The Church of England National Emergency Fund, known as CENEF, was a volunteer organisation within the Anglican Diocese of Sydney, Australia.

Less than three weeks after Australia declared war on 3/9/39, Archbishop Howard Mowll was already announcing that the Diocesan Standing Committee had agreed to raise funds for 'refreshments and reading rooms' in camps, but also in the Cathedral grounds.Trove. (2025). Anglicans And The War - Daily News (Sydney, NSW : 1938 - 1940) - 23 Sep 1939. [online] Available at: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/236330394?searchTerm=mowll [Accessed 14 Apr. 2025]. ‌ By the end of October the Cathedral shed was operational,Trove. (2025). SOLDIERS’ SHELTER - AN APPRECIATION. - Daily Examiner (Grafton, NSW : 1915 - 1954) - 27 Oct 1939. [online] Available at: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/191663569?searchTerm=mowll [Accessed 14 Apr. 2025]. ‌ and the performance of this task was put under the Church of England National Emergency Fund. At the same time his wife, Dorothy Mowll, started the Sydney Diocesan Churchwomen's Association (SDCA) to act as an auxiliary to CENEF - to supply volunteers, raise funds and make ‘comforts’.(Sydney Morning Herald 25/10/41 p9) Mrs Mowll was president of both. Sydney Morning Herald 14/8/42 p3, 24/10/42 p5 and 14/7/43 p5

Within the first month of war being declared, Archbishop Mowll had set out the principles of CENEF: 'a special fund to provide, among other things, the stipends of military chaplains appointed for camp work and the cost of erecting and maintaining Church of England halls, refreshment and reading rooms at the larger camps, and one within the Cathedral grounds'.

This story from Manly illustrates the problem. When the congregation came out from the Christmas Day service they found soldiers shaving using the garden taps. They’d received leave, but lived too far from Sydney to go home, and couldn't find accommodation.

Once the problem was recognised multiple groups got involved. By Christmas 1943 there was a total of over 2,000 hostel beds available in Sydney.Sydney Morning Herald 18/12/43 page 11

Recreation Huts and Mobile Canteens

The following huts developed around Sydney. They were built for recreation, but usually a Chaplain was available.

1. St Andrews Cathedral. The first hut at St Andrews was opened in 1940 Sydney Morning Herald 2/2/40 p8 The initial hut had a ‘small library, newspapers and periodicals and stationary’ Sydney Morning Herald 29/11/39 p14

2. King's Cross Woolworth's building. Woolworths offered CENEF the use of their Darlinghurst store. It opened as a CENEF recreation area December 1942.Sydney Morning Herald 11/6/42 p3Sydney Morning Herald 12/6/42 page 3 It had a billiards table,Sydney Morning Herald 14/8/42 p 3 lounge, reading and writing room, radio and piano Sydney Morning Herald 23/5/42 p5

3. St Peter's Church Hall, Watson's Bay in June 1943,Sydney Morning Herald 30/6/44 p 5 and was sited near the naval base

Armed Services Chaplains, Huts and ‘Comforts’

Large army and air force bases were set up around Sydney during the war and CENEF put recreation huts at Ingleburn, Wallgrove (now in Blacktown) and Liverpool, then Richmond followed by Narellan Loane, M. L. (1960). Archbishop Mowll: The Biography of Howard West Kilvinton Mowll, Archbishop of Sydney and Primate of Australia. United Kingdom: Hodder and Stoughton. p 160 and finally Sydney Showground Sydney Morning Herald 20/7/43 p7 These huts were called Cenef Huts and ‘no soldier has to be told what those letters stand for.’.The Bulletin 5/6/40 p32

At first Chaplains who were stationed at the barracks could ‘live in these Church huts and use them as centres for social relaxation and as Chapels for voluntary worship. When it became impossible for a Chaplain to be allocated to huts, CENEF procured the appointment of welfare officers.’Loane, M. L. (1960). Archbishop Mowll: The Biography of Howard West Kilvinton Mowll, Archbishop of Sydney and Primate of Australia. United Kingdom: Hodder and Stoughton. p 152

