Robert Runcie
|
The Most Reverend and Right Honourable The Lord Runcie MC PC |
|
|---|---|
| Archbishop of Canterbury | |
 |
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| Church | Church of England |
| Province | Province of Canterbury |
| Diocese | Diocese of Canterbury |
| Installed | 25 March 1980 |
| Term ended | 31 January 1991 |
| Predecessor | Donald Coggan |
| Successor | George Carey |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Robert Alexander Kennedy Runcie |
| Born | 2 October 1921 Crosby, Lancashire, UK |
| Died | 11 July 2000 (aged 78) St Albans, Hertfordshire, UK |
| Buried | St Albans Cathedral |
| Spouse | Rosalind Turner |
| Children |
James Rebecca |
| Alma mater | Brasenose College, Oxford |
Robert Alexander Kennedy Runcie, Baron Runcie, MC, PC (2 October 1921 – 11 July 2000) was a British Anglican bishop. He was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1980 to 1991, having previously been the Bishop of St Albans.
Runcie was born and spent his early life in Great Crosby, Lancashire, to middle-class and rather non-religious parents. He initially attended St Luke's Church, Crosby (where he was confirmed in 1936), before switching to the Anglo-Catholic St Faith's Church about a mile down the road. He was educated at Merchant Taylors' Boys' School, Crosby, before going up to Brasenose College, Oxford.
He earned a commission in the Scots Guards during World War II, serving as a tank commander and earning the Military Cross for two feats of bravery in March 1945: he rescued one of his men from a crippled tank under heavy enemy fire, and the next day took his own tank into an exceptionally exposed position in order to knock out three anti-tank guns. As a result, he is unique among modern Archbishops of Canterbury in having killed fellow human beings. In May 1945, he was among the first British troops to enter Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.
After the surrender of Nazi Germany, Runcie served with the occupying forces in Cologne and then with the boundary commission dealing with the future status of the Free Territory of Trieste.
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