29th September, 2015
Dr Michael Gladwin
Captains of the Soul: A History of Australian Army Chaplains
Big Sky Publishing, Newport, NSW, 2013
ISBN-13: 9781922132529
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"(W)hat turns this book into a compulsive page-turner are these personal stories; detailed accounts taken from interviews and other primary and secondary sources of the way chaplains served alongside the soldiers, whether under fire or resting behind the lines." |
Timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Australian Army chaplaincy corps (in 2013), this book recently snared SparkLit’s Australian Christian Book of the Year. And not without good reason.
Not only does Captains of the Soul – the first time such an overview of the work of chaplains in the Australian Army has been put together – provide a detailed overview of the history of army chaplains in Australia (and a brief explanation of the origins of the whole idea of the role of clergy in armies), it’s also mostly written in a lively, entertaining and accessible manner that should take it’s audience well beyond those with an academic interest.
The book’s title comes from a story author Michael Gladwin – a lecturer in history at St Mark’s National Theological Centre at Charles Sturt University – tells in its opening pages. It’s origins lie in an armband Presbyterian chaplain Hugh Cunningham was given by his Japanese captors following the fall of Singapore in 1942. Unsure what his status was, they eventually gave him an armband with the word ‘Captain of the souls of men’ written upon it in Japanese, something Cunningham apparently didn’t find out until after he was freed.
Cunningham’s story is one of numerous personal accounts contained in the book which give specific and detailed instances of the important and diverse role chaplains have played – and continue to play – among Australian troops, from the beaches of Gallipoli and fields of western France through to Afghanistan and East Timor.
While, given the nature of his task, Gladwin dedicates a significant amount of ink to how chaplains fit within the structure of the army (and how that has changed over the years), what turns this book into a compulsive page-turner are these personal stories; detailed accounts taken from interviews and other primary and secondary sources of the way chaplains served alongside the soldiers, whether under fire or resting behind the lines.
These are the stories of men like the beloved Salvation Army officer William “Fighting Mac” McKenzie who served in World War I, Aubrey Pain whose strength of belief proved an inspiration for POWs imprisoned in Singapore during World War II, and Anglican Padre Les Thompson, the first chaplain on the scene of the Battle of Long Tan in the Vietnam War.
Interestingly, Gladwin also examines the way in which chaplains are viewed by those they shared the trenches with and how that has been impacted by changes in religious belief among Australians (and, hence, Australian soldiers). Also interesting are the accounts he includes from the chaplains themselves of how they viewed their role – Gladwin quotes historian Rodney Tippett who asked several chaplains who served in World War II about their wartime role: “(I)n many instances they say ‘God only knows’. And they stress the point that they say those words reverently. In the words of one of their number, ‘All one can do is just do your best…and leave the rest to God’.”
Another strength of the book was its coverage of how chaplains dealt with the issues they were confronted with in their role – yes, obvious issues like whether they should bear arms and their individual wrestles with ‘just war’ theology, but also how far they should go in being “in but not of the world” in the role they played. And Gladwin doesn’t shy away from the fact that while some men shone in the role – ministering God’s grace in a way that significantly impacted the lives of those around them – others did not.
Captains of the Soul is an engaging read and a long-overdue tribute to those who have served in the demanding, confronting and, at times, harrowing role of army chaplains.
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