For each of these huts SDCA volunteers made 'comforts' for the Chaplains to distribute. Comforts included things like socks, pyjamas, vests, scarves, balaclava caps, shirts.Sydney Morning Herald 10/10/40 p16 They also provided forty pounds annually to each chaplain Judd, Stephen Edwin Ireton. & Cable, K. J. & Anglican Information Office (Sydney, N.S.W.). (1987). Sydney Anglicans : a history of the Diocese. Sydney : Anglican Information Office p242 to distribute as needed. They also would include special requests for things like large teapots.The Bulletin 5/6/40 p32 Comforts ran as far as cigarettes on Christmas Day Sydney Morning Herald 26/12/44 p4

The comforts were kept in store at St Andrews and “Mondays and tuesdays are the days on which the chaplains descend on the stores, gather up cases of comforts and depart with cars laden.” The Bulletin 5/6/40 p32

They also provided for two recreation huts outside of Sydney. One in Darwin, and one in Port MoresbySydney Morning Herald 2/9/42 p5

Mobile Canteens

CENEF ran two mobile canteens. The first, in Sydney Sydney Morning Herald 27/4/42 p3Sydney Morning Herald 5/2/44 p 5 initially delivered to National Emergency Services sites at Balmain, Leichhardt and other districts. It was also part of a plan for a national emergency - in which contingency all Church of England halls would be called into service.Sydney Morning Herald 27/4/42 p3 The Sydney mobile canteen had an oven capacity of 200-300 pies, and a large stock of food and urns for hot drinks.Sydney Morning Herald 1/4/42 p 5 The second mobile canteen served the South Coast Sydney Morning Herald 5/2/44 p 5Sydney Morning Herald 27/5/42 p5

Hostels

1. St Andrew's huts. Eventually there were four huts and a chapter house hostel at the cathedral. The first was the initial recreation hut, then one for enlisted men, opened in August 1941,Sydney Morning Herald 29/9/41 p6 then for officers, and finally for junior officers. Provision was made for servicewomen by opening up 25 beds and ‘a club’ in Lower Chapter House.Sydney Morning Herald 2/9/42 p5Sydney Morning Herald 27/5/42 p5 These huts spread around three sides of the cathedral and were the most visible part of CENEF work.

2. St John's Milson's Point, for officers.Sydney Morning Herald 3/8/44 p 6 St John's was also known as St John the Baptist before becoming Church by the Bridge or 'The Bridge Church'

3. St Johns Church Glebe Point Sydney Morning Herald 3/8/44 p 6

4. St Paul's Church Redfern - now known as Cathedral of the Annunciation of Our Lady. They had 50 beds, 20 volunteers and were open on friday and saturday nights. The cost was 1/- and came with morning tea.Sydney Morning Herald 18/10/43 p3 By February 1944 they had slept 1,500 men in prev 12 months.Sydney Morning Herald 5/2/44 p5

5. St Philip's Church, Sydney, known as St Philip's Church Hill, in their hall for women officers Sydney Morning Herald 3/8/44 p6

6. St James' Church, Sydney King StSydney Morning Herald 18/12/43 p 11

Honorary mention - as it is not one of the six. St Matthews Manly. This was probably the first Church of England hostel accommodation in Sydney during the war. It was started independently by St Matthews, but linked in to the CENEF supply chain.Sydney Morning Herald 12/7/40 p3

Volunteers

The bulk of the work of CENEF was done by volunteers from the Sydney Diocesan Churchwomen's Association. At the fourth annual meeting of the SDCA Lady Wakehurst congratulated the 1,700 volunteers who had taken part in activities.Sydney Morning Herald 5/2/44 p 5 This number did not include those who made comforts and fundraised. The flagpole memorial (image) in front of the Cathedral numbers them at only 900. The difference in numbers is that the Cathedral CENEF memorial commemorates only the St Andrews huts, not all of the work of CENEF.

