The Fighting Chaplain
A walk inspired by the History West Midlands Podcast.
This episode is all about Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy, AKA Woodbine Willie. Born in Leeds but living most of his life in Worcester, he became famous during WWI, for serving as a Chaplain amongst the ordinary men he befriended by luring them in with cigarettes. A blueprint followed less heroically by certain types of men ever since.
Woodbine Willie was the nickname of the Reverend Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy, a charismatic Anglican priest and poet who became a legend of the First World War for his unusual ministry on the front line. Serving as a chaplain with the British Army, he was known for handing out “Woodbines” – cheap cigarettes – along with spiritual comfort, practical help, and a dose of black humour to soldiers in the trenches. His bravery was widely admired; he often ran into no man’s land to aid the wounded and was awarded the Military Cross for his actions. After the war he became a prominent Christian socialist, championing workers’ rights and social reform until his early death in 1929. His memory endures in Worcester, where memorials and local stories preserve the image of a priest who believed faith had to be lived, shared, and carried into the mud with those who needed it most.
Ironically, he died rather young, from lung disease. Bless their little socks, the Worcester population knew no better than to scatter Woodbines on his funeral cortege. When I go, they can shower my coffin in Bathams.
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| From Worcester Cathedral |
My work is very nearly already done for the walk. As part of the WWI Centenary celebrations in 2018, a booklet of a walk of the key locations was produced by Worcester Council. Alas, the URL is dead and the Tourist Information Centre could only reply to my query with the kindness that you only get from public sector training.
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| Too low resolution to be of practical use |
From the Podcast, I can pull out some key locations.
I start at the end - his grave in St Johns Cemetery. Not hard to find, he has the grandest grave, flanked by the highest of hedges.
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| Worcester Remembers |
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| Memorial doesn't photo well, but just about legible |
The Podcast talks about a protest march at the plight of returning servicemen that was completed from Pitchcroft to the Guild Hall. Let's hope what it lacked in distance it made up for impact.
At Pitchcroft, there is an information board.
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| Where Tourist Information are happy to answer questions about old PDF files |
In between - The Corn Market has a tiny statue outside a phone repair shop and St Pauls, where he worked, has a blue plaque. Photos inside stopped due to a Mother-and-Toddler session which a solo male rambler would have caused concern.
Even without fags to hand out.
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| Quite well celebrated, I would have said |
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| Red Brick St Pauls |
Surprisingly, for a man of the people that was known to spread the word in pubs, there is no record any pub particularly associated with the man. The Cardinal's Hat was suggested by AI, but for no other reason than it is close to St Pauls, the oldest in Worcester and he probably went there.
Even that is too dubious for me.
Walk Details
Distance - 2.5 Miles
Geocaches - 0
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