Thomas Nangle

Thomas Matthew Mary Nangle (September 5, 1889 – January 4, 1972) (known to family and friends as "Tim") was a Newfoundland cleric and diplomat. He served as the military chaplain of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment during World War I. In his later life, he moved to Southern Rhodesia, where he became a farmer and was briefly elected to their Legislative Assembly.

Early life Nangle was born in St. John's, Newfoundland, the son of a tailor. He was educated at St. Bonaventure College before attending All Hallows College seminary in Dublin and St. Patrick's, Carlow College in Ireland.

Nangle was ordained in the Roman Catholic priesthood in 1913 at the Basilica of St. John the Baptist in St. John's. When the Great War broke out, he enlisted in the Newfoundland Regiment in 1915. He became the regiment's padre and eventually gained the rank of lieutenant-colonel. While on furlough in 1917, he returned to St. John's, Newfoundland to deliver popular lectures about the experiences of the troops and calling for new recruits to join the war effort.

Public service career Following the war, Nangle was appointed by the Dominion of Newfoundland's government as the Director of War Graves, Registration, Enquiries and Memorials.

In Rhodesia, Nangle became a farmer and married a local woman. He became politically active and helped establish the Reform Party, which formed the government in the 1933 election under Godfrey Huggins. Nangle was elected that year to the Southern Rhodesian Legislative Assembly as the Reform Member of Parliament (MP) for Salisbury District. When the party split on ideological lines, Nangle was challenged by Huggins in his district, and he was defeated in the subsequent 1934 election.