Wing Commander Andy Wolton: 'Obedience in Command'
Wing Commander Andy Wolton, Commanding Officer RAF Innsworth came with Jan, his wife, to provide a personal view of what it meant to be a Christian in an armed services environment. We just caught him in time as in two weeks later he is to start the process of retiring from the RAF and retraining for ordination in the Church of England.
After introductory Christian and Islamic readings and a prayer by Roy Crompton, the 18 people present were given a clear insight into Andy's work environment. Its bounds are set by Andy's Commission, Queen's Regulations which cover every aspect of service life (and must have an interesting hinge with our civil and criminal law), the instructions of those in command of him and the mix of servicemen and civilians who work for him.
In running his unit Andy relies on his Christian faith to help with decisions where it is important, for example, to temper what would be a logical punishment for a wrong doer with mercy and to put one's trust in that person for his (or her) future behaviour. He also recognises the variety of experience and skills in those working for him, and in Christian humility, he encourages the use of these resources in solving issues in the running of RAF Innsworth - although he is empowered to make final decisions.
For Andy and Jan there is also the fact that being a Commanding Officer brings the marks of status which go with the job and which, again, need to be treated with due humility. These marks include a large married quarter in which they regard themselves as temporary residents, and a lot of deference because of his appointment. A final point emphasised by Andy in the pre-questions part of the evening was the need for daily prayer at the start of each day seeking God's guidance on how to deal with what the day brings.
We weren't too hard on Andy at question time. He himself had never been in a position where his faith and his military duties had been in conflict, though there are issues such as is a war just? Although the proportion of declared Christians on base may be no different to that in the general population, there is general recognition of the need to meet the needs of Christian and other faiths within the RAF. Chaplaincy was valued both on stations and on operations.
Although Andy (and Jan) will miss being part of the RAF family, he does not feel called to rejoin after his training, and in any case he will be beyond retirement age Andy had never felt in danger in the course of his duties, but prayer had helped him at a hazardous moment when flying a microlight aircraft. Finally he answered questions on the closure of Innsworth and explained that, while there won't be a huge impact on the servicemen, who are used to being posted elsewhere, but there are significant implications for the Civil Servants, (both mobile and non-mobile) staff and contractors. Addressing those implications was very much a priority at the moment.
This was a thoroughly interesting insight into a world which to many of us is unfamiliar. We thank Andy and Jan very much for providing that insight. We wish them all success in the transition to Andy's new calling and pray for God's blessing on them in this adventure.