Sep 29, 2026 · 35 min · 10 segments
On Ops, they wear the same uniform, they live in the same conditions, and they share the same risks. But they go unarmed. That is perhaps except for a bag or two of Haribo…
Ashley MitchellGuestspeaker_4
Victoria Andrews
Chris SullyHost
Ben RussellI'm at a very special place for the RAF family.
It couldn't be farther away from where most RAF personnel spend most of their time.
It's not a station in Lincolnshire, nor an austere base in a far corner of the globe.
To cross its threshold is to leave the hustle and bustle of the city behind and enter a place of peace and quiet.
Barely a faint hum of traffic permeates its thick walls.
The roots of this place go back 1,000 years and it has risen from the ashes of the Great Fire and the Blitz to become a perpetual shrine of remembrance for the Royal Air Force.
The church holds the books of remembrance to all of those RAF personnel who died in service during the Second World War.
There are no services at the church today, but yet it still sees a steady flow of visitors who have come not only to admire this stunning Wren-designed place of worship, but to remember the sacrifice made by members of the Royal Air Force and Britain's allies in defence of freedom.
There's no more fitting place to talk about RAF chaplaincy than in the RAF's church, and I'm joined by the Reverend Ashley Mitchell.
Padre, thank you for inviting Inside Air to the beautiful St. Clement Danes.
So at some point during every RAF recruits phase one training, the Padre arrives for what I might describe as a robust chat.
It becomes immediately clear that this man or woman is far from a home county's vicar.
Our role is
We come from a huge range of faiths and indeed we're looking to be inclusive of those who don't identify with faith in particular.
We also help to form minds and thoughts about beliefs, values, meaning and purpose.
Padre is curious because nowhere in the official documentation of the military is the word Padre actually written down.
I'm at a very special place for the RAF family.
It couldn't be farther away from where most RAF personnel spend most of their time.
It's not a station in Lincolnshire, nor an austere base in a far corner of the globe.
To cross its threshold is to leave the hustle and bustle of the city behind and enter a place of peace and quiet.
Barely a faint hum of traffic permeates its thick walls.
The roots of this place go back 1,000 years and it has risen from the ashes of the Great Fire and the Blitz to become a perpetual shrine of remembrance for the Royal Air Force.
The church holds the books of remembrance to all of those RAF personnel who died in service during the Second World War.
There are no services at the church today, but yet it still sees a steady flow of visitors who have come not only to admire this stunning Wren-designed place of worship, but to remember the sacrifice made by members of the Royal Air Force and Britain's allies in defence of freedom.
There's no more fitting place to talk about RAF chaplaincy than in the RAF's church, and I'm joined by the Reverend Ashley Mitchell.
Padre, thank you for inviting Inside Air to the beautiful St. Clement Danes.
So at some point during every RAF recruits phase one training, the Padre arrives for what I might describe as a robust chat.
It becomes immediately clear that this man or woman is far from a home county's vicar.
Our role is
We come from a huge range of faiths and indeed we're looking to be inclusive of those who don't identify with faith in particular.
We also help to form minds and thoughts about beliefs, values, meaning and purpose.
Padre is curious because nowhere in the official documentation of the military is the word Padre actually written down.
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