George MacLeod

George Fielden MacLeod, Baron MacLeod of Fuinary, (17 June 1895 – 27 June 1991) was a Scottish soldier and clergyman; he was one of the best known, most influential and unconventional Church of Scotland ministers of the 20th century. He was the founder of the Iona Community on the island of Iona and served as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland (1957). Early life He was born in Glasgow in 1895. His father (Sir John MacLeod) was a successful businessman before entering politics as a Unionist MP; his mother Edith was from a wealthy Lancastrian family (owning cotton mills). From this background and heir to a baronetcy, George MacLeod was educated at Winchester College and Oriel College, Oxford. His paternal grandfather was the highly respected Revd Norman MacLeod of the Barony Church, Glasgow, a Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and Chaplain to Queen Victoria. First World War service Upon the outbreak of the First World War, and having been a cadet in the Officers Training Corps, MacLeod was commissioned in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, British Army, as a temporary second lieutenant on 19 September 1914. He first saw active service in Greece. After falling ill with dysentery, he was sent back to Scotland to recuperate, after which he was posted to Flanders. On 24 June 1917, he was made an adjutant and promoted to acting captain. He saw action at Ypres and Passchendaele. He was awarded the Military Cross (MC) in October 1917, and the French Croix de Guerre with palm for bravery in 1918. Ministry His experience of this total war profoundly affected MacLeod, leading him to train for the ministry. He studied divinity at the University of Edinburgh, followed by a year at Union Theological Seminary, New York City (1921-1922). Upon return to Scotland he was invited to become Assistant at St Giles' Cathedral. During this period he became increasingly concerned over the issue of social inequality in Scotland. In 1924 he was ordained as a Church of Scotland minister, to be Padre of Toc H (Talbot House) in Scotland. Such non-parochial appointments were extremely unusual at the time. Following a disagreement, he resigned from Toc H in 1926, but was invited to become associate minister at St Cuthbert's Church, Edinburgh.