Revd Mazzini Tron, D



Byker’s bruising Boxer Padre

To mark the start of the centenary commemoration of the start of World War 1, the National Archives have made available online, some of the official regimental war diaries. In their press release (published in The Times and elsewhere on January 14th 2014), they told one story about a Chaplain to the 3/4 Battalion Royal West Surrey Regiment, the Revd Mazzini Tron, in the Battle of Passchendaele in October 1917. “A German officer rushed at the Rev. Tron and nearly tore his coat from his back. The padre, who is a bit of a boxer, repeatedly struck the German in the face until they broke apart. Unslinging his glasses, the German thrust them into the hands of the astonished clergyman and tendered his surrender.”

As a teenager contemplating ordination, I knew Mr Tron, then well retired, who occasionally took services at the church I attended in the Parish of Tettenhall Wood, Wolverhampton. After his death in November 1967, his widow May gave me his Home Communion set, a small suitcase of the sort issued to army chaplains for carrying communion vessels, a prayerbook, notebook and other papers. I’d occasionally made attempts to find out more of his remarkable life and ministry and when in Canberra in 2007, obtained his war service papers with the Australian forces at Gallipoli. Otherwise – this was always a task for the future and now suddenly, the moment to do more was upon me!

Early life

Mazzini was born on 14th April 1885, in Byker, Newcastle upon Tyne and baptized in the parish church of St Michael (11 May 1885). His father Peter – of Scottish descent- came from Alnwick and was a marine engine fitter (and wrecker). His mother Selina Georgina Jones was born in Smethwick, Staffordshire and her father came from Shropshire. They must have met in the Midlands and their first son (Peter Crombie Tron) was born in 1880 in Handsworth. Mazzini was to be the fourth of nine children. His unusual name was perhaps an expression of enthusiasm for the proponents of Italian unification, popular in the North East, and it was carried by other family members too (an older brother b 1881, is recorded as John Joseph Mazzini Tron in the National Probate Calendar. He died July 13th 1947). By 1891, they had moved to the other bank of the Tyne and made their home in Hood Street, in the parish of St Cuthbert, Bensham, Gateshead. This was a time of massive population growth in the area and a new local church of St Aidan was being established, whose clergy were to play a significant role in Mazzini’s development. There is no information extant about his education but all the children in St Aidan’s Gateshead the 1901 and 1911 censuses followed local trades, suggesting an elementary school education. Mazzini in 1901 (aged15) is described as an apprentice grocer.

Gateshead Central Library has a single volume of Parish Magazines for St Cuthbert’s (1885-86 L283.05) that charts the story of the foundation of St Aidan’s. They were deeply into what is now called ‘church growth’, attracting and helping people to feel that they ‘belong’ to the church community by many means and then encouraging them to grow in ‘belief’ through patient teaching of the gospel and sharing the sacraments, and constantly supported by pastoral care and personal interest. There was strong emphasis for young men and lads to be part of a St Oswald’s Guild to promote a personal discipleship of Jesus, and a Foreign Missionary Association, encouraging regular prayer, financial support and the taking of interest in the work of missions overseas. This was a pattern of parochial ministry that Mazzini was to employ for the best part of sixty years. One early curate in the new parish was John A Kempthorne (1864-1946). He was to play a significant role in Mazzini’s later life. Another was the Revd John F Townson who served there between 1898 and 1902. He died in 1924, and the Home Communion set that later came into my possession and use, had originally been a gift of the congregation of St Aidan’s, to him.

Whatever the influences within the family and parish, Mazzini must also have shown personal drive and persistence. The ten years from 1901 presented opportunities which he enthusiastically grabbed. He was of wiry build, about 5’ 4”, physically fit and with a considerable shock of hair that he kept to the end. Somehow, he must have been helped to gain more educational opportunity. His obituary in the Lichfield Diocesan Magazine (January 1968) records that ‘as a young man, he spent some time teaching in China and for a time was English tutor to Sun Yat Sen.’ This must have been prior to 1911. Sun was one of the revolutionary leaders, instrumental in the overthrow of the Qing dynasty and became president of the Provisional Republic of China when it was founded in 1912. Sadly, I have found no further record or reference to this.

