6th Edgware Scout Group

 

An Historical account compiled by Peter L Jones

(President of 1st/6th Edgware Scout Group)

 

Contents

 

The Early Days

The official start date for the 6th Edgware Scout Group was 16th October 1933 as recorded on the registration form containing the Boy Scouts Association stamp. The name was recorded as ‘6th Edgware (South Whitchurch)’ and the address as Church Hall, Dale Avenue, Edgware. Numbers of boys are quoted as Wolf Cubs 8 & Scouts 8. The Scouts had ‘Eric Arthur Farthing’ as Scoutmaster and ‘A.E.Cook’ as Assistant. ‘Michael Lemmon’ was quoted as Cubmaster. In responding to the question ‘Is the group “open” or “controlled”’ the answer was ‘Controlled’ and the details show Controlling Authority to be the ‘South Whitchurch Parish Church’. It is interesting to note that there is no mention of Queensbury at all. Prior to the 1930’s the local area did not have a place name and was shown on maps as a collection of fields with hardly a building anywhere.

Development of Edgware, Burnt Oak, Kingsbury & Queensbury was brought about by the arrival of the London Underground railways. The Northern Line through Burnt Oak to Edgware started the building of many three-bedroom semi-detached houses in Edgware from 1924. Similarly, the Metropolitan Railway Company’s 1930 plan to extend the over ground ‘Underground’ from Wembley Park to Stanmore was the trigger for the building of a vast number of properties within walking distance of the stations of Kingsbury, Canons Park, Stanmore and subsequently Queensbury. The whole area became known as ‘Metroland’.

Prior to 1920 Camrose Avenue did not exist (even as a footpath) but Bacon Lane did. Turner Road and Beverley Drive also did not exist. In between those three modern roads there were just fields with a few farm buildings. Some of the fields formed the Stag Lane Airfield centred on the road which was named Mollison Way when it was built later. This whole area did not have a name – the name Queensbury did not evolve until the station was built and opened in December 1934.

In 1929 land for the line and an additional station was conveyed by All Souls College who favoured the name ‘Kingsbury Downs’ and on a map in ‘Stanmore’s New Railway’ shows the proposed site as being on the north side of Camrose Avenue.  It was later decided to build the station at the end of Beverley Drive (with a site left for a church building alongside). The eventual name of Queensbury was due to a competition where it had been proposed as the one after Kingsbury.

In August 1931 the London Diocesan Fund (LDF) bought a piece of land on the corner of two new roads, Dale Avenue and Roch Avenue. This was purchased to enable the erection of a combined church and hall to serve the new residents of the anticipated houses being built on the surrounding fields. The closest Anglican churches were Holy Innocents in Roe Green Kingsbury, St Margaret’s in Station Road Edgware & St. Lawrence’s in Whitchurch Lane (within an area known as Little Stanmore or sometimes Whitchurch). The Church authorities decided that the new church would be designated ‘The Parish Church of South Whitchurch’.

 

The first scout meeting took place in the church hall during September 1933 and, as noted earlier, registered formally on 16th October 1933 with the title of ‘6th Edgware (South Whitchurch)’.  Apart from the Leaders quoted previously it has been reported as “thriving in good hands of the Rector and Major Pells.”  The Priest in charge of the new parish (i.e. the Rector) between 1933 and 1936 was Rev. Frank Eagles. A title change took place in June 1937 when the Group changed from ‘6th Edgware (South Whitchurch)’ to ‘6th Edgware (1st Queensbury, All Saints)’.  The registration form was signed by Rev. L.G. Dennis as Acting Group Scoutmaster. This shows that the name of Queensbury for the area had become firmly established by this time.

The pace of building residential properties and the growth of Scouting in the area can be seen from a sample set of registration dates of some Edgware Scout Groups: –

 

1st Edgware November 1908
2nd Edgware 1929
4th Edgware 1932
5th Edgware 1933
6th Edgware October 1933
11th Edgware November 1938
12th Edgware August 1941
13th Edgware October 1942
15th Edgware March 1947

 

When the 6th Edgware Scout Group was formed it became part of the Edgware and District Boy Scouts Association. This organisation had been started in 1930 following a trial run for a year as the Northern sub-district of the Harrow District Association. Initially the sub-district comprised 1st Edgware, 1st Brockley Hill (for inpatients at Orthopaedic Hospital), 1st Harrow Weald & 1st Stanmore. Almost immediately the 2nd Edgware was started and joined the sub-district. Dr Kim Durward was appointed as District Scoutmaster and subsequently as District Commissioner on the title change to Edgware & District Boy Scouts Association in 1930. In fact, the very first meeting of the 6th Edgware Troop was attended by Dr Durward (District Commissioner) and by John Thurman (Assistant D.C who was also 1st Edgware Group Scoutmaster and later became Camp Chief at Gilwell Park).

 

Before WW2 started in September 1939 a significant expansion of the group took place: a second cub pack and scout troop were started. They met at the wooden church hall in Waltham Drive. This was in the area which would house the Church of All Saints Queensbury after the war. Not surprisingly they became known as the Waltham pack & troop whilst the existing sections became the Dale pack & troop. Some of the boys and leaders were transferred to get the Waltham sections started. This probably occurred in 1938 after the hut had been erected to replace a marquee as a temporary place of worship.

Robin Pope joined the Dale troop in 1937 (he became Scoutmaster eleven years later). He recalls the Rev. Dennis was acting GSM and tested Robin for his Tenderfoot Badge just before the 1937 summer camp. Also, in the troop at that time was Jack Manley (Manly). His brother Bert later became Scoutmaster in 1946. George Low was probably a Troop Senior Patrol Leader in 1937 and became ASM in 1940. Dave Cook is believed to have been one of the leaders of the Waltham Troop before the war started, also Jack Manley mentioned earlier. For the Dale Troop, Edwin Young was the Scoutmaster when Robin Pope joined, and he remained in charge until he joined the RAF in late 1939 or 1940.

