Chapter XXI 



More Discoveries — " The United Army and Navy Board " — Nine Million Com- 

 municants — Recruiting Sergeant's Advice — Compulsory Churcli Parades — 

 Wliat tlie Soldiers Think About it — A Nonconformist Discovers a Great 

 Trutli — Service before Battle — A Post-Card gone Astray — Soldiers and their 

 Sports — Football to Accompaniment of Guns — Tommy Atkins and the 

 Chaplains — The Rev. E.L.Watson — His Varied Career — A Festive Evening 

 — The Rev. T. Tattersall — Understands Soldiers — Some Soldier Stories — A 

 Nonconformist Minister turns Combatant — Behind the Lines — A '^' Lucky 

 Dog " — But Far from Happy — Sir Percival in Quest of the Holy Grail. 



OTHER discoveries have been made during this war, 

 one on the part of the War Office ; they have 

 discovered the Free Church parson as chaplain. 

 Another even farther-reaching discovery — the parsons of various 

 denominations have discovered each other. Before the war 

 only Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Presbyterian, Wesleyan and 

 Jewish forms of religion were recognised by the War Office ; 

 the rest were looked upon as " Fancy Religions," to quote from 

 the old regular army sergeant. 



In those days there were comparatively few Baptists, 

 Congregationalists, Primitive and United Methodists in the 

 army. As soon, however, as recruiting began on a large scale, 

 and still more when universal military service was introduced, 

 the men of military age from amongst the Nonconformists ran 

 into thousands and it became necessary to provide for their 

 religious needs. 



The War Office naturally did not wish to send any more men 

 to the front than could possibly be helped, as it meant taking 

 both the room and the food needed for combatants ; but the 

 Rev. J. H. Shakespeare's perseverance at last gained the 

 necessary sanction of the authorities to send out Nonconformist 

 ministers to look after their chosen flocks. 



Eventually the Baptist joined with the Primitive and 

 United Methodists, forming what is now called " The United 

 Navy and Army Board," and they all work together. This 