Australia

But this wasn’t to be the end of his missionary zeal. Mazzini was adventurous and in March 1911, left Liverpool for Albany, Western Australia on board the ship ‘Svevic’. He was joining the newly-formed Bush Brotherhood of St Boniface in the Diocese of Bunbury, inaugurated on July 11th 1911. The Bush Brotherhoods heroically served the vast outback areas, sending their members on horseback or in traps to visit goldfields, Bush Brotherhood M Tron – 4th from left

cattle-steads and isolated settlements, so maintaining contact on the church’s behalf, bringing worship, teaching and the sacraments to areas where any sort of conventional parish life was impossible. Mazzini was ordained Deacon the same year by the Bishop of Bunbury and served in deacon’s orders for three years instead of the conventional one, perhaps because of having had no other sort of formal pre-ordination training. He was priested in 1914 and the same year became Rector of the new settlement of Dwellingup. The church of St Mark, built the previous year, still stands. But 100 years ago, the world was facing great and sudden change. The Mother Country was seeking the aid of her colonial children with the struggle in Europe. Mazzini was unsettled and in March 1915, applied to join the Australian Military Forces as a Chaplain (4th Class, Temporary) and leaving Freemantle with many soldiers, was sent directly to Gallipoli.

War service

The roles of chaplains serving the forces are quite well documented. Many found themselves completely out of their depth, ministering in circumstances for which everyone was unprepared. Most saw their task to befriend the men alongside whom they served. The best ensured that they were constantly on the front line with them, and ensured that back in camp there were opportunities for relaxation and recreation as well as worship and prayer. They wrote letters for those who couldn’t write themselves, through illiteracy or disability and encouraged exercise, high spirits and as high a morale as possible. This was what was meant by the author of ‘Sporting Parsons in Peace and War’, Mrs Stuart Menzies. She was including those she knew who rode to hounds, but also those who proved themselves to be ‘good sports’ to their men. Of Mazzini Tron, she wrote:

“As a boy he was a member of the Church Lads' Brigade ; his

vicar became interested in him, and sent him to a theological

college. He subsequently worked with the Bush Brotherhood.

At the outbreak of war he joined an Australian Unit of the

R.A.M.C. and was at Suvla Bay, where he was the sole survivor

of his patrol. For his resource and bravery he received the

Military Cross and was transferred to the chaplains' department.

He further distinguished himself in France, taking charge of a

dressing-station when the doctor was killed. I would like to

tell you much more of wonderful things he did, but he does not

wish it. Anyway, he got a second bar to his medal, and the

D.S.O. All honour to him.”

After surviving Gallipoli, Mazzini was sent to France and seems to have regarded himself as an unofficial medical assistant. For acts of real courage and bravery in the face of enemy action and totally ignored his own safety to save the lives of others, he was awarded two Military Crosses and a Distinguished Service Order within a very short space of time.

May 1917

“On May 3rd, he went over the top and when the medical officer was wounded, he took charge of the ambulance station and established a first-aid post in the line captured from the Hun. He bandaged and helped into safety many wounded under heavy machine gun and shell fire, only decamping when compelled to do so by the superior numbers and counter attacks of the enemy. He has been promoted to the rank of Major.”

(Newspaper cutting in the Gateshead War Honours Scrapbook, dated 18 June 1917.)

”For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He continually attended wounded under heavy fire, and enabled them to be brought in and evacuated with great despatch. Though his haversack containing dressings was swept away by shell fire, he returned for more dressings and went out again. His cheerfulness, pluck, and determination were a fine example to all.”

(M.C. gazetted 16th August, 1917.)

