Unfolding Destiny

Became a Bahá’í in Ceylon in 1944 where he was an officer in the Royal Air Force. Returning to Britain in 1946, he pioneered in Nottingham, Newcastle, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Leeds; was a member of the National Spiritual Assembly from 1947 until January 1955 when he pioneered to British Guiana, now Guyana. He was for a time part-time manager of the Bahá’í Publishing Trust and Editor of the Bahá’í Journal. After his return from Guiana, he settled with his family in Northern Ireland in 1963 and again served on the National Assembly until 1968 when he was appointed an Auxiliary Board Member. His valuable contributions to Bahá’í literature include the compilations with which he was associated—“Pattern of Bahá’í Life”, “Principles of Bahá’í Administration”, “The Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh”, “Guidance for Today and Tomorrow”, “A Faith for Everyman”, and his unique approach to the Christians, “The Christianity of Jesus”. He passed away on 4 October 1972 at the age of 58 when the Universal House of Justice included in their cable: “GRIEF PASSING EARLY AGE RICHARD BACKWELL GREATLY ASSUAGED TERMINATION HIS SUFFERING CONTEMPLATION DISTINGUISHED RECORD SERVICE SOUTH AMERICA BRITISH ISLES SPIRITUAL RADIANCE EVENING EARTHLY LIFE…” (“Bahá’í World”, Vol. XV, pp. 525–27.)