'The one request of all ranks'

Various accounts of religious awakenings in Second World War POW camps have suggested the importance of the Bible and its message of transcendent hope for Australians amid some of the most horrific circumstances created by war. Such accounts have also hinted at the role of service chaplains (or ''padres'', as they are affectionately known by those in the armed forces), whose spiritual leadership in the POW camps and in every theatre of war has made them key channels for getting the Bible and its message into the hands and hearts of Australian servicemen and women. This role, and the many ways in which Christian chaplains have utilised the Bible as a source of hope for those they have served in times of war, is the focus of this chapter.