Reverend Brian Hession (12 August 1909 – 5 October 1961) was an English Anglican priest and military chaplain. He was the vicar of Holy Trinity Walton, Aylesbury from 1937 to 1949, and served as the military chaplain at RAF Halton from 1935 to 1937.
Early life and education
Hession was born in Hendon, Middlesex, England in August 1909 to Colin and Ida Hession. His brother was Roy Hession, a well-known evangelical preacher who in 1950 authored the religious book The Calvary Road. Brian's father served in the armed forces during World War I, and after returning home in 1919, was diagnosed with general paralysis of the insane, which is now commonly referred to as neurosyphilis. Colin passed away in 1921 of the ailment at Napsbury Hospital, which was used as a military and mental health asylum at the time.
In 1927, Hession was accepted to Christ's College, Cambridge, where he earned a degree in theology, and also studied film. He continued his religious studies thereafter at Trinity College, Bristol and was ordained as a priest in 1931. He served as a curate at St. Margaret's, Lee in Blackheath between 1931 and 1935, an as the military chaplain for RAF Halton from 1935-1937.
Ordained ministry
In May 1937, Hession was appointed vicar of Holy Trinity church, Walton, in the parish of Aylesbury, approximately fifty miles north-west of London. In his first sermon, Hession introduced early multi-media programming, showing films and film slides to the congregation. He also served as the Mayor's Chaplain in Aylesbury during this period.
Dawn Trust Films
During his tenure as vicar of Holy Trinity Walton, Hession created Dawn Trust Films, a film production and distribution company that aimed to bring religious themes to the mainstream film industry. His efforts were met with some resistance from the Church, which was struggling with the role that film should play in the message of the Church. In 1938, Hession obtained the rights to the 1912 classic Sidney Olcott film, From the Manger to the Cross and transformed it into a "talkie" film. Several members of the Church hierarchy were not impressed with Hession's film and attempted to have it censored from theatres and churches. Nevertheless, Hession persisted and in March 1938, Queen Mary agreed to view the film at a special showing at Fulham Palace. Queen Mary reportedly enjoyed the film and gave positive feedback to both Hession and the film's star actor, R. Henderson-Bland.
Resignation from vicar role
In 1949, Hession resigned his post as vicar of Holy Trinity because he was suffering poor health, which he was told at the time was the result of great stress that purportedly caused him to suffer painful duodenal ulcers. After his resignation, Hession relocated to Poole Harbour, England and focussed exclusively on his Dawn Trust Films movement, as well as occasionally preaching at local churches. He also traveled to the United States and Continental Europe, showing films and preaching to a growing audience.
Cancer diagnosis
In July 1954, on a plane trip between Los Angeles and Marvin, Texas for a preaching engagement, Hession fell badly ill and was overcome with pain. He was rushed to a Los Angeles hospital and the doctors quickly diagnosed him with advanced colon cancer, which had likely existed for several years but had been mis-diagnosed as duodenal ulcers. Hession was told he had "three days to live." He was told to get his affairs in order and to come to terms with his imminent death.
Hession refused to accept this diagnosis, and immediately began calling surgeons. One surgeon, Dr. John Howard Payne, agreed to conduct the risky surgery, freely disclosing to Hession that the surgery would either be a success or he would be unlikely to survive the operation. Hession understood and agreed to the risk. The surgery required over eight hours in the operating room and the cancer was far more severe than anticipated. Nevertheless, the surgery was a success and Hession began the long process of recovery.
He did not let the disease slow him for very long, and Hession soon found a new calling: advocacy for cancer patients facing the stigma of a disease that was still rarely discussed, often referred to as simply "the C word."