Apart from the SDCA other groups volunteered to help in the CENEF work. The Country Women's Association, the Canadian Women's Association and ‘all’ the Church of England women's organisations are listed in the SMH on.Sydney Morning Herald 2/2/40 p8 And the Girls Friendly Society.Sydney Morning Herald 20/2/40 p 4

The volunteers seem to have worked in groups such as ‘the monday group’’.Sydney Morning Herald 26/4/44 p 4 The monday group at the CENEF St Andrew’s site organised a dance at the Coronet.Sydney Morning Herald 25/7/40 p 20

Volunteering at a site would have been busy. The St Andrew’s canteen used 300 lb of sausages, 90 dozen eggs - as well as joints, cold meats and sweets of all kinds.Nepean Times 11/12/41 p 3

The only site with difficulty getting volunteers was Kings Cross ,Sydney Morning Herald 12/6/45 p 6 because of a fear of ‘bad people’. This was such a problem that they advertised for ‘Woman, over 45, for kitchen work and general cleaning, full-time, congenial position. C.E.N.E.F. Canteen Woolworths Buildings, Kings Cross’Sydney Morning Herald 10/1/45 p 15

Fundraising

There was a constant need for fundraising, and apart from church offerings, some of the fundraising methods were:

1. Annual button day. Hundreds of volunteer sellers sold buttons for 2/-, 1/- and 6d, 'with a few higher-priced ones' Sydney Morning Herald 24/11/44 p 3

2. Plays. Including T.S. Eliot's 'Murder in the Cathedral', put on in the Town Hall Sydney Morning Herald 4/12/43 p2

3. A Fish evening - where entry was by a tin of salmon, and 131 were collected.Sydney Morning Herald 2/5/40 p18

4. church market days.Sydney Morning Herald 6/6/40 p17

5. St John's Concord collected money on Parramatta Road on Friday nights. The 70 members of the group used the money to make comforts.Sydney Morning Herald 10/10/40 p 16

6. Jumble sale.Sydney Morning Herald 12/9/40 p 22

7. Beer, sausage and dance night held by the Country Women's AssociationSydney Morning Herald 12/9/40 p 22

Archbishop and Mrs Mowll

In their book “Sydney Anglicans”Judd, Stephen Edwin Ireton. & Cable, K. J. & Anglican Information Office (Sydney, N.S.W.). (1987). Sydney Anglicans : a history of the Diocese. Sydney : Anglican Information Office Stephen Judd and Kenneth Cable note that Archbishop Mowll was a ‘high profile, high energy leader’ with two special interests; the Home Mission Society and Moore Theological College. However, as busy as he was with those interests he and his wife Dorothy were constantly involved in encouraging fundraising in the SDCA and CENEF. Every hut had anniversary occasions, and multiple fundraising events at which one or both often attended.

An example is this, from the Sydney Morning Herald:

Sydney Morning Herald 20/9/44 p5

Similarly, Marcus Loane records, in his biography of Archbishop Mowll;

Loane, M. L. (1960). Archbishop Mowll: The Biography of Howard West Kilvinton Mowll, Archbishop of Sydney and Primate of Australia. United Kingdom: Hodder and Stoughton. p 156

High Profile Supporters

The Governor Lord Wakehurst opened the first hut in front of St Andrew's Cathedral Sydney Morning Herald 2/2/40 p2

Governor-General Lord Gowrie opened the fourth hut at St Andrew's Cathedral - the junior officers’ hut,Sydney Morning Herald 2/11/43 p 3 and the Showground hut.Sydney Morning Herald 20/7/43 p 7

Rear-Admiral H J Feakes opened the canteen and recreation centre in St Peter's parish hall, Watson's Bay.Sydney Morning Herald 14/7/43 p 5

Lady Wakehurst opened the club and hostel for women on the lower floor of St Andrew's Chapter House,Sydney Morning Herald 2/9/42 p 5 on the same day her husband opened an extension of the servicemen's hostel. She was also guest of honour at the first birthday of the King's Cross canteen.Sydney Morning Herald 25/6/43 p 3

Woolworths offered the use of the Woolworths Darlinghurst building for a CENEF canteen.Sydney Morning Herald 23/5/42 p 5

The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester opened the CENEF Memorial Building at 201 Castlereagh.Sydney Morning Herald St 25/10/46 p 2