John Leonard Wilson (23 November 189722 July 1970) was an

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

bishop. He was

Bishop of Singapore The Bishop of Singapore is the diocesan bishop for the Anglican Diocese of Singapore, founded in 1909. History of the See List of bishops *1881 George Hose, Bishop of Singapore, Labuan & Sarawak *1909 Charles Ferguson-Davie *1927 Basil Roberts ( ...

from 1941 to 1949 during the time of Japanese occupation and subsequently

Dean of Manchester The Dean of Manchester is based in Manchester, England, and is the head of the Chapter of Manchester Cathedral. The current dean is Rogers Govender. List of deans *1840–1847 William Herbert *1847–1872 George Bowers *1872–1883 Benjamin ...

and

Bishop of Birmingham The Bishop of Birmingham heads the Church of England Diocese of Birmingham, in the Province of Canterbury, in England. The diocese covers the North West of the historical county of Warwickshire and has its see in the City of Birmingham, Wes ...

Education

Wilson was born in Gateshead, County Durham and educated at the

Royal Grammar School, Newcastle upon Tyne The Royal Grammar School (RGS), Newcastle upon Tyne, is a Mixed-sex education, coeducational Private schools in the United Kingdom, private day school for pupils aged between 7 and 18 years. Founded in 1525 by Thomas Horsley, the Mayor of Newca ...

St John's School, Leatherhead St John's School in Leatherhead, Surrey is a fully co-educational private school for pupils aged 11 to 18. The school offers day, weekly and flexible boarding for approximately 800 pupils. St John's was founded in 1851 to educate the sons of ...

, Knutsford Ordination Test School,

The Queen's College, Oxford The Queen's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, England. The college was founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield in honour of Philippa of Hainault, queen of England. It is distinguished by its predominantly neoclassi ...

(shortened degree, Bachelor of Arts in theology 1922) and

Wycliffe Hall, Oxford Wycliffe Hall () is a permanent private hall of the University of Oxford affiliated with the Church of England, specialising in philosophy, theology, and religion. It is named after the Bible translator and reformer John Wycliffe, who was mas ...

Career

After serving as Dean of Hong Kong, Wilson became Bishop of Singapore in 1941. At the time of the

fall of Singapore The fall of Singapore, also known as the Battle of Singapore, took place in the South–East Asian theatre of the Pacific War. The Empire of Japan captured the British stronghold of Singapore, with fighting lasting from 8 to 15 February 1942. S ...

in February 1942, Wilson, assisted by the Reverend Reginald Keith Sorby Adams of

Saint Andrew's School, Singapore St. Andrew's School (abbreviation: SAS) is a family of schools in Singapore, affiliated to each other as well as to the Anglican Diocese of Singapore. It comprises St. Andrew's Junior School (SAJS), St. Andrew's Secondary School (SASS) and St. ...

, and John Hayter, ministered unstintingly to the people of Singapore. Subsequently, they were able to continue their ministry for a year, thanks mainly to the help of a Christian Japanese officer Andrew Ogawa. However the growing popularity of the cathedral and the use of English was regarded by the Japanese authorities as a threat and in 1943 they were interned in

Changi prison Changi Prison Complex, often known simply as Changi Prison, is a prison complex in the namesake district of Changi in the eastern part of Singapore. It is the oldest and largest prison in the country, covering an area of about . Opened in 193 ...

. The discovery of some notes by Wilson about

T. E. Lawrence Thomas Edward Lawrence (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935) was a British Army officer, archaeologist, diplomat and writer known for his role during the Arab Revolt and Sinai and Palestine campaign against the Ottoman Empire in the First W ...

(Lawrence of Arabia) raised suspicions of plans to stir up the local population to revolt. In the prison they worked hard to maintain morale. Wilson was then one of 57 civilians who were

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons including corporal punishment, punishment, forced confession, extracting a confession, interrogational torture, interrogation for information, or intimid ...

d by the Japanese authorities in the " Double Tenth Incident", so-called because it started with a raid on the Changi internment facility on 10 October 1943. The Japanese were seeking evidence that the internees had assisted in

Operation Jaywick Operation Jaywick was a special operation undertaken in World War II. In September 1943, 14 commandos and sailors from the Allied Z Special Unit raided Japanese shipping in Singapore Harbour, sinking three ships and damaging three ships. B ...

