World news and discussion on TalkFuse.
Wounded 11 times but he kept going back – a WWI story that takes your breath away
Reverend Bernard Vann, a Church of England priest from the Cotswolds, chose to serve as an infantryman in the First World War rather than as a chaplain. He won the Victoria Cross for his service on the Western Front, but was killed just days before the Armistice, leaving behind his wife and infant son.
The article describes Vann as the only Church of England cleric to receive the Victoria Cross as a combatant, among at least 500 Anglican clergy who fought in the war. It also recounts the deaths of priests Robert Callaway, Frederick Hulton-Sams and Hugh Speke, and notes that around 5,000 men of different faiths served as military chaplains in the trenches.
In short
- Bernard Vann was the only combatant Church of England cleric to win the Victoria Cross.
- At least 500 Anglican clergy fought in the First World War.
- Around 5,000 men served as military chaplains in the trenches.
Explained simply
The First World War was fought from 1914 to 1918, with much of the fighting on the Western Front taking place in trenches in France and Belgium. Men served in different roles: infantry soldiers fought on the front line, while military chaplains provided religious and pastoral support.
Bernard Vann was an Anglican priest who joined the infantry rather than serving as a chaplain. He was among hundreds of Anglican clergy who fought as soldiers; thousands more men of different faiths served as chaplains. His story sits alongside those of other priests who died in the war.
The Victoria Cross is Britain’s highest award for bravery in the face of the enemy. Vann received it for his service, but was killed shortly before the Armistice ended the fighting in November 1918, leaving a wife and infant son.