DSO citation

“His cheerful demeanour had a great influence in keeping up the spirits of all ranks whilst assembling for an attack. He went forward with the attack and exposed himself fearlessly in attending to the wounded, regardless of his own safety. His unceasing efforts under heavy fire and the most adverse conditions are worthy of the highest praise.”

His ‘bar’ to the MC (gazetted 2nd December 1918) was for the following:

“This Officer, throughout the past operations East of Polygon Wood from

Oct 2nd to Oct 7th continually performed acts of great gallantry. On Oct

2nd, when the Battalion was forced to take cover during the hostile

bombardment on the way up to the line, he fearlessly exposed himself

tending wounded. On Oct 3rd whilst the Battalion was in the line, he

carried out the duties of the Medical Officer who had been wounded. His

cheerful demeanour worked wonders in keeping up the spirits of all Officers

and men whilst assembling prior to the attack on October 4th, in which he

took part for the purpose of dressing the wounded, which duty of mercy he

performed continuously. The arrival of rations to the Battalion on Oct 4th

was wholly due to his unflagging energy and cheery optimism in guiding the

carrying party. He was always regardless of his own personal safety when

there were any wounded who required his attention. Not only did he tend

the living but also the dead, as every man of the Battalion was decently

buried by him, in addition to all those of other units who were lying around

the battalion’s sector. His unceasing efforts under conditions of

bombardment, rain and darkness were invaluable in keeping up the spirits

of the men. I consider this Officer’s zealous devotion to duty, unremitting

attention to the wounded, care for the bodies of the dead, personal

example of bravery and cheerful disposition in such difficult and adverse

circumstances merit him to be a recipient of the highest award. For further

detail please see evidence attached. This Officer has already been

recommended for a bar to his military cross.”

As more material from Battalion War Diaries is tagged and made available on line, it may become easier to chart his service more precisely. There’s some evidence that whilst with the Lincolnshire Regiment at Arras in 1917, he was wounded but it hasn’t been possible as yet to find further information.

Family

Mazzini had married in the course of the war. His bride was Frances Bulmer. Born a couple of years after Mazzini, they grew up in Church Street, Bensham. Her father Daniel was a stonemason. By 1911 she was clerk to a china dealer and living with her uncle and aunt in Wingrove Avenue, Newcastle. They were married at St Hilda’s, South Shields on March 3rd 1917. Sheila Davies (born 1925), a parishioner at St Chad’s, Wolverhampton who later married a curate, described her childlike impressions of Frances to me as ‘very stately – one to be in awe of’. They had one child, born in 1921, a son baptized Andrew Francis Mazzini. Andrew Tron became a barrister and died in 1981 in Sutton, Surrey. He married Edythe J Scott in West Cheshire in Oct-Dec 1953 and they had a child Jennifer F M Tron Oct-Dec 1954. Jennifer married David G Glogg in Sutton in the period July- September 1973.

Post War Service

In the years after the War, the Lord Chancellor used his ecclesiastical patronage to place those men who had given good service as chaplains. Mazzini Tron was offered and accepted the living of Rushock, near Droitwich. This has fewer than 150 parishioners now. The peace and quiet it offered may have been important for coming to terms with the horrors and losses of war and son Andrew was born at this time. But by 1922, a voice from the past was calling. The Revd John Kempthorne, onetime curate of St Aidan’s Gateshead was now Bishop of Lichfield. He offered Mazzini the parish of St Luke, Hanley, in the middle of the Stoke on Trent potteries. This was to be a busy parish with a population then of about 8,000 (including the young Stanley Matthews). The Diocesan obituary mentions that in these years, a notable feature of his ministry was the number of young men (including a future Archdeacon of Salop – Sidney Austerberry), who were led to see their vocation to the ministry. Sheila Davies pointed out to me that a notable feature of his work was his writing. He was constantly preparing sermons and talks – imaginatively illustrated. Parish Magazine articles, poems and plays flowed from his pen. He published small books of addresses for specific purposes – for those recently confirmed about the work of the Holy Spirit and ‘Why should I go to Church?’ that are advertised still for purchase on ‘Amazon’. When he married a couple, he wrote a personal letter to them, full of encouragement and affection. One poem from this time reflects his own personal faith and commitment to ministry:

Hands receiving

The Priest turns from the Altar with the Bread,

But now become the Body of the Lord,

And stands expectant as the people come

And bend them low in deep humility.