Unfortunately, very little is known about either of the packs during the years before 1940. We do know that the first Cubmaster was Michael Lemmon (in 1933). Whether he was still cubmaster in 1938 when the Waltham Pack was started and whether he was involved with that also are both unknown. Two people who may have been involved are Dave Cook & Charles Forman. Charles Forman became Waltham’s scoutmaster in 1941 and Dave Cook became Scoutmaster in 1945.

 

All Saints Church moved from its Dale/Roch Avenue site to the newly built Church in Waltham Drive in 1954. This was adjacent to the wooden hall and where the marquee had been erected previously. The Waltham Cub pack was still meeting at the wooden hut. After 1954 the building in Dale/Roch Avenue ceased to be a church but was kept as the church hall. The Dale sections still used this building.

Dorothy Chiles was Cub Leader from 1964-1974 and recalls that many coins were lost when they disappeared between the floorboards of the wooden hut. In 1972 the Waltham Cub Scout Pack moved to the Dale premises as the hut was demolished and a new hall built. A vicarage now stands on the site of the hut, some coins were found on demolition, but legal tender had changed by then.

Dorothy remembers hearing that during the early 1940’s there had been 4 Cub Packs (2 at Waltham & 2 Dale) and one troop at each site. Tim Pope confirms this and believes that each section had a separate leader. Unfortunately, a complete list of their names has not been established.

After the war the Group declined to 1 Cub Pack and 1 Scout Troop (both Dale) for the years 1947-1951. Waltham Pack was restarted in 1952/3. Waltham Troop was restarted in 1956.

 

Transition from Church Hall to Scout HQ

When the new all Saints’ Church in Waltham Drive opened in 1954 it did not include a new church hall onsite. The Dale Avenue building became the Church Hall only and the partition wall was eventually removed. The 6th Edgware (1st Queensbury, All Saints’) Scout Group continued to use the church hall.

The status quo continued until 1968 when the church (PCC) felt that it could no longer afford to run both church halls, the other being the wooden hut where the vicarage now stands. The Vicar Duncan McKenzie spoke to the Group Scout Leader, John Holland and this started the process of evaluating whether the Scout Group might wish to purchase the Dale/Roch Avenue site & building together with the important question of whether they could afford it. Separately the Vicar met with John Holland (GSL) and the district Commissioner (DC) jointly. It was soon apparent to all concerned that a great deal of fundraising would be necessary, so an early decision was taken to write to local firms asking for donations. Also, the DC was asked to approach the local authority (Harrow Council) about a possible grant.

A committee meeting in May 1968 received a report from the sub-committee stating that the building appeared to be structurally sound, including the roof. On the negative side the following points were noted:

  1. Two cracks in the walls must be investigated further: one in kitchen and the other in toilet.
  2. The whole building definitely required painting.
  3. Internal rot had been discovered which was not too bad except in the kitchen ceiling.

 

As far as the cost was concerned, the committee concluded that the remedial work was within the Group’s capabilities.

By September 1968 a letter had been received from the Church giving the proposed purchase price. £8,000 was the figure and would include fixtures and fittings; additionally, it was subject to establishing a satisfactory arrangement for sharing the driveway between the hall and the parsonage. At about the same date application forms for grants had been submitted to the Government Department for Education and Science (DfES) and also to Harrow Council. The former requesting £4,000 whilst the latter requested £2,000.

Six months passed by without a decisive response. The Church then wrote a letter to the Scout Group asking for an answer by 25th March 1969 to indicate whether the Group intended to purchase the Dale building. Clearly the Group could not give a binding commitment to an ‘intend to purchase’ decision without an assurance that substantial grant money would be forthcoming.

Thus, the DfES and Harrow Council were made aware of the need for a speedy decision on the application for grants. Two months later the Group Committee meeting was told that the DfES Inspector had informed John Holland, that deciding to give a grant required a certain number of boys aged 14-20 years old. The committee decided that it would be reasonable to include the boys club that met weekly at the premises and on boys District courses being held at the hall also when giving their response. At this time the Group Treasurer reported that the funds available for the purchase stood at £800.

It was not until July 1969 that the committee heard that two grants were being offered: £4100 from DfES & £1000 from Harrow Council with conditions attached:

  1. That users of the hall would include people aged between 14&20 years old.
  2. That no portion of the balance of the £8,000 would be raised by mortgage.
  3. That detail of expenditure on architects’ fees to be submitted for approval.
  4. That a financial plan should be prepared showing how the balance of the planned purchase plus the cost of maintenance would be raised within a reasonable period.

The GSL was confident that the above conditions could be met. Following committee discussions, it was agreed that the reasonable period in (4) above should be 2 years, during which time very determined fundraising would take place. Additionally, it was agreed to approach the Church to see if they would agree to the final £1000 being paid to them two years after the purchase.

The next significant step forward was announced at the May 1970 AGM. The Church had obtained planning permission from the council to build a new hall behind the church in Waltham Drive. The solicitors had been instructed to proceed with the paperwork required for the exchange of ownership for the Dale Avenue site. Nevertheless, it was another six months before the Group received a draft contract for approval. By April 1971 ‘exchange of contracts’ was imminent, and the group had paid the agreed deposit of £800. Finally, contracts were indeed exchanged and a ‘completion date’ fixed for 3rd June 1971. This required the Group to forward a cheque for £3,115 to add to the grants totalling £5,100. i.e. purchase price of £8000 plus various expenses. There was to be an additional cost of £5 for a ‘Deed of Trust’: this was because the Scout Association did not (and still do not) allow local Scout Groups to legally own any premises, therefore they are owned by the Scout Association in trust for the local Group. However, the ‘Completion Date’ slipped again and was actually accomplished in 15th June 1971. Perhaps confusingly the Land Registry ‘deeds’ show the transfer of ownership against the date of 20th July 1971, but it must be pointed out that it is normal practice on ‘deeds’ to quote the date on which the entry is recorded rather than the date when the event occurred.

