Almond, John Macpherson (Military Chaplain in Europe, head of Canadian Chaplain Service)

Dublin Core

Title

Almond, John Macpherson (Military Chaplain in Europe, head of Canadian Chaplain Service)

Description

John MacPherson Almond began his work in the location by fulfilling the duties of a battlefield chaplain, which namely included giving lectures and sermons, writing, and reading for illiterate soldiers, and caring for the soldiers’ religious needs.
Once promoted, his work became more clerical in nature. He worked to keep the peace among the various denominations on the battlefield, ensure that many of the majority religions had representation among the chaplains, and establishing additional branches of the organization, to provide more support for those on the frontlines.

Date

1915-1919

Type

Person

Coverage

Eastern Front

Person Item Type Metadata

Birth Date

1871

Birthplace

Gaspé/North Shore, Canada

Death Date

1939

Place of Death

Montreal, Canada

Occupation

Clergyman; Military Chaplain; deacon; priest; Director of Canadian Chaplain Service; archdeacon; assistant curate

Languages Spoken or Written

English

Biographical Text

John Macpherson Almond was a Church of England military chaplain during the first world war, initially attached to the 1st artillery division. He was promoted twice, first to honorary major, then to lieutenant-colonel. During this time, he also was promoted to assistant director of the Canadian Chaplain Service (CCS). Later becoming director, he set about transforming the CCS to become a multi-denominational service, working to recover the service from his predecessor’s mismanagement. He removed some underperforming clerics, reinforced links to Canadian branches, and encouraged his padres to compete in educational and social work for the Canadian troops. He survived the first world war, continuing to work in aiding the veterans, including ensuring that they received a proper burial. After the war was declared in 1939, he once again volunteered for frontline service but passed away unexpectedly in his sleep 3 days later.

Portrait Credit

John Macpherson Almond, photograph, Bay Chaleur Military Museum, accessed May 31, 2021, https://www.chaleurmilitarymuseum.com/memories/a.htm

Associated Course

Quebec Since 1800 (Carleton, HIST 3301A)

Student Cataloguer

Kegan Rumig

Citation

Kegan Rumig, “Almond, John Macpherson (Military Chaplain in Europe, head of Canadian Chaplain Service),” Recipro: The history of international and humanitarian aid, accessed November 21, 2024, http://omeka.uottawa.ca/recipro/items/show/354.

Output Formats

Geolocation

Item Relations