Biography : Reverend Andrew John Jolly

The Reverend Andrew Jolly was a native of Aberdeen where his late father was the first minister of South St Nicholas Kincorth, and so his initial education was given to him playing around a site overlooking the southern end of the city. However, with his father called to a charge in the east end of Glasgow he spent much of his childhood and adolescent years being educated in Glasgow with his secondary education at Hillhead High School.

He would describe his school years as not the most fulfilling part of his life. In saying that, Hillhead had strong musical and sporting traditions which he enjoyed, playing tennis for the school and bassoon in the school orchestras well as the Glasgow Schools Orchestra.

Following school he was unable to pursue an engineering degree at Glasgow University, which upset him, as unfortunately he passed his English Higher rather than Maths, as had been expected, so this was not an option. The English Higher pass, rather than Maths, was to prove very important a few years later.

However he then found employment with Joseph Lucas Ltd as an apprentice auto electrician/diesel fitter and studied at Stow College of Engineering for qualifications in Electrical and Electronic Engineering.  He was offered the opportunity of moving to Birmingham to the Sales and Service division of Lucas Industries, where he worked in the new Product Development department and continued his studies at Matthew Boulton Technical College in Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

It was during this time that he felt the call to ministry and so attended the Church of Scotland’s Selection School. His call having been confirmed he began his studies at Birmingham University. (Suddenly the English Higher was now more important than the Maths Higher but it took him three years to realise that there is a reason for everything.)

However course compatibility was proving difficult and so he returned to Glasgow to complete BD in 1981 and a post graduate Certificate in Ministry in 1982.

During this time he won the Downhill Preaching prize and served as Student Assistant at Govan Old Parish Church for three years and then Linthouse St Kenneth’s for two years.

He also completed a full graduating course in Drama during this time.  As an aside he sang in the famous Trinity College Choir.  Of interest, during this time, he co-edited the Presbytery of Glasgow’s newspaper The Bush whilst still a student.

After completing his studies at the University of Glasgow he was licensed and served as Assistant Minister at Knightswood St Margaret’s Church in Glasgow from 1982 to 1983 and then as an ordained assistant again at Knightswood St Margaret from 1983 - 84.

He then applied for a commission in the Royal Army Chaplains Department and consequently served from May 1984 to November 1989 as a regular Army Chaplain, having been commissioned and completing his training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. During this period he served in Northern Ireland with the 1^st Bn The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 1^st Bn Scots Guards and the 3^rd Bn the Parachute Regiment. He also served with the Argylls in the Falkland Islands and Canada. 

From 1989 until 1996 he was a parish minister at Fern, Careston, Menmuir linked with Oathlaw, Tannadice in the Presbytery of Angus. He continued to serve with the Territorial Army as a Chaplain from 1991 to 1996 being attached to the 7^th/8^th Bn The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 3/51 Highland and 1/51 Highland.

He also served the wider Church as a member of World Mission and Unity; Admission and re-admission of Ministers and Recruitment and selection of Ministers as well as on several Presbytery Committees.

From 1995-1996 he was a Member of the Children’s Panel for Tayside, serving later as one of its Chairmen.

In 1996 he was commissioned as a Chaplain in the Royal Air Force and after completing training at the RAF College Cranwell was posted to RAF Coningsby, (fast jet interceptors). During this time he served a detached tour as the Chaplain at Mount Pleasant Airfield in the Falkland Islands. 1997 - 2000 saw him posted as the Church of Scotland and Free Churches Chaplain at RAF Bruggen (Bomber squadrons) in Germany. Whilst there, he was detached as the Chaplain to British personnel at the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Fox.  He was also awarded the Chief Scout’s commendation for his work with the movement whilst in Germany.

In July 2000 he returned to the UK and was posted to RAF Halton in Buckinghamshire as the Church of Scotland and Free Churches Chaplain. Much of his time at RAF Halton was involved in initial recruit training teaching the Beliefs and Values programme. However he took great delight in running the camp’s Cinema, choosing and splicing together films of the moment.

In 2002/3 he served as the Church of Scotland and Free Churches Chaplain at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus before returning to RAF Uxbridge in London. During his time at RAF Uxbridge he was responsible for St George’s RAF Battle of Britain Chapel of Remembrance Biggin Hill, and was also (unusually for a Chaplain) President of the Mess Committee (PMC). In 2005 he was detached to Iraq and served within the Headquarters of the United Kingdom National Support Element at Shibah Logistics Base Basrah and the British Support Unit Baghdad. He was also appointed Clerk to the Presbytery of England during 2005, the first Military Chaplain to hold this role.

In February 2006 he took up the appointment of Chaplain to the UK Oil and Gas Industry. He spent a lot of time offshore in the North Sea, southern North Sea, and Morecambe Bay and Liverpool Bay. He provided Chaplaincy support following the Morecambe Bay Helicopter crash in December 2006 and conducted the Memorial Service in Lancaster Priory.

In 2008 he conducted the Services marking the 20^th anniversary of the Piper Alpha Disaster.  In 2009 he again provided Chaplaincy support and conducted the Memorial Service following the deaths of 17 men 1^st April in the 85N helicopter crash and in the Wellservicer.  He has also provided pastoral support and spiritual care following many other offshore and onshore tragedies.

In June 2010 he was honoured to be appointed MBE, attending his investiture on 13 July at Holyrood Palace