Jonathan Woodhouse, CB, QHC (born 29 March 1955) is a British Baptist minister and retired senior British Army officer. He was Chaplain General and head of the Royal Army Chaplains' Department from 2011 to 2014.[1][2] He is the first Baptist and the second member of the Free Churches to become Chaplain General.[3][4]
Jonathan Woodhouse | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Woodhouse in 2013 | |
| Born | 29 March 1955 Cardiff, Wales |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service | British Army |
| Years of service | 1990 - 2014 |
| Rank | Major-General |
| Service number | 534661 |
| Commands | Royal Army Chaplains' Department |
| Battles / wars | Cold War Iraq War |
Early life and education
editWoodhouse was born on 29 March 1955 in Cardiff, Wales.[5] He was educated at Whitchurch Grammar School, a state grammar school in Whitchurch, Cardiff.[5] He studied at the London School of Theology a theological college in Northwood, London, graduating Bachelor of Arts (BA).[1][6]
Ordained ministry
editWoodhouse was ordained as a Baptist minister in 1980.[5] He served as a minister in Eastbourne, East Sussex and at Selsdon Baptist Church in Croydon, London.[1]
Military career
editOn 8 May 1990, Woodhouse was commissioned into the Royal Army Chaplains' Department, British Army, as a Chaplain to the Forces 4th Class (equivalent in rank to captain but lacking executive authority).[6] He transferred from a short service commission to a regular commission on 8 May 1995.[7] On 8 May 1996, he was promoted to Chaplain to the Forces 3rd Class (equivalent in rank to major).[8] He was promoted to Chaplain to the Forces 2nd Class (equivalent in rank to lieutenant colonel) on 30 October 2002.[9] In March 2003, he was posted to Iraq as part of the invasion force at the beginning of the Iraq War.[10] In July 2005, he was appointed the senior chaplain at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.[10]
On 1 January 2006, he was appointed Denominational Representative Chaplain of the United Board.[11] The United Board is a special grouping of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the United Reformed Church and the Congregational Federation for the purpose of providing military chaplains.[12] He was promoted to Chaplain to the Forces 1st Class (equivalent in rank to colonel) on 2 May 2006.[13] On 2 May 2008 he was appointed Deputy Chaplain General and the granted the rank of brigadier.[14] On 29 July 2011, he was appointed Chaplain General to Her Majesty's Land Forces and promoted to the rank of major general.[15]
Woodhouse has seen active service, working on the frontline in Iraq during the 2003 to 2011 war.[4] He has also completed overseas postings to Germany.[1]
Later career
editIn 2015, Woodhouse served as Convenor of the United Navy, Army and Air Force Board:[5] it "is responsible for [recommending] ordained ministers from Baptist, URC, Congregational, Elim and Assemblies of God denominations to serve in the chaplaincies of the Royal Navy, Army or Royal Air Force".[16] Since 2015, he has been a chaplain at Moorlands College, a non-denominational evangelical theological college in Hampshire.[5]
Honours and decorations
edit
On 1 August 2008, Woodhouse was appointed Honorary Chaplain to the Queen (QHC).[17] He was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 2014 Birthday Honours.[18][19]
He is a recipient of the Iraq Medal, the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.[4][20]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Former LST student gets top job in the Army". LATEST NEWS. London School of Theology. 27 July 2010. Archived from the original on 3 March 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
- ^ "Call me Padre' – meet the Army's head chaplain". Ministry of Defence. 15 November 2012. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
- ^ Woods, Mark. "Kingdom builders". The Baptist Times. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
- ^ a b c "Army chaplains 'need to show their steel under pressure'". The Times. 1 October 2011. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
- ^ a b c d e "WOODHOUSE, Rev. Jonathan". Who's Who 2016. Oxford University Press. November 2015. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
- ^ a b "No. 52138". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 May 1990. p. 9160.
- ^ "No. 54027". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 May 1995. p. 6606.
- ^ "No. 54397". The London Gazette. 13 May 1996. p. 6688.
- ^ "No. 56742". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 November 2002. p. 13364.
- ^ a b Gledhill, Ruth (8 March 2006). "Princes get ethics lesson: no torture and no revenge". The Times. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
- ^ "No. 57906". The London Gazette (Supplement). 21 February 2006. p. 2495.
- ^ "United Board". Retrieved 3 March 2014.
- ^ "No. 57970". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 May 2006. p. 5983.
- ^ "No. 58690". The London Gazette (Supplement). 6 May 2008. p. 6866.
- ^ "No. 59866". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 August 2011. p. 14713.
- ^ "About Us". unitedboard.org.uk. United Navy, Army and Air Force Board. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
- ^ "No. 58786". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 August 2008. p. 11862.
- ^ "No. 60895". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 June 2014. p. b3.
- ^ "Queen's birthday honours list 2014: Military". The Guardian. 13 June 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
- ^ "Service of Remembrance to Commemorate the 70th anniversary of El Alamein". Press & Communications. Westminster Abbey. 27 October 2012. Retrieved 3 March 2014.