William Louis Anderson DSC (United Kingdom) (1882–1972) was the Anglican Bishop of Portsmouth and then the Bishop of Salisbury. He also held what is believed to be the unique distinction of being the only bishop to have served in all three of the armed services.[1]
Early life[]
Anderson was born at Tezpur, Assam, India on 11 February 1892, the younger son of James Drummond Anderson, a lecturer in Bengali at the University of Cambridge.[2] He was educated as a scholar at St Paul's School (London). He graduated BA from Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge[3] in 1914 and MA in 1920.
Military service[]
He served throughout the Great War, initially in the 1st King Edward’s Horse, then the Royal Naval Air Service, and latterly in the newly formed Royal Air Force, ending the war with the relative rank of Captain[4] and the DSC.[5]
Ministry[]
On demobilisation he took Holy Orders at Ridley Hall, Cambridge and was ordained Deacon in 1920, Priest 1921. He married first Gwendoline Jones and together they had two sons.[6] His first posts were as Chaplains to a succession of Royal Naval establishments.[7]
Clerical rise[]
In 1928 he was appointed the Vicar of Sparkhill, Birmingham, taking on the additional responsibility of Rural Dean of Bordesley; in 1932, similar posts at Eastbourne. By 1937 he was Suffragan bishop of Croydon [8] and in late 1941 he was appointed Bishop of Portsmouth to succeed the recently deceased Frank Partridge.[9] In 1949 he transferred to the more senior See of Salisbury,[10] a position he was to hold to his retirement in 1962. He died a decade later on 5 March 1972, a devotee of the countryside to the last.[11]
References[]
- ↑ The Times, 7 March 1972; pg. 16; Issue 58420; col F, Rt Rev W. L. Anderson Former Bishop of Salisbury-Obituary
- ↑ His elder brother, also James Drummond Anderson was knighted KCIE in 1944 after a distinguished colonial career: his last post, from 1941 to 1946, was Financial Governor of the Punjab Who was Who vol 6 p38
- ↑ He was appointed an Honorary Fellow in 1950 The Times, Tuesday, 7 Mar 1972 Obituary (ibid)
- ↑ He was a Flight Lieutenant from 1918 to 1919: relative rank 9 as determined by Whitaker's Almanack 2001 ISBN 0-11-702261-6 p406
- ↑ Times Obit (Ibid) While serving in the Scilly Isles he sank an enemy submarine in a flying boat attack
- ↑ She died in 1957; and he married, secondly, Jessie Hearn in 1963: Who’s Who,1971 A & C Black ISBN 0-7136-1140-5 p71
- ↑ His last posting was as Chaplain to the Britannia Royal Naval College itself
- ↑ The Times, Monday, 28 Jun 1937; pg. 14; Issue 47722; col C New Bishop of Croydon appointed
- ↑ The Times, Monday, 8 Dec 1941; pg. 6; Issue 49103; col D Notice of Appointment: new Bishop of Portsmouth
- ↑ The Times, Friday, 8 Apr 1949; pg. 4; Issue 51351; col G
- ↑ Who’s Who 1971, pastimes section (ibid) & Times Obit (Ibid)
The original article can be found at William Anderson (bishop of Salisbury) and the edit history here.