William Louis Anderson

William Louis Anderson was the Anglican Bishop of firstly, Portsmouth and then, Salisbury. He also held what is believed to be the unique distinction of being the only Bishop to serve in all three armed services [The Times, Tuesday, Mar 07, 1972; pg. 16; Issue 58420; col F "Rt Rev W. L. Anderson Former Bishop of Salisbury-Obituary" ] .

Early life

He was born at Tezpur, Assam, India on the 11th of February 1892, the younger son of James Drummond Anderson, DLitt ,University Lecturer in Bengali at Cambridge [ his elder brother, also James Drummond Anderson was knighted KCIE in 1944 after a distinguished colonial career: his last post, from 1941 to 1946, was Financial Governor of the Punjab Who was Who vol 6 p38] and educated, as a Scholar, at St Paul’s. Anderson, an Exhibitioner, graduated BA from Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge [ He was appointed an Honorary Fellow in 1950 The Times, Tuesday, Mar 07, 1972 "Obituary" (ibid)] in 1914 [MAin 1920] .

Military service

He served throughout the Great War, initially in the 1st King Edward’s Horse, then the Royal Naval Air Service, and latterly in the newly formed Royal Air Force, ending the war with the relative rank of Captain [ He was a Flight Lieutenant from 1918 to 1919: relative rank 9 as determined by Whitaker's Almanack 2001 ISBN 0117022616 p406] and the DSC [ Times "Obit" (Ibid) While serving in the Scilly Isles he sank an enemy submarine in a flying boat attack] .

Begins Ministry

On demobilisation he took Holy Orders at Ridley Hall, Cambridge and was ordained Deacon in 1920, Priest 1921. He married first Gwendoline Jones and together they had two sons [She died in 1957; and he married, secondly, Jessie Hearn in 1963: Who’s Who,1971 A & C Black ISBN 0713611405 p71 ] . His first posts were as Chaplains to a succession of Royal Naval establishments [ His last posting was as Chaplain to the Staff College itself] .

Clerical Rise

In 1928 he was appointed the Vicar of Sparkhill, Birmingham, taking on the additional responsibility of Rural Dean of Bordesley; in 1932, similar posts at Eastbourne. By 1937 he was Suffragan bishop of Croydon [ The Times, Monday, Jun 28, 1937; pg. 14; Issue 47722; col C "New Bishop of Croydon appointed"] and in late 1941 he was appointed Bishop of Portsmouth to succeed the recently deceased Frank Partridge [ The Times, Monday, Dec 08, 1941; pg. 6; Issue 49103; col D "Notice of Appointment: new Bishop of Portsmouth"] . In 1949 he transferred to the more senior See of Salisbury [ The Times, Friday, Apr 08, 1949; pg. 4; Issue 51351; col G ] , a position he was to hold to his retirement in 1962. He died a decade later on the 5th of March 1972, a devotee of the countryside to the last [ Who’s Who 1971, "pastimes section" (ibid) & Times "Obit" (Ibid)] .

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