Rev Richard Whincup, vicar of Windhill, left his comfortable life and his wife and young family to become a chaplain to the 1/6 West Yorkshire Regiment in the First World War. Thanks to extensive coverage in the Shipley Times & Express we have a good record of his experiences and what the men thought of him. The links below will take you to some of those stories.
Richard Whincup was born in Knaresborough in 1875 the son of William and Elizabeth. In the 1881 census they were living in Stockwell House, Back Lane, Knaresborough. William was 74 and described as 'living on income' while Elizabeth was 39 and they had four children William (8), Richard (6), Charles (4) and Edith (3). Also present on census day was a visitor and three servants, a cook, a nurse and a housemaid.
Richard was educated at St Peter's School, York and Queen's College, Oxford and was ordained in 1900, becoming curate at Skipton Parish Church. On 5 June 1902 he married Catherine Russell Johnstone (left), the daughter of Spofforth surgeon Alfred Johnstone. In 1906 he was took over as vicar of Windhill from Rev Charles Strong.
war broke out. On 21 October 1912, the Yorkshire Post reported that he had preached the sermon at a service for more than 280 members of the Bradford National Reservists at Bradford Parish Church, attended by the Lord Mayor. In September 1914, he visited Strensall to speak to the men who had volunteered to fight in the recently declared war.