialist studies of the Melanesian Mission, his name is seldom listed in the indices of the many books written about the Anglican Church in the twentieth century. The reasons for this omission can easily be explained. Leaving aside his distinguished war record, Baddeley was a relatively obscure cleric who attained ‘middling’ episcopal office. This dissertation is a fusion of two types of writing. A series of biographical chapters, narrating Baddeley’s career, are used to illuminate wider issues of Anglican history during his lifetime. Accordingly, it engages with two types of literature: material about Baddeley himself and studies of wider church history. Although 1 biographical material predominates in the dissertation, institutional analysis constitutes at least a quarter of what will follow. The Melanesian years of Baddeley’s career, 1933-47, have already been chronicled in two studies of the history of the Melanesian Mission.1 Since these are not biographical they do not deal with Baddeley’s career before 1933 or after 1947.2 Geoffrey Williams’ History of the diocese of BlacKburn (1993) includes a chapter on the Baddeley years, 1954-60, but says little about Baddeley’s career prior to 1954.3 John Peart-Binns in his 2007 biography of Gordon Fallows provides a short vignette of Baddeley.4 The most thorough biographical account currently available takes the form an article by Bryan Lamb and Peter Heald in the BlacKburn Cathedral Newsletter.5 Heald and Lamb’s research was initially prompted by their interest in Baddeley’s wartime activities. The wartime experiences of 1914-18 and 1942 are the most remarkable aspects of Baddeley’s career. He, and others, later employed this war record to define his public image. His decorated record as an infantry officer in the Great War marked him out as an exceptionally brave individual. Surprisingly, the STD, as much as the military medals, came in recognition of distinguished war service. The honorary award of an STD from Columbia, New York, can be seen as an unusual distinction for someone of his status to receive. It also seems slightly incongruous to have received a theology degree for war service. An ‘ivy league’ 1 C.E. Fox, Lord of the Southern Isles: The Story of the Melanesian Mission (London, 1958); David Hillard, God’s Gentlemen: A History of the Melanesian Mission 1849-1942 (Queensland, 1978). 2 See also Michael Lawrence, ‘Walter H Baddeley, Bishop of Melanesia 1932-47: Missionary, Misfit or God’s Man?’ (unpublished essay presented for the Church History Course of the Auckland Consortium for Theological Education, Oct. 1995, St John’s College Library, Auckland), which is a specialist study of Baddeley’s Melanesian episcopate, but again is not concerned with his career on either side of the Melanesian years. 3 Geoffrey A. Williams, Viewed from the Water Tank: A History of the diocese of BlacKburn (Preston, 1993), pp. 181-205. 4 John S. Peart-Binns, Gordon Fallows of Sheffield (Co. Durham, 2007), pp. 51-69. 5 Bryan Lamb and Peter Heald, The Right Reverend Action Man (Blackburn Cathedral Newsletter summer, autumn 2004). 2 university would usually confer such a distinction on an eminent theologian or occupant of a senior bishopric who, almost automatically, receives some degree of international recognition.6 However, Baddeley received the doctorate in November 1944, three years prior to becoming suffragan bishop of Whitby, and ten years before he became diocesan bishop of Blackburn. Baddeley spent the years 1932-47 in the South Pacific as a missionary bishop. In 1942–3 he came to the notice of the Americans during the Japanese occupation of the Solomon Islands. In 1993 G.A. Williams remarked of this period that ‘Walter Hubert Baddeley will undoubtedly have his place in history as one of the heroes of the Second World War’.7 Williams’ assessment is an exaggeration because Baddeley is not generally remembered as a hero. Nevertheless, his bravery and achievement were real enough. Following the invasion, Baddeley went ‘underground’ for nine months, evading capture. The Solomon Islands were the furthest point south of Japanese expansion in the Pacific. Hence the Islands were practically the last invaded by the Japanese and the first liberated by the allies. The Americans started to wrest the Islands from Japanese control in August 1942 with the Battle of Guadalcanal. During the hostilities numerous allied aircrews bailed out over the sea or in the bush. Baddeley assisted in rescuing these crews before the Japanese could get to them. In 1944, after the United States Forces had liberated the Islands, the Americans acknowledged Baddeley’s efforts. Time Magazine for 4 December 1944 included the following: Columbia University last week gave an Anglican bishop from the South Seas an honorary degree (Doctor of Sacred Theology) for ‘outstanding service in the task of winning this war’.