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Stole worn by the Reverend Aled Huw Thomas while serving as an Army Chaplain with the Black Watch in Iraq (2004) and Oman (2001). Issued by the Royal Army Chaplains' Department. The Rev. Thomas was an Army Chaplain for 22 years and served tours of duty in Bosnia (1994), Northern Ireland (1996/1998) and Iraq (2004).

The stole is constructed from two sections of fabric, joined together at the neck. Tabby woven cellulosic (?) fabric with waterproof coating on the reverse; printed in four colours: green, brown, black and khaki. Edges finished with double turnback, machine stitched with light green thread. Black cross machine-embroidered on both ends. Stole is very slightly shaped to curve and narrow around the neck.

''It’s part of the tradition of the British Army that on the eve of battle, there is a service held. Though none of the Army services today are compulsory, in my experience, very few people actually opted out. They’re basically very simple affairs, with a table, a field communion kit and soldiers gathered round in a semi-circle. The chaplain prays for the enemy, he prays for his own soldiers, he prays for the government who ultimately sent him, together with his soldiers, to war. He prays for the soldiers’ families at home. So it’s a way of going through a ritual that people find helpful at that time.'' Source: oral history interview with Aled Huw Thomas conducted by Elen Phillips (2016).