08 May 2025
“A celebration of years of costly human endeavours… The day of the Parade, a Saturday, need not be described. It was an occasion for the annals of the Royal Army Chaplains' Department, and it was right that a representation of the airborne chaplains should be included.”
Revd Robert Talbot-Watkins, World War Two Memoirs 1939-1945Wearing the Red Beret of the 1st Parachute Battalion, Revd Robert Talbot-Watkins was one of the twelve chaplains chosen to attend the Victory Parade who celebrated peace alongside the international members of the allied forces.
The atmosphere was buzzing as the streets of London filled with people eager to celebrate the Allied victory. Along with the vehicles of the mechanised columns and the flyover of 300 aircraft, thousands of men and women from around the world walked together during this time of peace. It was a celebration of peace and freedom.
Born on 1 January 1913, Robert became a Methodist minister in 1938 and, when the war started, was the youngest Methodist Chaplain to join the Royal Army Chaplains' Department (RAChD). After serving with the 2nd Battalion, the Essex Regiment, he was commissioned into the 1st Parachute Battalion on 5 September 1941 with Revd Bernard Egan. They were the first airborne padres and set the standard of what was to be expected from future chaplains.
In the 1st Parachute Battalion, they were posted as ‘penguins’ – non-flying staff. To improve their relationship with the soldiers of the battalion, they asked to undergo the same training and learn to parachute, believing that staying a ‘penguin’ would
“placed [him] in an intolerable position for a true padre. In his every day relations with them he would be a stranger in the midst of men bound together by a unique experience from which he, the padre was shut out.”
Revd Robert Talbot-Watkins in the Methodist Recorder (undated)Despite being denied permission to start jump by the senior chaplain, they went ahead with the support of the brigadier Richard Gale which got Robert a “monumental rocket for disobedience [and] lack of discipline” from the Chaplain General.
“The nervous and emotional stress is the same for all, chaplains included… the tenseness of the experience arises from the fact that finally each man stands alone… yet one is no quite alone for the knowledge that the next man looks as green as you feel acts as a spur. Therein lies the sense of comradeship which is so characteristic of all parachutists.”
Revd Robert Talbot-Watkins in the Methodist Recorder (undated)
Robert’s first assignment was in North Africa, between 1942 and 1943, during Operation Torch. This operation aimed to secure key airfields and ports in North Africa, which were crucial for the Allied forces. His role was to provide spiritual support and tend to the wounded under challenging conditions. On one occasion, he helped a French farmer and his family to evacuate from no man’s land.
Later in 1943, he participated in Operation Husky, the Allied invasion of Sicily. The operation was essential for gaining a foothold in Europe and to weaken Axis powers. Robert continued his duties as a chaplain, offering comfort and support to soldiers amidst intense combat. He was attached to a field ambulance, which after landing, created a path for casualty clearance from the Ponte Dei Malati bridge to the ambulance area, meaning they were operating behind enemy lines.
“Later in the day I was followed as I moved from cover to cover by a sniper, he had several near misses and I did not enjoy it. It is one thing to be under fire; it is another to know that you personally are the target.”
Revd Robert Talbot-Watkins, World War Two Memoirs 1939-1945One of his most notable contributions was during Operation Market Garden in Arnhem in 1944. After the failed “bridge too far” battle in Arnhem, the troops who could do so, escaped by night across the Rhine. Others were wounded so badly that they could not move.
Robert helped 50 badly hurt soldiers to an assault boat, then returned to the east bank to look for more. He found none, but remained in hiding on the German bank throughout the next day, swimming back to safety the following night. His actions earned him the Military Cross for his courage and dedication.
After the war, Robert received the Liberty Cross for his service in Norway during 1945-1946. His post-war efforts included serving as an emissary for the Bishop of Chichester in Copenhagen. He then served in parishes at Oxford Hall, Manchester - Salford, Southport, Bristol and Sheffield. He was in the Territorial Army until 1962 and Territorial Army Reserve until 1968. He died in 1973.