Elsie Chamberlain was a leading figure in British broadcasting and religious life. She was a pioneer in many areas: the first woman chaplain to the armed forces; the first nonconformist minister to marry an Anglican clergyman; the first woman producer in the religious broadcasting department of the BBC, and the first woman to present the daily service on the radio. Her broadcasting accustomed many listeners to the idea of a woman leading public worship. And she became the first woman to occupy the chair of the Congregational Union of England and Wales and almost certainly the first woman anywhere in the world to head a major denomination. Elsie Chamberlain is the first full biography and a critical appreciation of this exceptional woman. Using original church and BBC archive sources, the book tells the story of a woman who did more than any other to change the way Christian women ministers are viewed.

"An impressively full life of an ebullient character. The book is scholarly and yet eminently readable.'"

Source: Church Times

"To be reminded of the leap that has been made, in a comparatively short space of time - historically speaking - in the recognition of the vital and essential place of women at the heart of the Church's life, is a welcome revelation.'"

Source: Methodist Recorder

"In so short a space I cannot do justice to the scholarship that has gone into this biography, drawing from a wealth of primary material in a way that keeps the story of a life a real page turner. Forget period drama on the television - this is the real thing.'"

Source: Journal of the Islington Archaeology & History Society