Transfer of ownership carried with it the responsibility of managing the letting arrangements. Several ‘groups’ had been using the church hall; they wished to continue using it following the change. Groups include: Guide Association (Brownies/Guides), Playgroup, Boy’s Club, Drama Group. Letting always leads to extra costs e.g. for heating and lighting the hall, but it does provide income via rental and is a useful source of raising funds for maintenance and running costs of owning the premises. It was not long before a problem arose when the boy’s club closed on the 16thJanuary 1972 owing £15 rent money for 30 weeks. In the same month Mr Holland (GSL) advised the committee that the playgroup would continue to be a Church responsibility for 18 months, after that the Scout Group should expect to take over responsibility and run it to raise funds. The downside however was that their equipment would cost between £100 and £150 to purchase.

Following the transfer of ownership, a number of working party days were organised in order to carry out improvements and maintenance. Some of the dates were not supported by many helpers so after two years the committee decided to accept ‘an offer from a gentleman who was prepared to do painting and decorating for £1 an hour’. Eighteen months later the floor of the back hall was re-laid at a cost of £200+VAT. A further seven months passed by and then another £200 was needed to purchase the playgroup equipment (referred to earlier); the transfer of responsibility from the Church to the Scout Group had been delayed from the original estimate of eighteen months to almost four years. Mrs Hunt would be the supervisor and all the other staff would carry on. All these expenditures taken together illustrate the constant need to raise funds to keep the Scout Group functioning.

 

Subsequent Changes to Titles

John Holland (GSL) advised the group Committee at their June 1974 meeting that an application form requesting a change to the Group title had been forwarded to the Scout Association Headquarters. At the September committee meeting he reported that the change had been agreed. The Group title changed from 6th Edgware (1st Queensbury All Saints) to 6th Edgware. This change had been agreed in advance with All Saints Church as signified by the signature of the Vicar, Reverend Duncan MacKenzie as sponsors on the application form.

Early in 1985 some thought was given to the idea of having All Saints Church as the ‘Sponsoring authority’. Until 1971 when the Group bought the hall from the Church, the group had enjoyed the use of the hall at a low rent but as the Sponsor the Church had some say in the appointment of Group Leaders. They were also expected to attend some Church functions. After 1971 the Church became much less involved with the Scout Group. John Holland (GSL) together with the District Commissioner (Dave Caw) met with Reverend MacKenzie; the outcome was that although it’s official designation would still be a ‘Sponsored Group’ in practice it would be a ‘Sponsored Open Group’ which allowed a greater number of boys to be invested.

The Group continued in this fashion until 1993 when a meeting was arranged at District Level between the Group Scout Leader (Allan Arnold) and a representative of All Saints Church (the Vicar was now Rev John Luscombe). A written record of the meeting does not exist In the Group archive, but it seems likely that agreement was reached for the Group designation would be changed to ‘Unsponsored’.

Changing the names of Dale & Waltham Cub Packs were examples of other title changes. In 1985 Allan Arnold was Cub Scout Leader of Waltham Pack. He requested that the name ‘Eagles’ could be added to the title ‘Waltham Pack’. A few months later ‘The Eagles’ had become established as the Pack Title. In 1988 John Hoptroff, who was Cub Scout Leader of the Dale Pack, announced at the AGM that his pack title would be ‘Dale-Tigers’. Again, within a few months the title was shortened to ‘The Tigers’. They continued until June 1993 when they closed due to low numbers of Cubs.

 

Memorial Plaque and Flagpole

During the 1950’s a decision was made by the 6th Edgware Scout Group to have a memorial on which names could be recorded of members who had lost their lives. This involved discussions about the form which the memorial should take, it’s size, it’s location and the criteria governing the selection of the names to be included. Sadly, we have yet to find the criteria for the last point. Because the Scout Group at that time was a Sponsored group at that time discussions would have taken place with the Church.

A decision was reached to have a brass plaque which can be seen mounted on a built-up stone base: and a wooden flagpole. These were placed in the grounds of the Church in Waltham Drive. The names engraved on the plaque are: E.R. Chase, F. Foster, J.S. Manley, Major Pells DCM & EAC Young. Ron Chase was a Scout during the late 1940’s and subsequently went into the Merchant Navy. He was lost at sea in the Pacific Ocean. It follows therefore, that the criteria for the memorial was not, solely, loss of life during the Second World War. The name F. Foster has not emerged in the search for information for this historical account yet. Jack Manley was Assistant Scout Master with Dale Troop just before WW2, during the war he served in the Royal Navy in Submarines and lost his life 12th January 1950 when ‘HMS Truculent collided with ‘Divina’ which was carrying explosives in the Thames Estuary. His name is inscribed on a memorial at St. Georges Centre, Chatham. Major Pells was known as one of the Group founders with Reverend Eagles, but it is believed he was not a Scouter. Edwin Young was Scout Master of Dale Troop before WW”. He joined the RAF Voluntary Reserve 252 Squadron service no. 112723. He lost his life 1st August 1944 aged 27 while based at Gambut Airfield Libya. He is remembered also on Alamein Monument Col 279.

The wooden flag-pole which was erected alongside the memorial plaque survived until the great storm in 1987. A replacement flag-pole was discussed at the committee meeting in November and again at the December meeting. These meetings reached a conclusion that the Church & the Scout Group would each pay half the cost. Purchasing the new flag-pole was delayed subsequently by considerations regarding the material to use. Some people felt that a more durable material would be desirable whilst others thought that a lighter material would make it easier to erect the pole. Consequently, both resin and aluminium were considered but rejected on cost basis. Almost a year elapsed before a wooden pole was chosen and erected, ready for the Remembrance Service. Initially it was temporarily held upright using ropes lashed round the base due to size of the pole. It was fitted correctly later.

