Frederic Iremonger

Frederic Athelwold Iremonger (8 July 1878

Iremonger was born in Longparish, Hampshire,^[4] the third son of William Henry (1845–1911) and Mary Sophia Iremonger of Wherwell Priory Hampshire, who were first cousins. He was educated at Clifton^[5] and Keble College, Oxford.^[6] Ordained in 1906^[7] he began his career with a curacy at All Saints', Poplar^[8] after which he was Priest in charge at St Nicholas, Blackwall.^[9] Later he was Vicar of St James the Great, Bethnal Green^[10] and then Rector of Quarley.

In 1918, he accompanied Dr

In 1923, he came to London to take up his appointment as editor of the Guardian, a Church of England weekly newsletter. However, his strengths lay in writing rather than in administration of a newspaper and after four years he resigned and returned to a country parish.^[11]

In 1933, he was appointed Director of Religion at the BBC, where he had "immense success" bringing about a notable rise in the standard of religious broadcasting and being appointed an Honorary Chaplain to the King in 1936.^[12] A year later he was the sole radio-reporter at the coronation of George VI and Elizabeth. He held his post at the BBC until 1939 when having exceeded the BBC's age limit (60) he again retired to a small country parish.^[11]

Within a few months, Iremonger was elevated to the

His biography of William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury, published in 1948 "earned much praise and deserved much gratitude".^[11]

Publications (selected)

• William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury - his life and letters. Oxford University Press. 1948.

References