Harry Blackburne Explained

Harry William Blackburne DSO,^[1] MC (25 January 1878 – 31 May 1963) was an Anglican clergyman, Dean of Bristol^{[2] [3]} from 1934^[4] to 1951.^[5]

He was born on 25 January 1878 and educated at Tonbridge School and Clare College, Cambridge. After service as a trooper in the Queen's Own West Kent Yeomanry during the Second Boer War he was ordained in 1902.^[6] After a curacy at All Saints, Leamington^[7] he was an army Chaplain from 1903 to 1924. From 1924 to 1931 he was Vicar of St Mary, Ashford. An Honorary Chaplain to the King he was a Canon of St George's, Windsor until his appointment to the Deanery.^[8] A noted author,^[9] he died on 31 May 1963.

His brother Lionel Blackburne was Dean of Ely, one son Hugh a Bishop of Thetford and another, Kenneth, the first governor-general of Jamaica.

Personal papers belonging to Blackburne are held in the archives at The Museum of Army Chaplaincy.

Notes and References

1. http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/30450/supplements/18/page.pdf London Gazette
2. http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/A2A/records.aspx?cat=109-aa_1-1_1-2&cid=-1&Gsm=2008-06-18#-1 National Archives
3. [Crockford's Clerical Directory]
4. [The Times]
5. [Who's Who|"Who was Who"]
6. Crockfords (ibid)
7. http://www.allsaintsleamington.org.uk/index.php Church web-site
8. http://archives.lambethpalacelibrary.org.uk:8080/Archives/dserve.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqCmd=Show.tcl&dsqDb=Persons&dsqPos=0&dsqSearch=(Code=='DS/UK/4310') National Church Institutions Database of Manuscripts and Archives
9. Amongst others he wrote "This also happened on the Western Front, The Padre’s Story", 1932; "The Romance of St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle", 1933; "Clergy in Wartime", 1939; and "A Thought for Sunday", 1942 > British Library web site accessed 21:18 GMT Saturday 16 January 2010