WOODBINE WILLIE
An unsung hero of WWI
By Bob Holman
Lion Hudson. 222 pages. £9.99
ISBN 978 0 745 955 612
With the 100th anniversary of the Great War fast approaching, this is a timely and well-researched biography.
It tells the story of Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy, a Church of England minister and infantry chaplain who was actually awarded the Military Cross for outstanding courage under fire as he ventured into no-man’s land to help the wounded.
Nicknamed ‘Woodbine Willie’ on account of his habit of distributing cigarettes to the ordinary troops on the frontline, he later devoted his life to the spiritual and social care of the working classes and became something of a celebrity and national figure on that account.
The book is attractively produced with a nice cover design and reaches far beyond life in the trenches of Ypres and the Somme, although these are vividly described in the early chapters. The latter part of the book gives a useful snapshot of life in Britain between the wars.
Committed to the gospel
Studdert Kennedy (SK) was a genuine Christian, deeply committed to the gospel and who repudiated the easy-going life of many churchmen less focussed on their calling.
He was an eloquent but down-to-earth preacher who could reach the masses and hold a large crowd with his unstudied oratory.
Following his military career he returned to pastoral ministry in St. Paul’s, Worcester, and was later involved in the Industrial Christian Fellowship. SK wrote numerous books, articles and much well regarded poetry. He was a somewhat complex character, a bit of a maverick by established church standards, but greatly used of the Lord in reaching vast numbers generally outside the scope of church life. Above all a pastor and evangelist, he was also a genuine social reformer and showed that the Christian faith has implications far beyond the four walls of a church building.
Happily married and the father of three sons, he nevertheless travelled and served sacrificially, no doubt toughened beyond the norm by his days in the forces.
Flu epidemic
After an outstanding though brief career, he was tragically struck down in the flu epidemic of 1929 and died at the age of 45. Thousands turned out for his funeral, which was held in Worcester Cathedral and, in the days following, many fine tributes and obituaries appeared in the press.
This biography is well written and the author Bob Holman has done us a great service in bringing it to publication. If you like a good biography with the sniff of cordite, this is not to be missed.
