Giles Legood

{{Infobox military person

|honorific_prefix = The Venerable

|name = Giles Legood

|image = Venerable Dr (Air Vice-Marshal) Giles Legood (cropped).jpg

|image_size =

|alt =

|caption = Legood in 2023

|nickname =

|birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1967}}{{Crockford|surname=Legood|forenames=Giles Leslie|id=15172|accessed=6 October 2022}}

|birth_place = Maidstone, Kent, England

|allegiance = United Kingdom

|branch = Royal Air Force

|serviceyears = 2007–present

|rank = Air Vice-Marshal

|servicenumber =

|unit =

|commands = Royal Air Force Chaplains Branch

|battles = Iraq War
War in Afghanistan

|awards = Member of the Order of the British Empire

|alma_mater = King's College London

|spouse =

}}

Air Vice-Marshal Giles Leslie Legood, {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100|sep=,|MBE|KHC}} (born 1967) is a British Anglican priest. Since July 2022 he has served as Chaplain-in-Chief of the Royal Air Force Chaplains Branch and Archdeacon for the Royal Air Force. He previously served as Deputy Chaplain-in-Chief.

Early life and education

Legood was born in Maidstone in Kent and grew up in Bearsted. He was educated at Roseacre Junior School, and later Maidstone Grammar School.{{cite news|url=https://www.kentonline.co.uk/maidstone/news/her-majesty-flew-home-in-the-same-aircraft-as-casualties-fr-273901/|title=Maidstone man who played key role in Queen's funeral speaks of his honour|website=Kent Online|date=13 September 2022|access-date=6 October 2022}} He studied at King's College London, graduating in 1988 with a Bachelor of Divinity (BD) degree and the Associate of King's College (AKC) qualification. He then worked in the City of London for two years.

From 1990 to 1992, he trained for ordained ministry at Ripon College Cuddesdon, an Anglican theological college near Oxford. He later undertook postgraduate studies, graduated from Heythrop College London with a Master of Theology (MTh) degree in 1998 and from Derby University with a Doctor of Ministry (DMin) degree in 2004.

Ordained ministry

File:Giles Legood officiating.jpg

Legood was ordained in the Church of England as a deacon in 1992 and as a priest in 1993. From 1992 to 1995, he served his curacy at St Mary's Church, North Mymms in the Diocese of St Albans. He was made Chaplain and Honorary Lecturer in the University of London in 1995.{{cite web |title=Chaplain in Chief and Archdeacon for the Royal Air Force: The Venerable Doctor (Air Vice-Marshal) Giles Legood MBE QHC|url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/our-organisation/units/raf-chaplains/ |website=Royal Air Force |access-date=6 October 2022 |language=en-gb}}

=Military service=

On 20 October 2004, Legood was commissioned into the Chaplains Branch, Royal Auxiliary Air Force, as a flight lieutenant.{{London Gazette |issue= 57494 |date= 14 December 2004 |page= 15686 |supp= y }} He was attached to No. 600 Squadron RAF, and was the RAF's first part-time chaplain.{{cite web |title=The World's Toughest Parish? |url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/news/archive/the-worlds-toughest-parish-10112014/ |website=Royal Air Force |access-date=6 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141113012433/https://www.raf.mod.uk/news/archive/the-worlds-toughest-parish-10112014/ |archive-date=13 November 2014 |date=10 November 2014}}

In 2007, Legood transferred to the Royal Air Force as a full-time chaplain.{{cite news |last1=Cain |first1=Rebecca |title=RAF chaplain awarded MBE |url=https://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/11132267.raf-high-wycombe-chaplain-awarded-mbe/ |access-date=6 October 2022 |work=Bucks Free Press |date=8 April 2014 |language=en}} He served as chaplain to RAF Northolt, and served in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2013, he was promoted to the relative rank of wing commander. In 2015 he became senior chaplain at RAF Brize Norton. During his time there, and earlier in service, he joined detachments to the Falkland Islands, Germany, Cyprus, Ascension Island, Kenya and Saudi Arabia.

In 2017, Legood was promoted to Deputy Chaplain-in-Chief (Operations) and was based at Headquarters Air Command.

From 2021 to 2022, Legood attended the Royal College of Defence Studies. On 5 August 2022, on completion of his course, he was appointed Chaplain in Chief (head of the RAF Chaplains Branch) and promoted to the relative rank of air vice-marshal.{{London Gazette|issue=63817|supp=y|page=17748|date=20 September 2022}} As the most senior Anglican chaplain, he also additionally serves as Archdeacon for the Royal Air Force,{{Crockford| surname = Legood | forenames = Giles Leslie | id = 15172 | accessed = 6 October 2022}} and was collated as archdeacon by Hugh Nelson, Bishop to the Armed Forces, during a service at St Clement Danes on 11 September 2022.{{cite web |last1=Hales |first1=Joshua |title=New Archdeacon for the Royal Air Force is collated at the Central Church of the RAF |url=https://stclementdanesraf.org/new-archdeacon-for-the-royal-air-force-giles-legood-st-clement-danes-church-resident_chaplain-reverend-mark-perry/ |website=St Clement Danes Church |access-date=8 May 2023 |date=13 October 2022}}

Honours and decorations

In 2014, Legood was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in Afghanistan during the period 1 April 2013 to 30 September 2013.{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/operational-honours-and-awards-list-21-march-2014|title=Operational Honours and Awards List: 21 March 2014|website=GOV.UK|date=21 March 2014|access-date=6 October 2022}}{{London Gazette |issue= 60813 |date= 21 March 2014 |pages= 5835-5836 |supp= y }} This made him the first RAF chaplain to receive an operational honour since the Second World War. On 22 July 2018, he was made an Honorary Chaplain to the Queen (QHC).{{London Gazette|issue=62499|supp=y|page=22951|date=18 December 2018}} Upon the succession of King Charles III, he became an Honorary Chaplain to the King (KHC). He is also a recipient of the Iraq Medal, the Operational Service Medal for Afghanistan, the Operational Service Medal Iraq and Syria, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, and Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal.