Claude Kidwell was born in Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape Province on the 10th February 1932. He was the youngest of six children born to Aubrey and Nora Kidwell.
He grew up on a farm, 13 miles from Grahamstown, attended Primary School in the Village of Salem and then went to Graeme College in Grahamstown.
After High School he moved to Port Elizabeth where he worked, firstly for a wool broker and then for a wool exporter.
Whilst working in Port Elizabeth He was very active in Christian Music and it was at a Youth for Christ Rally that he met Helen Smuts and married her on the 1st August 1953.
They moved to Northern Rhodesia in 1955, became very involved in youth and music ministries, firstly in Ndola, then Salisbury, then Lusaka and returned to South Africa in 1965. He later became a Baptist Minister in Edenvale.
In 1989 Claude was invited by the Fire Chief of Johannesburg to be their first Chaplain. This later led to the formation of a Chaplain's Ministry, firstly to Fire Fighters and then later to all Emergency Disciplines.
Claude being a founder member of the Chaplaincy, has served the Ministry for 17 years and is today recognized as the Senior Chaplain of a National Ministry that has grown from an original 4 to over 400.
Claude resigned as Confidential Consultant to the ESC(SA) on the 16th of August 2008, and was appointed as honorary member of the Executive.