His rapt gaze passes o’er each bended head,

And rests upon the hands uplifted there,

Right hand on left, to form a little throne,

Whereon the Body of the Lord may rest.

…………………..

The Priest with loving eye, beholds them all,

And pauses ere he gives the Bread of Life

Into those hands expectant, while he prays

Within himself unto the Great High Priest.

O Jesu, see these hands uplifted here,

Longing to take Thy Body and Thy Cup;

Accept these sheep of mine, and more of Thine

Who now receive this sacrament most blessed,

Accept these hands, accept these hearts I pray

And bless this gift to them and gift to Thee.

And so he stands within the Altar rail,

And gives the Body of the Lord to this,

And this, and so on to each until the end,

And hands are satisfied, and souls are fed.

He had this printed on separate sheets, to be given to those whom he thought would profit from it. St Chad’s Wolverhampton have copies together with other poems and hymns in his own script. He did the same with what he considered significant sermons, one of the last being ‘The Parish Church’, a sermon preached at the centenary of Christ Church, Tettenhall Wood at Michaelmas 1966.

The Parish of St Chad, Wolverhampton 1929 – 1955

After a ministry of seven years in Hanley, Bishop Kempthorne asked him to move to Wolverhampton. St Chad’s had been built to commemorate nine hundred years since the granting of a charter by the Lady Wulfruna, that led to the foundation of Wolverhampton’s Parish Church of St Peter, and ultimately to about twenty separate parishes around it, as the population exploded with the industrial revolution. St Chad’s was to serve the Graisley district of many terraced working class homes. The priest entrusted with this work was the Revd WG Flack, and he ministered from 1895 until 1929, when he died in office. Much notable progress had been made, but a younger, more vigorous man was required, and Mazzini answered the call. He was inducted on September 12th 1929. In his first Magazine article, he asks for the parishioners’ friendship and their trust:

“Be patient with me, decide to trust me. I shall need some time to settle down…. But I promise you this: By God’s Grace I will not let you down.”

He set out immediately, stating the mission purpose in the same article: “What is St Chad’s for? To give the people of the parish a chance to see what Jesus Christ is like … it isn’t a matter only of talking, it is a matter of being and we must make no bones about it. The Holy Spirit is our Commander.” He and the family moved into the Vicarage house in Manlove Street which was to be their home. His net income in 1932 is recorded in the ‘Crockford Clerical Directory’ as £406 plus house. This was probably more than the income of many of his parishioners.

Worship was always to come first – every edition of the magazine contained two lists which he called ‘barometers’ – spiritual, consisting of Communicant numbers, and temporal, with the money-giving totals. At an Annual Meeting, totals for the year would be mentioned as one of the measures for the progress (or otherwise) made in parish life and witness. During his years there, many gifts for the church building and to aid worship were received. There was a bewildering array of parish organizations – Church of England Men’s Society, Church Lad’s Brigade, Mothers’ Union, Girls Friendly Society, Girl Guides, A Dramatic Society and Parish Orchestra, the Choir, Sunday School and a very well attended Youth Institute. He was quite clear that ‘The various organizations are a means to an end, ie to win souls to the Church’. There are now no further copies of Magazines after 1931 and PCC minutes after 1943 for his time, but there’s no doubt that Mazzini offered a firm lead, and expected people to follow! In February 1940, he was asked to become a Forces Chaplain again. He agreed, but only if a replacement could be found for him at St Chad’s, and this didn’t happen. In Sept 1941, he proudly recorded that ‘St Chad’s has been chosen as the RAF Church over all the other churches of the town’ and that at that point, 327 parishioners were serving in the forces, of which 103 were youngsters and of those, 98 were former members of CLB or Sunday School. He noted that of those he knew, four men were intending to offer for ordained ministry once war was ended. He encouraged people in persistence and courage, and demonstrated it with a fondness for PT. He taught the boys boxing, demonstrated the use of Italian clubs and parallel bars and swimming.