 

The Band

Like the ‘Boys Brigade’ movement, some Boy Scout Groups (particularly church Scout Groups) were encouraged to have a band. Very little is known about the original 6th Edgware Scout Band but certainly one existed in 1944. We are aware of its existence because Keith Tugwell has written about the band in his recollections of his time with the group starting as a Wolf Cub and ending as Group Scoutmaster (1961-1964):

‘After D Day in 1944 my family were reunited after being evacuated to South Wales. I joined the 6th Edgware as a 10-year-old cub. One of my earliest memories, I think it must have been a Sunday afternoon in 144, was Band Practice. We met at Dale Avenue, lined up outside the Church and Marched along Dale Avenue to Camrose Avenue, with drums and bugles playing. I did not play any instrument, but just marching with them was fine by me. I recall a Church Parade later in 1944 when we met outside Stag Lane School and marched up to the Church in Dale Avenue’. Keith believes that the band was started in 1942 and only lasted a few years.

It s assumed that the original mentioned Band Ceased to exist soon after the war ended because Keith does not recall it again as he progressed through Scouts and Senior Scouts. Nearly twenty years later while he was serving as Group Scoutmaster he wrote in his notes: ’I bought some band instruments from a colleague at work. He was the GSM of the 15th Willesden Air Scouts and they were closing down, he wanted £15 for them. I got a drum Major’s Mace, a bass drum with a leopard skin apron, two side drums and 3 b-flat cavalry trumpets. Peter Jackson (ASM) took on the training of the band which turned out to be very successful. On one occasion when I asked, I was told that at this moment (3pm on a Sunday afternoon) they were leading a Parade of Scouts along the Mall’.

Band practise sessions were always held separately from Scout evenings and soon the Band became popular and successful. Over the Christmas period in 1967 the boys passed the proficiency test to allow them to perform in public. One of their first outings was at the 1968 District Scout St. Georges Day Parade. Shortly after that event the Band entered the national Scout Band Championships at Huddersfield. The Group Committee Agreed to pay £23 to hire a coach to take everyone involved to the event, parents who went would pay £1 each for their seat. Everyone was pleased with the result: the fife and drum section was won by the 6th Edgware Scout Band.

At the March 1969 Group Committee Meeting Peter Jackson reported that he had purchased some new drums which he would loan to the Scout Band for Parades and Displays. A couple of months later at the AGM he presented his review of the past year. His list of varied engagements included: Studham, St Bernadetes, St John Ambulance, Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, escorting a parade of Catholic Scouts to Westminster Cathedral, Band Championships at Kneller Hall and playing at a Carnival at Lavenham in Suffolk. He concluded that it had been a busy year and that all the boys had worked hard.

The Group Committee met at the end of June 1969 and offered their congratulations to the band for retaining their trophy at the National Scout Band Championships. Nearly a year went by until the Group Scout Leader reported to the April 1970 Group Committee meeting that he was disappointed to notice that at the last Church Parade two new drums had been added to the compliment of the band without permission. Responding to this Peter Jackson said that he was offering to loan the two drums to the band. Shortly after this the 1970 AGM was held on 5th May, at which Mr Bert Blundy (ACSL), in the absence of Peter Jackson, informed the meeting that Mr Ralph Reader had been to see the band and as a result had been asked to perform at the Gang Show. Ralph Reader organised the London Gang Show for many years, staged at Golders Green Hippodrome. Bert Blundy had been the Mace Bearer of the band for a long while.

At The 19770 National Championships the 6th Edgware Scout Band retained 1st place in their section as they were the only competitors, but they got an impressive score of 327 out of a maximum of 400. This proved to be the peak of the Band, it declined swiftly due primarily to the shortage of eligible keen boys. Peter Jackson resigned as Band Master. Although the GSL John Holland received two offers of help he decided to leave the band in abeyance because several instruments needed repair or replacement. By The time of the AGM in June 1971 it was reported that the band would not be restarted due to the shortage of boys and instruments. The end of the Scout Band was followed by the starting up of the privately organised ‘Glen Trew Band’ which went on to become a popular local marching band.

At the 1987 AGM, Bert Blundy retired as Cub Scout Leader and presented the Group with the sash which he wore as Band Drum Major when the Band was successfully winning the National Championships eighteen years earlier.

 

Forties & Fifties

Memories by Keith Tugwell: of the 6th Edgware (1st Queensbury) Scout Group.

I joined the Wolf Cubs When I was eight years old I June 1942. Six months later my parents decided we should evacuate to South Wales due to aerial bombardment. After D Day in 1944 we returned home & I re-joined the pack. My ‘Akela’ was Mrs Gladys Chiles, during a Church Parade in 1944, I noticed that she was a little upset, with tears in her eyes but I didn’t understand why. With hindsight and many years later, I discovered that her husband Bert, who was a Tank Commander with the 8th Army, was having a tough time in Italy against Mussolini’s troops in the Monte Casino area.

 

1945-1949: Scouts. When I became a Scout, Dave Cook was the Scoutmaster (SM), we met in the Stag Lane School Hall for some reason. Later we moved back to Dale Hall, Charlie Foreman was the GSM. At some point Charlie left and Bill Schooling took over, Bill was also Sacristan at All Saints Church.

One of my friends, Jonny Simmonds who lived opposite me, was PL with me; he was in the ‘Otter’ Patrol I was with the ‘Panthers’. We started a troop newspaper, ‘The Panthotter News’. We had an open evening one Saturday, with all the parents invited. We made a headline in the local paper for the fact that we produced a special edition of the ‘Panthotter News’ with the classified football results on the back page.