, in which Australian and British

commando A commando is a combatant, or operative of an elite light infantry or special operations force, specially trained for carrying out raids and operating in small teams behind enemy lines. Originally, "a commando" was a type of combat unit, as oppo ...

s operating from Australia sank several Japanese warships in Singapore's

Keppel Harbour Keppel Harbour (; ), also called the Keppel Channel and formerly New Harbour, is a stretch of water in Singapore between the mainland and the southern islands of Pulau Brani and Sentosa (formerly Pulau Blakang Mati). Its naturally sheltered and de ...

on 26 September 1943. Wilson was one of those who gave evidence of the nature of the torture to the investigation commission set up by the authorities of the Sime Road Internment Camp following the Japanese surrender in August 1945. By the end of the war he had made several conversions to Christianity, including some of the Japanese captors. From 1949 to 1953, Wilson was

Dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean * Dean Sw ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

and, from 1953 to 1969,

in succession to the controversial Ernest William Barnes. In his time as a bishop, Wilson was frequently called on to give a Christian perspective on issues of peace and war, his wartime experiences giving him a moral platform from which to do so. He was an early supporter of the ordination of women. He was opposed to the death penalty and for the reform of the law on homosexual acts. As president of the Modern Churchmen's Union, from 1958 to 1966, he was strongly involved in the controversies following the publication of ''

Honest to God ''Honest to God'' is a book written by the Anglican Bishop of Woolwich John A.T. Robinson, criticising traditional Christian theology. It aroused a storm of controversy on its original publication by SCM Press in 1963. Robinson's own evaluation ...

'' in 1964. In 1966 Wilson gave the address at the memorial service for the wartime General Officer Commanding (Malaya),

Arthur Ernest Percival Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom), Lieutenant-General Arthur Ernest Percival, (26 December 1887 – 31 January 1966) was a British Army officer. He saw service in the World War I, First World War and built a successful military career during ...

, which was held at

St Martin-in-the-Fields St Martin-in-the-Fields is a Church of England parish church at the north-east corner of Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, London. Dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours, there has been a church on the site since at least the medieval pe ...

in London. Wilson was appointed CMG in 1946 and in 1963. The author of his

ODNB The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

article says that Wilson's "episcopate in Birmingham cemented a divided diocese, and strengthened the influence of the church on civic and social life".

Personal life

In 1930, Wilson married Mary Phillips. They had a daughter and 4 sons. Wilson's daughter, Susan Cole-King (23 April 1934 – 8 February 2001), was ordained as an Anglican priest. On 6 August 1998, at the

Lambeth Conference The Lambeth Conference convenes as the Archbishop of Canterbury summons an assembly of Anglican bishops every ten years. The first took place at Lambeth in 1867. As regional and national churches freely associate with the Anglican Communion, ...

, she gave the homily on her father's wartime experience and the need for peace. His son, Martin, was also an Anglican priest. Wilson retired to Yorkshire in 1969. He died of a stroke on the way home after conducting the annual service of the

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III ...

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

on 22 July 1970.''The Times'', 22 August 1970; pg. 12; Issue 57951; col G: "Bishop Wilson – Sir

Kenneth Roberts-Wray Sir Kenneth Owen Roberts-Wray (1899–1983) was a British lawyer and civil servant. An authority on Commonwealth and colonial law, he was Legal Adviser to the Commonwealth Relations Office ( Dominions Office until 1947) and the Colonial Offi ...

writes (in addition to the Times Obituary).

Publications

*''A Bishop Broadcasts''. ith a portrait.11 pages, published by Singapore Auxiliary Diocesan Association

947 Year 947 (Roman numerals, CMXLVII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Summer – A Principality of Hungary, Hungarian army led by Grand Prince Taksony of Hungary, Taksony campaign ...

(found in British Library catalogue). *Contribution to ''Marriage, Sex and the Family. A Christian symposium''. Edited by E. P. Smith. Wales Publishing Co.: London, 1959. (Referred to in ODNB article and found in the BL catalogue).

Education

Career

Personal life

Publications

See also

References

Further reading