1915 WORLD WAR I CHAPLAIN. Inter-Leaved New Testament Used by War Hero Chaplain During the War.

A fascinating inter-leaved New Testament with somewhere north of a 1,000 textual notes, some expansive, ranging throughout the entire New Testament. The Bible belonged to, and the notes are in the hand of, highly decorated Chaplain, Rev. John Reay. Because of Reay's timeline, it seems likely that the Bible was with him in France during his service during World War I. 

The Bible itself was bound without a title page, probably lost in France before rebinding. And the notes show wear with some losses as seen in images. It was then re-bound in half leather at probably around the time he became Rector at Bingham after the war. 

The most likely scenario is that he had begun or even completed most of the notes before the war, taken the Bible with him to use for preaching [many of the notes contain outline forms that would be easily used for teaching and preaching], and that the Bible was badly worn during the War. It was then brought home and rebound by Reay. 

Reay himself was a man for the time. He served with distinction in France, specifically assigned to the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, and appears to have been present with them for almost the duration of the War [1915-1918]. His manuscript notes reveal him to be a person of scholarly attention and evangelical zeal. Like Oswald Chambers and so many others, Reay was in his element.

Not only an able preacher, pastor, and scholar, he was deeply devoted to the men, later being decorated with the Military Cross for rushing in unbidden and under enemy fire to rescue wounded soldiers from 'No Man's Land.' 

After the war, he became Rector of Bingham, Nottingham, where he served nearly until his death in 1955.