A DISK OF LIGHT

When I was appointed Recruiting and Publicity Officer of the Royal Welch Fusiliers and Royal Regiment of Wales, I set about visiting as many Army displays as I could find during the summer season of 1972. Recruiting was top priority in those days and regiments that did not keep themselves in the public eye were in danger of being disbanded or amalgamated with other under subscribed units. My boss at Headquarters Prince of Wales's Division of Infantry in Lichfield, gave me a directive that was short, sharp and simple: "Wales is your oyster. There are thousands of young men out there wondering what to do with their lives - encourage them to 'go for a soldier’!" He went on to say that I would be left very much to my own devices and that if I needed anything, I only had to ask.
My predecessor had assembled two teams of six men each plus a senior non-commissioned-officer from the two infantry regiments and they spent the previous six months assembling a mobile display of military hardware. The first outing for this free-standing, canvas covered caravanserai was unfortunately hit by the last of the equinoctial storms which reduced it to a heap of bare poles, ripped canvas and twisted frames. It was obvious I had to start from scratch.

My first venture into the world of advertising was a careers exhibition in Birmingham. There was no shortage of civilian exhibitors and the Army was well represented with impressive display material which advertised the many and varied opportunities in its ranks for young men and women. At that stage I did not know quite what I wanted and, even though my boss at Lichfield had told me to give him a ring if I needed anything, I knew that a two word expletive would be used if I had ideas above my station. Nevertheless, I spent an interesting few hours making notes about techniques and presentation styles which might come in useful if/when I ever managed to get my own show on the road.

By late afternoon I had seen as much as I could absorb in one session so I decided it was time to make my way back to Crickhowell. I headed for the car park but just as I was about to leave the show ground, I spotted a caravan which bore the sign of the cross and the letters RAChD above the jockey wheel. Some might have taken a pot-shot and thought it stood for ROYAL ARTILLERY CHEMICAL DISPLAY, but they would have been wrong. It actually stands for ROYAL ARMY CHAPLAINS DEPARTMENT and this was painted in large letters on the side of the van.
I could see three people inside so I knocked on the door. One of the occupants put his nose to the window and looked me up and down. He made no effort to find out what I wanted but turned away and continued to chat with the others inside the caravan. I knocked again and a middle aged man wearing black trousers, black shirt and a dog collar (white strip around the neck) - which established him as a cleric of the Christian faith, opened the door. I told him about my quest for ideas about advertising and he looked at me with undisguised suspicion. "Wait there," he said. "I’ll have to ask my colleagues if they are prepared to talk to you." I checked the writing on the side of the caravan just to make sure that it did read 'CHAPLAIN'S' and not 'CHEMICAL' and then watched the trio as they discussed the matter of conversing with the Prince of Wales's Division Recruiting Officer (me). At last, the same gentleman to whom I had spoken previously, opened the door and invited me to step inside.

The interior of the caravan was like a very small church with chairs set uniformly on a crimson carpet leading to a communion rail. Two steps beyond the rail was an altar upon which stood a pair of candlesticks and two small vases of flowers; on the frieze was a portrait of Jesus Christ. A candelabra above the altar frontal gave a pleasant glow to the scene and the air was rich with the smell of incense.

The elder, and obviously senior member of the trio, gave me a quizzical look and asked me to repeat my request. When I had finished, they put their heads together and conferred in whispers so quietly that I could not hear what was being said. The 'Bishop', for that is what he appeared to be, eventually spoke. "Before we are prepared to discuss the matter of advertising with you, we would like you to kneel before the altar and say a prayer." Ostentatious demonstrations of faith have always embarrassed me and I wished I had stuck to my original plan of heading for the car park and driving home to Crickhowell. I stood up and said: "I am sorry to have wasted your time, but really, I must be going," and made for the door.
The trio of ecclesiastics had other ideas and, with the 'Bishop' directing operations, I was manhandled by the other two into the kneeling position below the altar. Not knowing what to expect, I became aware of the sound of heavenly music. I was raised to my feet and told to look at the portrait of Our Lord. What had been a perfectly normal 'head and shoulders' shot of Jesus Christ was now surrounded by a halo of light which flashed intermittently from the same electrical circuit as the candelabra. "We've got another one!" said the lesser cleric triumphantly, while the 'Bishop' thumped me on the back and asked me what I would like to drink. All three then opened up and shared their ideas with me about recruiting padres for the Armed Forces.
The 'Bishop' had the last word. "The most important thing is to show potential padres that they will be sailors, soldiers or airmen made from the same mould as others in the service. A lightness of spirit is essential so that's why we practise the 'halo' trick to get them in the right frame of mind from the start."

I drove back to Crickhowell and pondered on the lessons I had learnt in Birmingham. The great display vehicles from the School of Infantry, the Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers etc. plus the modest attempts by cavalry and infantry regiments to attract recruits had given me much to think about. But it was a trio of clergymen in a mobile church that lit a beacon in my mind which burned for the following eight years of my service which I spent as Recruiting and Publicity Officer for the two regiments of line infantry in Wales.