 

1049-1952: Senior Scouts. Tony Alford was our Senior Scout Master (SSM). We spent some Saturdays doing Wide Games in Hertfordshire. One I recall started at Rickmansworth Station, where we were to meet a man at 10pm reading a copy of the ‘News of the World’. He gave us our instructions and a BOMB. Later while hanging across the mudguards and running-boards of Tony Alford’s car, we arrived at Phasels Wood Campsite. Here we were instructed to pull the tabs on the BOMB and plunge it into the water butt next to the Crew Hut. The BOMB contained carbide, a chemical which produced a foul-smelling gas. This permeated the Crew Hut, the sleeping Crew decanted in their pyjamas, coughing and spluttering including Tony Drake.

 

1952-1953: Rover Scouts. Our Rover Scout Leader was Bert Chiles (GSM)

 

1953-1957: Assistant Scout Master (ASM). The political situation in Germany was getting very difficult, the borders between East and West were closing and there were many refugees, IHQ decided to offer hospitality to some boys from East Germany for a month. On a Sunday morning we gathered at the rear of IHQ to meet them. Mrs McEwen took one scout, Bert and Gladys took a lad called Helmut and I took Dieter Barthel home. We formed an instant friendship which lasted many ears, Mum and Dad made him so welcome. During my time as ASM, I did my National Service and spent two years in the RAF at Lyneham in Wiltshire, I helped out as ASM to the 1st Lyneham.

 

1957-1961: Scoutmaster (SM). We had a couple of good camps at Bear Cross near Bournemouth. On both occasions it rained like hell. At the second camp the leaders one day decided to change places with the PL’s, so we exchanged our badges of rank and let the PL’s get on with it. My Badge went to Graham Daly ’Sludge’ the smallest of the PL’s.

Now what no-one could have known was that the local DC was to make his inspection of the camp. I met him in the Providore, he spotted my PL’s stripes and asked who I was. I informed him that I was a PL from the 6th Edgware, adding ‘Sir’ and saluting as I left, giving no further explanation. Back at camp I told the SM ‘Sludge’ of the impending inspection. Sludge’s panic went into overdrive, ‘What do I do?’ he asked. ‘You’re the SM, you can sort it.’ I replied.

He did, he grabbed a dish mop and met the DC and his wife at our camp gate, holding the dish mop in one hand and saluting with the other. At this point I thought I had better intervene, so Sludge took the DC’s wife on a tour of the camp pointing things out with the dish mop, while I talked to the DC. I received a great camp report; the DC reported that he had never come across a role reversal before at camp. He thought it was such a good idea that he would recommend it to the Scoutmasters in his district.

It was at this camp that we invented the ‘Bournemouth Belle’. We had taken an old-fashioned gas boiler, like Mum used to do all the washing in. Standing it on three bricks and filling it with water we were able to keep a fire under it. This provided us with all the hot water we needed. The most troublesome scout was charged with keeping the fire going and the water topped up, that kept him busy.

We were asked by the DC ‘Timber’ Wood to put on a gymnastic display at the District AGM in May 1959. It was based on a tour around London, the boys making a tableau of the places of interest. I received a letter of thanks from the DC for a job well done.

 

The Sixties

Regrettably the archive material left by the 6th Edgware Scout Group does not contain any minutes of meetings prior to 1968. Information has been obtained from the Scout Association archives providing leader’s names, dates Warrants were issued and some dates of cancellation. In addition, census returns were included in summary form showing which Sections of the Group functioned each year (from 1947 to1983). The latter indicated that Waltham Troop closed in 1959 or 1960; Bill Turpin had been Scoutmaster for 3 years prior to this date. The closure proved to be permanent. A big change introduced in 1967 was the altering of age ranges nationally. Senior Scouts (aged 15-17) were abolished; Scouts (11-15) were extended to 16. Venture Scouts were introduced (16-20) and Rover Crews (17-24ish) were abolished. This was completed in 1968. At the same time titles such as              Cub-master were changed to Cub Scout Leader. This was to show a more modern idea of Leader rather than Master within the Scout Association.

From the minutes of committee meetings (July and September 1968) the troop reported as having 37 boys. The troop summer camp was held at Torquay, Devon with the 1st Edgware Troop, Chris Pope attended this camp. That same summer 5 Waltham Pack Cubs joined a camp with 1st Edgware Cubs at Hastings, East Sussex. The Venture Scout Unit had camped in both North Wales and the Lake District. Group numbers were quoted as 110 boys and 15 Leaders.

The 1969 AGM took place on 29th April. The following facts were reported: Dale Pack 36 boys, Waltham Pack 17 boys, Troop 45 boys, Venture Scout Unit 12, Service Crew 7 (Now District based). New District appointments were highlighted: Bert Chiles (GSM 1953-61) took on the role of ADC General Duties, John Holland (GSL) also ADC Leader Training, Peter Hunt (SL) became a DSL and Dorothy Chiles (CSL Waltham Pack) was made DCSL.

The District Sports Day and Harrow Flag Camping Competition were great successes for the group. They won the Group Trophy on Sports Day and gained 1st & 2nd place in the Harrow Flag.

 

More recently some additional archive material has become available; a Dale pack log book for 1967 – 1972 & eight issues of ‘New Argonaut’ newsletter spread over the period 1965-1969. This series of

 

‘Argonaut’ newsletters seemed to be a re-launch of an earlier newsletter, but we are unaware of previous publications.

 

Volume 1 No.1 issued in December 1965 gave progress reports for each section following the summer break. A special article recalled a week-long camping expedition to Wales. It was a Senior Scout event with five Senior Scouts, two Rovers GSM John Holland and ASSM Peter Spring. They pitched at a campsite in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire initially, then on to Symmonds Yat, Tintern Abbey, Wye Valley, Newport, Ebbw Vale, Swansea and the Gower Peninsular. The latter contained a campsite at Oxwich Bay. The next day the expedition continued to Tenby, St David’s Cathedral and then a long drive up the west coast to a campsite in Conway, North Wales. They used this site for three nights while climbing Snowdonia. Overall it was a good trip, made possible by having a car (Austin A40) and a Bedford Mini-Bus for easy transportation.

