The Rt Revd Hugh Nelson Bishop to the Armed Forces formally Collated the Reverend Dr Giles Legood as Archdeacon for the Royal Air Force at a recent Sunday church service. The Service was led by the Resident Chaplain, Reverend Mark Perry.

Bishop Hugh was consecrated in July 2020 and is Bishop of St Germans in the Diocese of Truro and further appointed as Bishop to the Armed Forces - a key role for the military community.

Bishop Hugh took over from Bishop Tim Thornton Bishop at Lambeth, who retired after four years in the post.

On his appointment the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said:

“I am very pleased indeed that Hugh has agreed to take on this essential ministry. The work of military chaplains is crucial and is widely recognised as such within the Armed Forces. They need our support and prayers, led by the Bishop to the Forces. Military personnel are confronted daily with deep and vital questions about being human, our relationships, our values and morals. There are no tidy answers to these, but chaplains can offer compassion – being alongside and resolutely with those asking these questions, and those experiencing pain or grief – and they can offer hope. Indeed, chaplains to the Forces embody something of the love of Jesus Christ, offered in every place and to all people. I know that Hugh will ensure he gets to know these chaplains and will work alongside them, as well as being a representative for the church in wider issues relating to the Forces.”

Bishop Hugh said:

“It is an honour to take up this role supporting the Chaplains of the three services as they provide pastoral, spiritual and practical care to the men and women of the Armed Forces. Their work, often in difficult and dangerous situations, is a crucial part of the ministry of the Church of England and I very much look forward to being involved as Bishop to the Armed Forces.”

The Bishop to the Armed Forces plays a key role in connecting the military community, not just to the Church of England, but the diversity of the global Anglican community. The Royal Air Force warmly welcomes Bishop Hugh not least the recent Collation of the Reverend Dr Giles Legood as Archdeacon for the Royal Air Force.