31 Facts About Chad Varah

Chad Varah was educated at Worksop College in north Nottinghamshire and won an exhibition to study natural sciences at Keble College, Oxford, quickly switching to Philosophy, Politics and Economics.

Chad Varah was involved in the university Russian and Slavonic clubs and was founder-president of the Scandinavian Club.

Chad Varah was initially reluctant to follow his father's vocation, but his godfather persuaded him to study at Lincoln Theological College, where he was taught by the Revd Michael Ramsey, later Archbishop of Canterbury.

Chad Varah was ordained deacon in the Church of England in 1935 and priest in 1936.

Chad Varah first served as curate at St Giles, Lincoln, from 1935 to 1938, then at St Mary's, Putney, from 1938 to 1940 and Barrow-in-Furness from 1940 to 1942.

Chad Varah became vicar of Holy Trinity, Blackburn, in 1942 and moved to St Paul, Battersea, in 1949.

Chad Varah became rector of the church, designed by Christopher Wren, adjacent to the Mansion House in the City of London.

Chad Varah was a supporter of female priests, but preferred the traditional 17th century Book of Common Prayer to the more modern liturgical changes authorized in 1966.

Chad Varah officiated at the marriage of Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones, only daughter of Princess Margaret, to actor Daniel Chatto in 1994.

Chad Varah was made an honorary prebendary of St Paul's Cathedral in 1975, becoming senior prebendary in 1997.

Chad Varah retired in 2003, aged 92, by which time he was the oldest incumbent in the Church of England.

Chad Varah was director of the central London branch of Samaritans until 1974, and president from 1974 to 1986.

Chad Varah was founder chairman of Befrienders Worldwide from 1974 to 1983, and then its president from 1983 to 1986.

Later in life, Chad Varah became disillusioned with the Samaritans organisation.

However, by the Summer of 2005, a rapprochement appeared to be reached when Chad Varah met with The Samaritans' new chief executive and chairman.

Chad Varah enthusiastically listened to the new essential work of the organisation, building on the work he had started in 1953.

Chad Varah was closely associated with the founding of the comic The Eagle by fellow clergyman Marcus Morris in 1950.

Chad Varah supplemented his income by working as a scriptwriter for The Eagle and its sister publications Girl, Robin and Swift until 1961.

Chad Varah used his scientific education to be "Scientific and Astronautical Consultant" to Dan Dare.

Chad Varah was patron of the Terrence Higgins Trust from 1987 to 1999 and an original patron of the Cult Information Centre.

Chad Varah wrote a television play, "Nobody Understands Miranda", which was broadcast by the BBC as part of The Befrienders, an eleven-episode series about the Samaritans in 1972.

Chad Varah continued his campaigning work into his later life, founding Men Against Genital Mutilation of Girls in 1992, and publishing his autobiography, Before I Die Again, referring to his interest in reincarnation, the same year.

Chad Varah was awarded the Albert Schweitzer Gold Medal in 1972, and became an Honorary Fellow of Keble College in 1981.

Chad Varah held several honorary doctorates, and was awarded the Romanian Patriarchal Cross.

Chad Varah was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1961 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at the BBC Television Theatre.

Chad Varah was appointed OBE in 1969, and advanced to CBE in 1995.

Chad Varah was created a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour in 2000.

Chad Varah married Susan Whanslaw in 1940 in Wandsworth, south London.

Chad Varah's wife became World President of the Mothers' Union in the 1970s.

Chad Varah died in a hospital in Basingstoke, four days before his 96th birthday.

Chad Varah was survived by four of his children, his son Michael having died several months before his father.