Faithful Witness The confidential diaries of Alan Don, Chaplain to the King, the Archbishop and the Speaker, 1931–1946 Edited by Robert Beaken (SPCK, September 2020) 584pp, RRP £30.00
Those of us of a certain age may remember the adverts for Shippam’s bloater or beef paste which said, ‘It says on the label what’s in the jar.’ The subtitle of the book tells you exactly what to expect. Although the book will be of interest to academics, it is written in a simple, candid and straightforward way, which will appeal to anyone who has an interest in the social, political and military upheavals of the 30s and 40s.
I confess to have not previously heard of Alan Don, but I have been pleasantly surprised to learn that he was a giant of a man who was highly regarded and trusted by both ecclesiastical and political leaders of all persuasions.
These confidential and private diaries give a phenomenal insight into personal and public views concerning some of the most important events of the time: the fallout of WW1; the death of two kings and the abdication of another; and the experience of being involved as an emissary to leaders of other denominations. Alan Don opened communications with the Orthodox Churches with a view to closer co-operation, and even met the Pope, asking him to intercede with Hitler and Mussolini to bring an end to WW2.
Although he was a Royal Chaplain and the Speaker’s Chaplain, he did not necessarily blindly follow tradition and expected behaviour. He used the Revised Service Book at services in St Mary Undercroft, despite the fact that the use of the RSB had been rejected by the House of Commons in 1928.
The diaries were not completed every day, but clearly reflect his observations on the activities at the heart of UK national life, and the closeness of his friendship with CC. (It took some time to decipher who CC was, eventually I found the reference in the notes to the index: Cosmo Lang, the Archbishop of Canterbury.)
For preachers, Alan Don gives good advice, in the
