Ian_Wheatley

Ian Wheatley

Ian Wheatley

British Anglican priest and former Royal Navy officer

Ian James Wheatley, CB, QHC (born 1962)[1] is a British Anglican priest and former Royal Navy officer. From 2014 to 2018, he has served as Chaplain of the Fleet, the senior military chaplain of the Royal Navy: he had also served as Deputy Chaplain of the Fleet and Principal Anglican Chaplain from 2012 to 2014.

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Early military career

Before becoming a military chaplain, Wheatley served an officer in the Royal Navy.[2] Having completed officer training at the Britannia Royal Naval College, he was commissioned on 1 May 1983 with the rank of sub-lieutenant.[3] He was promoted to lieutenant on 1 September 1985.[4] He transferred to the Retired List on 14 September 1991.[5]

Religious life

Having left the Royal Navy in 1991,[5] Wheatley then began training for ordination into the Church of England.[2] He studied at Chichester Theological College and graduated with a Bachelor of Theology (BTh) degree in 1994. He was ordained a deacon in 1994 and a priest in 1995. From 1994 to 1997, he served as an assistant curate at St Brannock's Church, Braunton, Devon.[1]

Later military career

Chaplain of the Fleet Wheatley in 2017

In 1997, Wheatley joined the Royal Navy as a military chaplain.[1] In 2001, he deployed to Northern Ireland.[6] In 2011, he deployed to Afghanistan with 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines, to whom he was padre, as part of Operation Herrick.[7]

On 7 August 2012, he was appointed Deputy Chaplain of the Fleet.[8] As the then Chaplain of the Fleet was a Church of Scotland minister, he also became the Principal Anglican Chaplain and Archdeacon for the Royal Navy. On 18 December 2014, he was appointed Chaplain of the Fleet in succession to The Rev Scott Brown.[9] With this appointment, he became head of the Royal Navy Chaplaincy Services and is therefore the most senior chaplain in the Royal Navy.[10] As Chaplain of the Fleet, he was also the Honorary Chaplain to the Royal Naval Association.[11]

From October 2012 to 2018, he was a member of the House of Clergy of the General Synod of the Church of England. This role came with his appointment as Principal Anglican Chaplain and Archdeacon for the Royal Navy.[12]

Wheatley retired from the Royal Navy on 16 November 2018.[13]

Later life

Wheatley has been retired from full time ministry since 2018.[1] He and his wife run a bed and breakfast with holiday cottages in Cornwall.[14]

Honours

On 29 April 2003, Wheatley was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in Northern Ireland during the period 1 April 2002 to 30 September 2002".[6] In the 2017 New Year Honours, he was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB).[15] He is a recipient of the General Service Medal with Northern Ireland clasp, the Operational Service Medal for Sierra Leone, the Iraq Medal, and the Operational Service Medal for Afghanistan.

On 9 February 2014, he was appointed an honorary canon of Portsmouth Cathedral.[16]

References

  1. [1]
    "Ian James Wheatley". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  2. [2]
    Graham, Victoria (22 January 2015). "Forces TV Meets New Chaplain of the Fleet". Forces TV. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  3. [3]
    "No. 49449". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 August 1983. p. 10846.
  4. [4]
    "No. 50272". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 September 1985. p. 13492.
  5. [5]
    "No. 52665". The London Gazette (Supplement). 23 September 1991. p. 14495.
  6. [6]
    "No. 56920". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 April 2003. p. 5272.
  7. [7]
    "Children give forces church a bright look". The Plymouth Herald. 10 August 2011. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  8. [8]
    "No. 60255". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 September 2012. p. 16941.
  9. [9]
    "No. 61084". The London Gazette (Supplement). 23 December 2014. p. 24746.
  10. [10]
    "Royal Navy's Chaplain of the Fleet retires from service". News. Royal Navy. 5 January 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  11. [11]
    "Royal Naval Association - Officials". Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  12. [12]
    "House of Clergy". General Synod. Church of England. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  13. [13]
    "No. 62545". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 January 2019. p. 1406.
  14. [14]
    "Contact us". Mennabroom. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  15. [15]
    "No. 61803". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2016. p. N2.
  16. [16]
    "Announcements". Information. Diocese of Portsmouth. February 2014. Archived from the original on 6 February 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
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