There was a fairly unusual chaplain who was both an Anglian chaplain and later after conversion a Roman Catholic one.
He was Fr. Brian Measures a former priest (Canon) in the Anglican Church, who converted to Catholicism in 1987. As an Anglian priest he was for nearly 10 years a Territorial Army chaplain who served in the RAChD (TA) from 1971 to 1980, first as chaplain to the 6th Bn The Royal Anglian Regiment and from 1975 to 1980 as chaplain to 219 (Wessex) General Hospital RAMC, Keynsham.
He was also attached for varying periods to HQ 2 Armoured Division, BAOR at 7 RHA Osnabruck and British Military Hospital Hannover; RA Tidworth & Larkhill and at Bulford and Netheravon.
In 1996 he was ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood and appointed assistant to Bishop Walmsley (Catholic Bishop to the Forces).
Fr Brian who did his national service in the RAF, qualified as a glider pilot in the ATC at the age of seventeen. He later gained his pilot’s licence with night rating and flew his own four-seater Beechcraft Musketeer for recreation in Britain and trips to the Continent. He was Anglican chaplain to the local Royal Air Force Association for a number of years, a post which he offered to resign when he became a Catholic priest. The members of the Association asked him to continue as their chaplain.
At his ordination to the Roman Catholic priesthood he commented that he didn’t think too many priests in the UK had a pilot’s licence and owned their own plane!
I knew him as a personal friend.
Fr. Brian Measures died on the 8th May 2007.