ABSTRACT
Elsie was impatient to be the minister of her own church. She may have entertained hopes that a return to London might enable her on-off romance with John Garrington to be rekindled. Three months after her appearance at the May assembly of the Congregational Union of England and Wales, on 17 August 1941, Elsie Chamberlain preached at Christ Church Congregational Church, Friern Barnet, in north London. The church there had been looking for a minister since its former pastor, Herbert Cecil Pugh (1898-1941), had left to join the RAF as a chaplain in October 1939, one month after the outbreak of ZDU3XJKKDGWUDLQHGDW0DQVÀHOG&ROOHJH2[IRUG²DQG after a brief ministry at Camberley, had served as Christ Church’s PLQLVWHUVLQFH2Q-XO\3XJKZDVRQERDUGDVKLSFDUU\LQJ RYHUSDVVHQJHUVERXQGIRU:HVW$IULFDZKHQLWZDVWRUSHGRHG in the Atlantic. He learned that several injured airmen were trapped in the damaged hold and, dismissing all protests, insisted that he should be allowed to join them, although he understood that to do so meant his certain death. By acting thus, he disregarded his own safety, believing that his duty as a minister was to be with his men and, ‘in the best tradition of the service and of a Christian minister, he gave up his life for others’. In 1947 Pugh was posthumously awarded the George Cross.1+LVGHDWKRFFXUUHGWKHUHIRUHRQO\VL[ZHHNVEHIRUH Elsie came to preach at Christ Church. 7KHVHFUHWDU\RIWKH/RQGRQ&RQJUHJDWLRQDO8QLRQ²DQG
moderator of the London province of the Congregational Union of (QJODQGDQG:DOHV²5-(YDQVKDGIRUZDUGHGDQXPEHU of names of ministers, each accompanied by a thumbnail character, to the deacons at Friern Barnet but many of these had declined second invitations to preach and several had already sought and found
alternative positions. In June 1941 Evans stated baldly, as reported to the church members, that he had ‘nobody… to meet our needs’ and, consequently, the church contemplated making a temporary ZDUWLPHDSSRLQWPHQW7KHPDLQGLIÀFXOW\ZDVWKDWWKHFKXUFKZDV RQO\RIIHULQJDQDQQXDOVWLSHQGRI…ZLWKRXWDKRXVHZKLFKZDV …OHVVWKDQWKDWUHFRPPHQGHGE\WKH/RQGRQ&RQJUHJDWLRQDO8QLRQ at that time. In addition London was, even more than Liverpool, a prime target for bombing from enemy aircraft – a further disincentive, especially to men with families. 2Q$XJXVWÀYHGD\VDIWHU(OVLH·VÀUVWYLVLWDOHWWHUIURPWKH
moderator was read aloud, to the ministerial committee at Friern Barnet, praising Elsie ‘very highly’. She was seeking a full charge and, doubtless, a return to London would have been welcome for the not easily intimidated Chamberlain family. The committee unanimously decided to invite her to visit the church again and to preach ‘with a view’, that is, according to the Congregational pattern, to preach as a formal candidate for the vacant ministerial position. Elsie’s letter to the church was considered ‘most businesslike’. Her attitude seemed to be at one with the church members in regard to ‘Bible study, fellowship and inter-denominational cooperation’. She was described as ‘very easy to get on with, a good visitor as well as preacher, and keenly interested in young people’s work’. She understood WKHFKXUFK·VÀQDQFLDOSRVLWLRQEXWVWDWHGWKDWWKLVZRXOGQRWEHD determining factor in her thinking.2Q6HSWHPEHUWKHSURSRVDO to recommend to the church meeting that Revd Elsie Chamberlain should be invited to become the minister was passed unanimously. The church meeting was also unanimous in its support and Elsie’s letter of acceptance was read aloud at the services on Sunday, 9 October, 1941. Although others wished to avoid London during the war, Elsie was obviously happy to return to the capital where she ZDVWRH[SHULHQFHWKHDWWDFNVRIWKH*HUPDQ9Á\LQJERPEVDQG9 URFNHWVLQDQGZKLFKZRXOGWHUULI\WKHSRSXODWLRQ
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$VPLJKWKDYHEHHQH[SHFWHGIURPWKHLUFRQGXFWIROORZLQJKHUPRYH to Liverpool, Elsie’s parents chose to return to London with their
daughter and bought a house for them all near the church in Friern Barnet. Such a purchase was necessary as the church then lacked a manse for the minister to occupy. Christ Church, which traces its foundation to 1884, is situated at the corner of Friern Barnet and Bellevue Roads. The original lecture hall of 1883-84, where regular ZRUVKLSZDVFRQGXFWHG IRU\HDUV LVD UHGEULFNEXLOGLQJZLWK stone dressings in an early English style. It contained committee URRPVDFRPPRQURRPDQGDKDOODEOHWRKROGRYHUSHRSOH7KH FKXUFKEXLOGLQJZDVHUHFWHGLQRQDQRUWKVRXWKD[LV,WLVDOVR of red-brick with stone dressings, is square and has a low south-west WRZHUZLWKEDWWHUHGEXWWUHVVHVDQGDVSLUH,WZDVEXLOWWRVHDW thus doubling the places for those who might attend worship.3
