Chaplains are vital at times of peace and when deployed on operations

Interviews from the International Military Pilgrimage that took place at the shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in May 2019. David Hannah is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Irish Guards. He recalls a probably apocryphal story that goes back to the time of the first Gulf War in the early 1990s: "[This story] sums up how most of us in the army view our Chaplains... The British General in charge at the time of the build up of forces in Saudi Arabia ahead of the first Gulf War was the renowned soldier Sir Peter de la Billière - particularly famous for his experiences with special forces in the Arab world. "He was faced with a political issue whereby it was felt it would be unwise to send chaplains to the Gulf because crucifixes and chaplains might not go down well in the region. "Sir Peter, when he heard that this was bouncing around, sent a curt message to the top of the command tree saying 'No chaplains, no army. Most of us would subscribe to that. "We view our chaplains as extremely important people - both when at peace and when deployed on operations. Their role, although very different in the barracks compared to being on operations, is equally important in both environments. It's a tribute to the chaplains that they adapt to these different demands quickly, smoothly and with great effect. They deal with all sorts of people from all sorts of backgrounds in all sorts of situaltions - often in demanding circumstances."