Irish Methodist ministers who volunteered to act as Chaplains to the Forces during the First World War:
Rev Frank Bennett
Rev John A Boullier (Initially called up as reservist in July 1914; Commissioned as Chaplain in February 1916; Invalided as unfit for further Service in 1918)
Rev William T Brownlee
Rev John W Carrothers
Rev John J Daly (Mentioned in Dispatches)
Rev Ernest J F Elliott (Senior Chaplain to forces in Italy)
Rev Ernest C Gimblett (Wounded in battle)
Rev Alfred Harbinson
Rev Albert S Hullah (Awarded the Military Cross)
Rev W Johnstone Hunter
Rev J Dwyer Kelly (Mentioned in Dispatches; Asst Principal Chaplain – Irish Command)
Rev Robert T Kerr
Rev Henry G Martin
Rev William R Martin
Rev William Meara (whose ministry was largely in South Africa)
Rev William P Moran
Rev B Brooke Morton
Rev James H Munro (Asst Principal Chaplain to forces in Egypt)
Rev W Jasper Robinson (Mentioned in Dispatches)
Rev John Sanderson
Rev Richard R Sayers
Rev James Smyth (Canadian Army Chaplain)
Rev John N Spence
Rev Robert H Spence (Mentioned in Dispatches)
In addition some served in other capacities:
Rev Robert J Black (Royal Army Medical Corps)
Rev William H Green (Officer of British Expeditionary Force in France)
Rev Walter Hill (Royal Army Medical Corps)
Rev Richard A Lockhart (Army)
Rev Robert G McDonagh (Royal Flying Corps cadet)
Rev Samuel T Nelson (RAF motor cyclist)
Rev Hugh Hetherington who was stationed Clones in 1911 and then emigrated to Canada was killed in action in France in 1916.
Rev Henry Smyth (who did not enter the ministry until 1924) served for 5 years. He was awarded the Military Medal in 1916 and was promoted to 2nd Lieut. in 1918.
Dear Wesley
Thanks for this âan impressive list- whart were the numbers of the active ministry in 1914 âit looks a high proportion.
Did Ernest Elliott, Ernest Gimblett, Alfred Hullah, Henry G Martin and Samuel T Nelson leave the ministry later? I cant find them in Hills. Probably my looking!
And can you confirm Robert G McDonagh. In Hills he is C McDonagh. I know Hills is often wrong , but just checking!
Thanks
John
By: John Lenton on August 10, 2014
at 8:12 pm
Hi John
In 1917 there were 219 ministers and probationers (excluding supernumeraries)
Ernest Elliott went to Church of Scotland in 1924
Ernest Gimblett transferred to British Conference in 1922
Alfred Hullah was involved in ‘special work in England’ in 1920 and disappears thereafter.
Henry G Martin resigned in 1935
Samuel T Nelson continued in the Irish ministry
I can confirm Robert G McDonagh
Regards
Wesley
By: jrirish on August 10, 2014
at 9:00 pm
Rev. William Roger Martin was my great-grandfather, and served with the British Army in Mesopotamia. I’ve been trying to find information about him, but without success, and am curious as to how his name was found?!?
By: Nicholas Raphael on November 12, 2017
at 11:23 pm
His name was in a little booklet about WWI Irish Methodistarmy chaplains
By: jrirish on July 23, 2018
at 4:29 pm
Rev Alfred Harbinson (1882-1955) was my great-great-uncle. He married my grandparents, Margaret Harbinson (his niece) and John McDonald at Regent Street Methodist Church, Newtownards, on 18 December 1928.
By: Fiona McDonald on July 23, 2018
at 3:05 pm
Thanks for the information. It always pleases me to link the past to the present
By: jrirish on July 23, 2018
at 4:23 pm
Rev B (Benjamin) Brooke Morton d. Feb 1935 was my grandfather. He was apprenticed at the Belfast Ropeworks before studying for the ministry. He got married and two years later went to war from Dun Laoghaire (Kingstown) Methodist Church and after served in Dolphin’s Barn, Athy, Clontarf, Hamilton Road Bangor and Knock. He left some slides of Bonn so we think he went from Mons and Ypres campaign to help occupy Germany at war’s end. Does Army chaplains Museum hold service records for Irish chaplains?
By: Richard Morton on August 15, 2018
at 4:31 pm
I would imagine that the National Archive would hold the service records
By: jrirish on August 15, 2018
at 5:26 pm