William Brown Moffet

William Brown Moffet – formerly BCMS Missionary in Arakan from 1933 to 1941 and Military Chaplain in Akyab 1945 – tells the story of how all three Services were represented in the restoration of St Mark’s' Church, Akyab, ahead of it’s first services following VJ Day.

"It was with a thrill that one heard on the wireless that the 25th Indian Division had landed in Akyab on January 3rd 1945, without any opposition. The last Jap troops had departed on December 31st. The Arakanese gave the troops a tumultuous welcome - they could now live in peace and quietness and go about their lawful occasions without fear of being molested or even arrested and tortured.

Akyab was in a sorry plight - about 85% of the buildings had been destroyed or damaged. The jungle had crept in unopposed, and houses on all the roads, in the Bazaar, in the European quarter, were surrounded by it, and it was even growing up through the ground floors. All the Government administrative buildings had been levelled to the ground. The Telegraph Office was habitable on the ground floor, the Post Office was in fairly good condition: the centre hall in the High School had been destroyed by a bomb and parts of the roof were gone; the Hospital, with the exception of the maternity block and part of the north wing, was a heap of rubble; the Imperial Bank was roofless and a bomb had hit one corner rather badly. Apparently the RAF presumed it was being used as a Jap Head quarters, as nine bomb craters encircled it. St Ann’s Convent buildings were in fairly good condition, but like many other buildings the Japs had removed most of the flooring for defence purposes, or firewood. St Ann’s Roman Catholic Church was still there, but most of the wood walling had been removed, as well as the furniture within.

Our own Church, St Mark’s, was still standing; the roof, with the exception of one corner of the south porch, was in fairly good condition. Two long cracks were in the walls; one at the west end over the door, and the other over the first windows on the south side. All the brass memorial tablets had been removed, as well as the electrical fittings. The interior was a mass of rubble - not an article of furniture remained - the beautifully carved Holy Table was gone; only the brass backing of the cross remained. It looked more like a stable than a Church. A large Jap bunker had been made under the south porch and one at each corner of the compound which faced west. These were eventually removed by an Indian Christian Pioneer Company.

The Chaplin of the 8th Belfast HAA Regt and the 36th LAA Regt joining forces in a determination to make the Church a place fit for worship once more. Everyone worked with a will; it was swept out, scrubbed out, walls distempered, chancel steps repaired and temporary benches brought in. Timber was obtained and a Holy Table, a wooden cross, two Prayer desks, a Bible lectern, communion rails, and fourteen pews were made by volunteers. Members of St Mark’s Church, in the days to come, will be forever grateful to these unnamed men who gave of their best to restore the Church.

Later, through the kindness of the Garrison engineer, four Chinese carpenters were detailed by him to repair the doors and windows and make six more pews. Electrical fittings were installed by the Navy, and the RAF provided the current. So all three services were represented in the restoration of St Mark’s.

There was an amazing keeness on the part of all ranks to worship in the first Church to be re-taken from the Japs. Half an hour before the service time men would be seen quietly entering and praying or meditating until the service began. Numbers were so great that three services were held each Sunday morning and two each Sunday evening. The CofE and OD Chaplains, both in the army and the RAF took the services in turns, so that all denominations were catered for. A harmonium was obtained, a choir was formed to lead the singing, and what singing; those hymns of praise were never sung more lustily and with such feeling as those men, in their olive green uniform, sang them - it was inspiring to listen to them. The Gospel message was once again proclaimed in all its fulness and only eternity will reveal how many men and women found the sinner’s friend at those services. St Mark’s must be a sacred spot to numbers, because it was there they met God face to face and went forth to meet the world with a new vision and a new determination to follow him.

A Church committee, representative of all denominations, was formed and met periodically. Here one might mention the wonderful harmony and unity of all denominations and different races (because included in the congregation at times were West Africans, East Africans, Indians, Chinese, Arakanese, Burmese and Chins, which was such a bright feature of our Church life - “all in Christ Jesus” could truly have been the motto of St Mark’s, Akyab.

The Church Communion plate, Registers and Records had been removed to India during the evacuation in 1941. These were now brought back and the Communion Plate was used at the services once more. In the year under review we had one RAF wedding and Baptism services for 1 RAF, 9 West Africans and 1 Chinese convert. The Bishop of Assam, (Rt Rev G Hubback) paid us a weekend visit in May 1945 and besides preaching he confirmed 2 RAF and 31 West African men. Then we were honoured by a visit from the Metropolitan (Most Rev Foss Westcott) in July, who preached to a packed Church of Indian Christians. He also had a confirmation service when 3 VADS, 1 RAF and 9 East African candidates were presented.

On March 31st a Memorial tablet was unveiled to commemorate the men of the 8th Belfast HAA Regt who laid down their lives in the Arakan Campaign. The congregation gave very generously in the collections and up to the end of December 1945 over Rs10,000 had been distributed to Missionary Societies and Philanthropic organisations. A sum of Rs1,000 was left earmarked for any further restoration necessary. Besides 95 copies of the Prayer Book with hymns (A&M) and 21 hymn books with tunes were obtained from Calcutta.

It was a great joy to me when the Chaplaincy Department posted me to my old Parish as Military Chaplin. I arrived in Akyab in early March 1945 and was there until early February 1946. By that time the British troops on the island were a mere handful and I was posted to Rangoon.

So ends another chapter in the history of St Mark’s, Akyab. It has been a great privilege to minister within its walls in the days of peace, prior to the Jap occupation, and then to help in its restoration and minister in it once more, after its desecration by the Japs. “Peace be within thy walls” - may many find “peace with God” within its walls in the days to come is the prayer of W Brown Moffet, formerly BCMS Missionary in Arakan from 1933 to 1941 and Military Chaplain in Akyab 1945."