Argonaut Volume 1 No. 4 (December 1966) reported that both Packs had joined together for a Summer Camp at Swanage, Dorset: where ‘a good time was had by all’. The report on the Troop camp held at Bournemouth 30th July -6th August (date from 1v2 Calendar) was RAIN. It rained on the day we arrived. It rained on and off until the day we left. In spite of the weather a varied programme was followed and enjoyed.

Argonaut Volume 2 NO. 2 (June 1967 contained a report by Michael Thomas (PL) about the National Thanksgiving Service for 60 years of Scouting held in Westminster Abbey: ‘On Saturday 17th June, two Senior Scouts, Two Cubs, Andy Rathbone and myself represented the Group’. It concluded ‘Several hundred Scouts and Cubs from all over the country attended this service which was a most impressive occasion and which all Scouts present were honoured to attend.’ In the same issue Ralph Thompson, Venture Scout Leader (Acting), wrote ‘On October 1st this year the 6th Edgware Venture Scout Unit will come into being, replacing the old Senior Scout Troop’.

Argonaut Volume 3 No 1 (March 1968) contained a brief summary of achievements by the group as viewed by John Holland GSL: ‘We draw near to the end of another financial year which ends on 31st March.  Yet gain what an achievement for the 6th this has been. We have had the cub Scout (Dale Pack) gaining 1st place in the Swimming Gala. The Scouts winning the Relay Cup and gaining high placings in other events’. ‘We have had the Band gaining their proficiency Certificate for public performance and the Venture Scouts along with the Rangers and brother Scouts from 1st Edgware taking on a non-stop 53 mile walk from Southend with great success’. The sponsored walk took place on 1st-2nd March when 32 Venture Scouts and Ranger Guides from 6th & 1st Edgware units travelled t Southend to walk back to Dale Avenue, 2 finishing and raising £400 for Mentally Handicapped Children. Another success story from the same issue concerned the Flitch Competition. The Troop report contained the following extract. ‘The most noticeable success in the past few weeks is that we have won the District Flitch. This is a challenge competition on a District basis which passes from Troop to Troop by challenging the holder on a specified subject. We Challenged in knots and lashings. We won’.

 

From Dale Cub Pack log book for 1967-1972 it can be seen that a separate Flitch Competition was available to Cub Scout Packs. At the end of September 1968 Dale Pack challenged the 1st Edgware Cubs who were the current holders. They chose flags, Saints and the National anthem as the topics for testing. Dale Pack were delighted when they won, but it was a close result 19⅟to 21 points. The log book shows that they were victors in March 1971 against 3rd Stanmore, again in May 1971 against 4th Kenton and again in January 1972 against 1st Stanmore.

 

Another interesting episode noted in the Log Book concerned a day trip to London Zoo by both packs in July 1969. The report covered six pages in the Log Book. A Summary is that a coach was awaited at 10.30am at the Flying Eagle in Mollison Way. An old double decker bus turned up that had long been out of service. Waltham Pack used the upstairs while Dale Pack had the downstairs. After much singing they arrived at London Zoo. There the group were split into parties of eight cube to one Leader for touring the exhibits. At The end of the visit Akela was sure that every Cub had visited the tuck shop several times but all left with many memories of the visit.

From the Log Book it is clear that the local camp site at Pear Wood (off Wood Lane Brockley Hill) was well used by the Dale Pack. It was not without its problems though. On arrival at the site for a weekend camp in August 1967 it was found that the water supply stand pipe needed attention: ‘So while Grand Howl was taking place the Venture Scouts, Messrs Staines and Weatherly, Junior and Senior, working up to their elbows in mud and clay eventually managed to establish a water supply’.

 

The Seventies

The Seventies started in the same manner as the Sixties had ended, with setbacks and delays in the transfer of the Dale Avenue site. The total number of boys in the Group peaked in the early Seventies as can be seen from some of the sample figures given at committee meetings and summarised it he following Table: –

 

Date Waltham Pack Dale Pack Troop Venture Unit Total Boys Total Scouters
4/70 108 18
5/70 20 36 47 17 120
11/70 (Total 66) 59 14 139 15
4/71 (Total 41) 42 14 97 17
5/71 17 40 51 13 131
5/72 26 36 49 12 123
7/72 16 36 37 12 101
5/74 32 20 90-100
7/74 26 32 35 14 107
4/75 (Total 54) 28 14 96 13
7/75 (Total 57) 27 14 98
2/76 20 32 33 15 100 12
9/76 18 35 34 16 103
4/77 (Total 64) 30

 

Early in 1971 the Group was pleased to learn that the District had chosen David Weatherly (ASL) to attend the next World Jamboree in Japan. David had been awarded the Queens Scout Award in 1967. In the mid Seventies he switched to AVSL and led the Venture Scout Unit for four years. Also, in early 1971 a St George’s Flag was made and donated to the Group by Gladys Chiles (ex-leader of Dale Cub Pack 1953-1964). In June 1971 it was reported that David Weatherly had been Escort the Colour for the annual parade of Queen’s Scouts at Windsor Castle. In addition, it was reported that the Troop now had two qualified Archery Instructors, Peter Hunt and Vic Simpson. The Troop was fortunate to have six Assistant Scout Leaders.

The May 1973 AGM was informed by Dale Pack CSL, Bert Blundy, that the pack was full, with a waiting list. Mr Peter Hunt (SL) stated that the Troop had 30 Scouts which was still the largest Troop in the District. Throughout early 1973 the Group Committee were aiming to buy a second-hand Ambulance for conversion to a Group Minibus. In July a van was purchased for £434.50. Insurance cost £41.75 and Road Tax £25. In addition, a set of seats was required and £50 was allocated along with a new petrol pump. At the end of the year a new battery and charger was required which cost £14.