Friendship was encouraged too. Every month there was a social evening, organized by the church groups in turn. The MU generally ran a Whist Drive and the CLB, a dance with a three-piece band. All of these activities were extremely well supported, in ways that few parishes can contemplate now. On Easter Day 1942, 349 people received communion.

Frances Tron died in 1950. She had played a full part in parish life. Mazzini continued with his parish work, with his writing and much loved reading, playing bridge and support for those around him. One occasional visitor to St Chad’s wrote, “He was above all, a humorous and kindly gentleman and friend to both young and old.” He decided to retire when he was 70 in 1955 and the year before, he married Annie Elizabeth May Nickless (known as May), whose family had been church stalwarts for many years.

The middle of this decade was to be a watershed for St Chad’s. More private housing was being developed and salaries were better. A good many from what had been a settled population, began to move away into surrounding suburbs and rural areas. This coincided with the first influxes into Wolverhampton of Commonwealth citizens from more varied cultural and religious backgrounds. Slowly, things began to change and fresh challenges for St Chad’s emerged.

Meanwhile, Mazzini and May made a fresh home for themselves in Finchfield Hill, Wolverhampton and most Sundays, she drove him to a variety of churches currently without a vicar, who welcomed his ministry and prayers. Several became more vibrant as a result of his contributions. My recollection is of a priest, totally dedicated and fully aware of the mystery in which he shared, helping to make it available to all who would participate. He was diagnosed with cancer in 1967 and faced considerable suffering with courage and faith. He died in November and at his funeral in Christ Church, Tettenhall Wood, the Bishop of Shrewsbury spoke of his ministry and paid tribute to his outstanding courage. May died in 1977 and their ashes lie together at Bushbury Crematorium, Wolverhampton.

Postscript

Mazzini Tron’s story has taken us on an unusual and remarkable journey, much of which now lies hidden from us. It seems that from his earliest years, he knew that his calling was to work for God and he didn’t hesitate to find the most stimulating and challenging environment in which to explore where that vocation might take him. Throughout it all, he showed great interest and love for those who came his way. He had no illusions about people’s capacity to do evil to one another, but that served also to stimulate an awareness of the human potential for good.

He introduced his people at St Chad’s, to a prayer that was printed at the top of every letter he wrote to them in the Parish Magazine in those early years. He encouraged that all should pray that God will

strengthen and confirm the faithful, protect and guide the children, visit and

relieve the sick, turn and soften the wicked, rouse the careless, recover the fallen,

convert the impenitent and bring all to be of one heart and mind within the

fold of Thy holy church ….

He never hesitated to give a lead in these things and expected others to follow! In due course, the Home Communion set used by Mazzini Tron for 40 years and by this writer for a similar period, will be handed on for use by another.

© Colin Gough

canoncolin@

March 2014

The story of the Brotherhood of St Boniface is told in ’The Lure of the Golden West’ By TS Groser, London 1927

For other accounts of War chaplaincy, see ‘A Chaplain at Gallipoli: The Great War Diaries of Kenneth Best’ London 2011 or ‘Woodbine Willie – JGA Studdert-Kennedy’ by William Purcell London 1962

Information about Mazzini’s time in Wolverhampton is drawn from Parish Magazines, PCC Minutes and ‘St Chad’s Church: A Brief History 1908 – 2008’

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