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Our Founding Chairman the late Lord Robert K. Runcie
The English churchman Robert Alexander Kennedy Runcie, was born on October 2, 1921. He was archbishop of Canterbury from 1980 to 1991. He served with distinction as a tank commander in World War II, earning the Military Cross for bravery. He was educated at Oxford and was ordained in 1951. He served as principal of Cuddeston Theological College from 1960 to 1969 and was bishop of Saint Albans from 1970 to 1980. He was archbishop of Canterbury from 1980 to1991 and was made a Lord in becoming Baron Runcie of Cuddeston. He died on 11th July 2000. Lord Runcie had readily agreed to be our founding member in 11th March 1997. Obviously the reason we asked Lord Runcie to be our founding chairman was due to his being by far the most well known Runcie internationally. However other considerations related to how he had developed from a predominately Scottish / Irish working class background with no great religious family upbringing to become the Head of the English Episcopalian church. This was a tremendous achievement. This together with being as a young man a soldier in the Scots Guards inWW2 and having been decorated with the MC. Again no small achievement.
Click here to view a print of a painting by Terence De Cunero depicting Lt Runcie in WW2 action.
A pipe tune Captain Robert K. Runcie was composed by Pipe Major Angus MacDonald, Pipe Major of the Scots Guards, and we have adopted this as our Association tune.
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Click here to hear
the tune played by
Pipe Major Adrian Melvin. | When Lord Runcie agreed to become our founding chairman, we said that we were aware that he had no real interest in family history (this had been read in one of his biographies). He assured us however that, “it is not quite true that I am not interested in family research. It is simply that I have not the time to engage in it myself “.
The internet is jammed with articles about Lord Runcie but we have chosen the following to peruse.
- A Tribute to Lord Runcie of Cuddesdon is well worth visiting. Click here.
- Article by Terry Waite taken from in the Salvationist online. Click here.
- Article from THE SCOTS GUARDSMAGAZINE by Major PEG Balfour CBE on Captain The Right Reverend and Honourable Lord Runcie PC MC (late Scots Guards). Click here.
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