The October 1974 Committee Meeting was given both good and bad news about the van: the good news was that a set of seats had been fitted (not upholstered) but the bad news was that the van had broken down on the return journey from Edale. The AA had towed the van for 20 miles for a garage to fit a new fuel pump.

John Holland(GSL) was congratulated by the Group Committee at their April 1975 meeting following the announcement that he had been awarded the Chief Scout’s Commendation for ‘Good Services to Scouting’. Unfortunately, only nine months earlier he had to announce his resignation for personal reasons from both of his posts, Group Scout Leader and Assistant District Commissioner. John had been GSL for 10 Years. Fortunately, for the Group it transpired that the Next GSL, Peter Hunt would serve 12 years. The Change of GSL, lead to further changes in Leader roles. David Archer (ASL) became Assistant GSL also serving for 12 years, Colin Sills became SL and Tony Gammon took out a warrant as ASL. A little earlier in1975 Ed Robinson took out an Assistant VSL warrant and started to help David Weatherly run the Venture Scout Unit. Ed took sole leadership early in 1977 when David married and moved abroad. Membership of the Unit had been gradually falling over the year and actually closed down in June/July for six months. This closure cam at the end of the year in which four Venture Scouts had received their queen’s Scout Awards.

From April 1977 David Archer took over leadership of the Scout Troop following Colin Sills’ move out of the area. David continued in this role for four years as well as being AGSL. Dale Cub Pack Leader was Doris Holland (wife of John Holland) from 1966 until 1973 when Bert Blundy took over. He continued to run the Pack throughout the Seventies until he retired in 1987. Waltham Cub Pack Leader was Dorothy Chiles        from 1964 until 1974 (she was the elder daughter of Albert (Bert) and Gladys Chiles, Bert was the GSM 1953-1961) Dorothy went to be ADC in Stanmore District even after she left the area. Beryl Morris followed Dorothy as CSL, then Mrs M Burgess until Tony Staines (ACSL 1968-1972) was persuaded out of retirement to become Leader of Waltham Cub Pack.

As reported in the Sixties Section, the District Flitch continued to be a popular competition during the Seventies. The Dale Pack Log Book (196-1972) contains three reports. Firstly, for 1971 at the 3rd Stanmore HQ the Dale Pack team arrived ready to compete on fire lighting and cooking. Unfortunately, there was a mix up which resulted in the boys who had practised fire lighting having to do cooking and vice versa! But nevertheless, Dale won by a margin of 5 points. Secondly, in May 1971 the 4th Kenton Cubs challenged Dale Pack on the subject of Mapping. At half time Dale Pack were just ahead at 13 points to 12. During the second half Dale Pack was outstanding at reading a map and then describing what they would expect to see as they walked along a particular route. This gave a convincing win 43 points to 29. The team retained the District Cub Flitch. Lastly in the log book is a record of the January 1972 challenge. This came from 1st Stanmore Cubs on the subject of Flags and Saints. Since the previous challenge the successful team had mostly gone to the Troop, a new team had to be chosen; Nevertheless, they were victorious by one point.

 

 

The Eighties

Some minutes of the Scouter’s meeting covering the years 1981-1988 are contained in the Group archives. From these the membership figures for the sections can be extracted as seen in the following table:-

 

Date Waltham Pack Dale Pack Troop Venture Unit Total Total Scouters
11/81 18 25 25 9 77
2/82 18 22 25
3/82 17 20 19 8 64
5/82 19 20 20 9 68
7/82 24 23 18 13 78
9/82 25 30 30 12 97 10
1/83 27 19 32 10 88
1/85 23 11 15 22 71
3/85 24 15 18 22 79
9/85 25 26 16
11/85 22 17 30 16 85

 

The partnership of Peter Hunt and David Archer as GSL and Assistant respectively which started in 1976 and carried forward throughout the Eighties until Peter Hunt resigned at the 1989 AGM. He then took over as Chairman whilst David Archer became Acting GSL. Dale Cub Pack was similarly blessed, with a long serving Leader because Bert Blundy continued to serve until he retired at the 1987 AGM. John Hoptroff then took over as Leader until the pack closed in 1993 due to low numbers of boys. From the beginning of John’s leadership, it was decided that Dale Pack should be renamed Tigers.

Meanwhile, Waltham Pack started the Eighties with Tony Staines continuing as Leader until 1982 when Allan Arnold (who had joined the section as assistant in 1981) took over. Allan continued as CSL during the rest of the Eighties and his wife, Margaret, joined him in 1983 as Assistant throughout the Eighties. It was in 1985 that Waltham Pack was renamed as Waltham/Eagles Pack which became established as the Eagles Pack.

In addition to his role as AGSL David Archer was also Scout Leader until 1981. Keith Mason agreed to take over after a stint as an ACSL with Dale Pack since 1976 when his son James joined the Pack. Keith continued as SL until March 1987 when Steve Jones took over as SL. Keith wanted to devote his time to a new District appointment. Steve Jones had started with the 1st Edgware as a Cub Scout and stayed with the Group through to receiving his Queen’s Scout Award in 1983. He continued as Scout Leader until the end of 1991.

The Venture Scout Unit started the Eighties with Dave Holland as Leader, but he was unable to continue beyond early 1982 because of other commitments. Steve Brooks AVSL took over a Leader. In 1984 Chris Brant AVSL took over for two years before relinquishing the role. Chris Deal switched from being ASL to finish the Eighties as VSL. Meanwhile by early 1983 the Unit was liaising more and more with the local Ranger Unit (Senior Section of Girl Guides), for example by carol singing together for charity. They decided to have combined meetings and operated as a joint section called Gemini. This was officially approved in November 1984. This change allowed females to join the Unit. Caroline Deal received her Warrant as VSL and five female members had been invested by the end of March 1985. In 1989 Hayley Mason became the Unit’s first female holder of a Queen’s Scout Award. Because there were many other units called Gemini locally the Unit changed its name to Stag in 1988.

