Claude Bartle (1944-1958)
The Reverend Claude Anderson Bartle (1902-1979), arrived with his wife Gertrude, to become the fifth Vicar of Christ Church in September 1944.
He was the first Vicar of Christ Church to be nominated by the Church Pastoral Aid Society (CPAS) after it had secured the patronage of the parish in 1941.
A shy and unassuming man, Bartle nonetheless made a very large impact upon Christ Church, partly through his very keen interest in the work with children and young people, and also through the vivid appeal of his preaching.
The resignation of Claude Bartle
Claude Bartle departed from Christ Church in June 1958. A cutting from the Surrey Comet shows him at a farewell presentation with Mrs Bartle and the Churchwardens who had served throughout his time, David Burton and Reg Ellis.
At his departure, Mr Bartle admitted to the fear that he had had when he first became Vicar of Christ Church, New Malden. He also paid warm tribute to his wife and the crucial role of her encouragement, love and sympathy in sustaining his ministry. Others spoke of the impact of Mr Bartle’s preaching and his tremendous enthusiasm for the children of Christ Church School: ‘When they attend a service in the church, the Vicar speaks to them in a language they all understand. He makes them believe that it is their service and they look upon him as their Vicar, even though they might not belong to the church’.
Claude Bartle went on from New Malden to be the Vicar of St Mary’s, Frinton-on-Sea in Essex where he remained until retiring in 1973. His second son, David Bartle, also became a clergyman.
Claude Bartle returned to preach at Christ Church on 15th July 1979 and died later that year on 9th October, at the age of 77. Mrs Bartle, who continued to receive the magazine of Christ Church, New Malden throughout her life, died on 11th February 1986, at the age of 88.
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Willoughby Habershon | Building CCNM 1944-58 | Llewellyn Roberts |  |
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