Walter Baddeley


Walter Hubert Baddeley was a British Anglican bishop who served as Bishop of Melanesia from 1932 to 1947 and Bishop of Blackburn from 1954 til his death.

Family and education

Called Hubert by his family, Baddeley was born in Portslade, United Kingdom, and educated at Varndean School and Keble College, Oxford. When the Great War came, he paused his studies to join the British Army: he was mentioned in despatches four times and awarded the Distinguished Service Order and the Military Cross. Following completion of his degree, he trained for the ministry at Cuddesdon College. He married Kath Thomas, youngest daughter of Nutter Thomas, Bishop of Adelaide, on 13 November 1935 at St Peter's Cathedral, Adelaide.

Early ministry

Baddeley was made deacon on Trinity Sunday 1921 and ordained priest that Advent — both times by Thomas Strong, Bishop of Ripon, at Ripon Cathedral. He served his title at St Bartholomew's Church, Armley until 1924, when he became Vicar of South Bank, North Yorkshire.

Melanesia

Having refused the role of assistant bishop of Melanesia to Merivale Molyneux in late 1930, Baddeley was recommended by Cosmo Lang, Archbishop of Canterbury to become diocesan bishop there after Molyneux's resignation; on 6 July 1932, the New Zealand bishops appointed him Bishop of Melanesia in 1932, and he departed Britain in October. He was consecrated bishop on St Andrew's day 1932 by Alfred Averill, Archbishop of New Zealand, at St Mary's Cathedral, Auckland. During his time in the region, he served as a member of the Advisory Council of the Solomon Islands. Following his marriage in late 1935, he spent half of 1936 in Britain, and returned via Vancouver, Hawaii, Fiji, Sydney and Auckland.
Sending his wife and children to Adelaide, Baddeley himself remained in his diocese during World War II, paying particular attention to medical work among those injured in fighting with the Imperial Japanese Army. At the invitation of Henry St. George Tucker, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, he undertook a tour of the United State; he received an honorary Doctor of Sacred Theology degree from Columbia University in 1944 and the Medal of Freedom in 1945. In 1945, he was party to the agreement that the church in the Mandatory Territory of New Guinea should be wholly ceded to the Diocese of New Guinea. His appointment as Bishop of Whitby having been announced 20 December 1946, he undertook a farewell tour of his diocese and of New Zealand, he vacated his See and departed for Britain on 2 April 1947.

Return to England

He arrived in London on 10 April and had furlough before taking up his new post. On 13 August 1954, his nomination as Bishop of Blackburn was announced, and he took up the See on 10 October.
He died in post at Bishop's House, Salesbury and his funeral was at Blackburn Cathedral on 15 February 1960, officiated by Michael Ramsey, Archbishop of York. Baddeley is listed in the Calendar of saints.
Baddeley's grandson is Jeremy Greaves, Assistant Bishop for the Northern Region in the Anglican Diocese of Brisbane since 2017.