THE CHAPLAIN TO THE FORCES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 42, 13 November 1918, Page 5

THE CHAPLAIN TO THE FORCES

IN ACTION

(By Lieut. R. S. M. Sturges, author of "On the Remainder of Our Front.") It is unnecessary to attempt to'offer any Justification for the existence in the British Army of the Chaplain to tho Forces; if ally such justification were needed, it would bo abundantly supplied by reference to the long list of awards to chaplains for gallantry iij the field and to their no less glorious roll of honour. These lists prove at once that the British chaplain to the forces does not confine his activities to periods when "there is nothing to report"; he does not live away back at some remote headquarters while the men are in action, and greet them with a happy weli-fed smile on their return to billets—thero would' be few answering smiles for such a one. The chaplain accompanies his men into tho line,' and shares their dugouts ; when there is an attack,. then it is that he is busiest, and then it is that his help is most needed.

When the casualties begin to come in, the chaplain takes up his position, if possible, at the forward aid post, where lie may be of material as well as spiritual help. His knowledge of first aid will be invaluable to the medical officer in a .time of stress, while he alone perhaps is ablo to pay to tho wounded man, those little attentions which make all the difference to his comfort of mind and body. When a man is brought in to the'dressing station it is the chaplain who takes his name and his home address, and writes to his people-at home. lie alone can spare the time to collect the man's private possessions and either put them in a bag for him to take with liini to hospital, or hand them over, to the safe keeping of the' orderly rom of his battalion.

Tho chaplain may also assist in bringing in the wounded. In the course of his daily wanderings round'the trencheslie has acquired a valuable knowledge of the locality, which eminently for tho post of guide,/and leader of a stretcher party. Three chaplains have won tho highest honour in this war— the Victoria Cross—for saving life at great risk of their own. In addition to the care of tho wounded during an attack, the chaplain is also concerned with the care of, the dead. Wherever possible the dead are carried back to oniyof the cemeteries behind tho 'line which are reserved for British troops. These cemeteries are in charge of an officer detailed from the division, and he is responsible for all the cemeteries in the divisional sector. When a burial is to take place this officer notifies the battalion, headquarters to which the dead man belongs and also the nearest chaplain. If possibte the burial service is attended by an officer of the dead man's company and by a fe\v of his particular friends. The battalion, or battery, carpenters make a cross for the grave, each battalion and battery having its own distinctive design. A form is also sent in to tho Graves Begistralion Commission, which in due course sends a wooden cross bearing the man's name, regiment, the date of his death, etc., so that the grave may be clearly marked for all time.

But thero are times -when a battle rages for days on end when it is impossible for all tho dead to be sent back and buried in a cemetery.. In such cases the dead are reverently buried at night on the battlefield upon which they have fallen, 'i'lie chaplain invariably accompanies these burial .parties, and reads a few firayers over each grave. Such graves are marked by a board diig into the ground, on which is written tho name of each man buried there; sometimes the names are written on a scrap of paper and placed in a bottle on the grave. Later proper crosses wiil be sent by the Graves ltegistratiou Commission.

Sometimes the dead lie out in No Man's Land in places where it is death for any man to go; but even so no efforts are spared to bring tlieni in and to accord them reverent burial, and to mark their graves so that these shall not be lost. In every case the chaplain finds out tho dead man's name, and the name and address of.'his nearest "relation. At tho first' opportunity he writes and tells of the man's death, and of the manner of his burial—a letter which is no small comfort to those at home Who have been

plunged 60 suddeuly into sorrow. Amid the grim brutality o£ war the .chaplain stands for something that is dear to all men; lie is tho very symbol of peace. He wprks unceasingly to relieve war's horjprs and to soften its paralysing blows. Just as the doctor ministers to the broken body, so the chaplain by human sympathy and understanding ministers to the mind diseased; he quiets the doubts and fears of the wounded or the dying, and relieves the anxieties, or assuages the grief of those who are watching and waiting at home.

It is the chaplain who can exort a stronger influence perhaps than any other man on t'hat factor which is of supremo importance to a fighting force—the .soldier's moral. He is tho "go-between" between officers and men, lie has his finger on the pulse of the regiment, and is as much the. friend and counsellor of the officers as lie is of the men themselves. It is.true that in the British

Army the chaplain is—often to his own chagrin—compelled to be a non-combat-ant, but to jump from that premise to the conclusion that therefore the chaplain is merely a picturesque individual, a concession to sentiment, and' of no practical military importance whatsoever, is to make a fatal blunder, and one which is wholly unjustified by the facts. The chaplain's ocupations a,re diverse and varied. It is the chaplain w'i'io organises the men's sports—football matches, boxing tournaments, and .so on; he also' arranges for them entertainments, concorts, and lectures. In everything he devotes himself to promoting the soldier's comfort, and to that end he works unceasingly. In order to disr cover to what extent his labours are appreciated in the Army, you have only to ask any soldier vou may meet what he thinks of his "padre." /