Below is an outline of camps which took place during the Eighties as recorded in the archived records: –

Year Section Campsite or Expedition
1981 Troop Bragger’s Wood, New Forest 15 Scouts, 2 Leaders.
1982 Troop ‘Hammerwood’, E Grinstead. 19 Scouts.
Waltham Gilwell, Essex with 20 Cubs.
1985 Waltham District Cub Camp.
VSU Snowdonia National Park, in March & Chalfont.
1987 Dale Gilwell, Essex.
Eagles Hammerwood, E Grinstead, with 23 Cubs.
Eagles District Cub Camp with 27 Cubs.
Troop Expedition in New Forest, Whitsun week. 5 Scouts, 2 leaders & 2 Scouts from 1st Edgware. 53 miles covered.
Troop Weekend camps including one at Pear Wood to clear tree debris from October hurricane.
VSU Lake District for summer camp, including 50 mile hikes for QSA Award.
1988 Tigers District Cub camp Gilwell in July & Chalfont.
Eagles Gilwell for District Cub camp with 31 Cubs.
Hammerwood for week in May. 23 Cubs, described as “extremely successful”.
Troop South Downs Way, week hiking from Seaford to Arundel.
Pear Wood with very cold temperature and snow overnight.
VSU Scotland & Kandersteg, Switzerland.
1989 Tigers Chorleywood in May & District Cub Camp Gillwell.
Eagles Hammerwood for Whitsun and District Cub Camp.
Troop Wye Valley on English/Welsh Borders for one week. Hiking & camping. Exceptionally hot and humid weather.
VSU Hammerwood for a weekend camp to help with the site clearance

Gary Hoptroff took part in the Troop’s Wye Valley camping expedition listed above which counted as one of the tests on his way to achieving the Chief Scout’s Challenge Award. This award had been recently introduced nationally to form the highest award that could be gained at troop age. Gary was the first to gain this award in Stanmore District. Another notable Troop achievement was the presentation of a play in December 1987. The title of the play was ‘The Truth Will Always Prevail’ written by Steve Jones the Scout Leader and performed by members of the Troop after much hard work rehearing. Just prior to this event (in October) the Troop organised a fundraising event: 9 Scouts plus Leaders took part in a sponsored “24 hour” table tennis marathon. This raised £220 of which half was donated to the British Heart Foundation.

The Venture Scout Unit was also active in fundraising during the Eighties. The carol singing mentioned earlier raised £300 in December 1987 a third of which was donated to the Parkinson’s Disease Charity and another third to Scoutaid (a project to help develop Scouting abroad).

The Dale Tigers Pack under their new Leader, John Hoptroff successfully raised £321 by running a shoe-shine stall one day in 1987.This large sum of money was donated to Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children.

The Eagles Pack won many Entertainers badges during the Eighties. The badges were usually presented as a result of ‘Gang Show appearances. For example, in October 1982 they performed at an Open Evening to celebrate the group’s Birthday and the 75thanniversary of the start of Scouting nationally. In 1987 10 Cubs plus 3Leaders took part in the County Gang Show at Feltham. The Pack report for the year 1989 records ‘once again the Pack and some of the Leaders were invited to take part in the County Gang Show and 9 boys who acted out a football sketch worked very hard to achieve a high standard whilst the Leaders muddled through in the opening and closing chorus’.

August 1987 saw Alan Macdonald-Brown and Gary Hoptroff from the Venture Scout Unit spend a week at sea as part of the London Sailing Project. The latter was a scheme to give young people the rare opportunity to crew a tall sailing ship with all instruction, equipment and food provided at minimal cost (£25). They visited France, and both had a very exciting if not tiring week. As a result of his exceptional contribution to the ship’s crew during the week, Alan was presented with an Amory award and was given the chance to sail again as a senior crew member.

 

The Nineties

The Eighties finished with David Archer serving for a year as the Acting Group Scout Leader. He explained to the 1990 Annual General Meeting that he neither had the time or the qualifications to become the Group Scout Leader. So, Allan Arnold decided to take on the role which carried on until 1997. Allan gained experience of Scouting as Assistant Scout Leader in 1981 before taking over as Cub Scout Leader halfway through 1982 and continuing with the Eagles Pack until the above change to GSL. As a consequence of Allan’s role change, his wife Margaret Arnold changed from being Assistant Cub Scout Leader (1983-1990) to becoming Cub Scout Leader of the Eagles Pack. Margaret then continued in this role until 1996. It was at the Annual General Meeting that it was announced that a new Cub Scout Leader had been recruited for the Eagle Pack: this was the starting point for Theresa Hickey who continued as Leader for the remainder of the Nineties. A Further announcement was that Margaret Arnold would accept the challenge of trying to restart the Beaver Colony. In fact, the first meeting in April 1996 was attended by six new beaver Scouts and numbers rose to a maximum of 24 during the year. One year later there was a waiting list. During the first year the Beavers even managed to come first in their section of the District Sports Day Competition. After two years Margaret left the group to concentrate on her District role and was succeeded by David Wingham. David continued to lead the Beaver Section for the rest of the Nineties.

Earlier, during the second half of the Eighties, the 6th Edgware Group Had been trying to start a Beaver Colony but were hampered by not finding a suitable Leader. This situation was resolved in the early Nineties when Belinda O’Brien stepped forward to start a Colony in May 1991. It Started with 16 boys and two Leaders, the other Leader dropped out soon after. Through the first Year the number of boys grew to a maximum of 4. Belinda was new to scouting but clearly managed to do a good job although Assistant Beaver Scout help was hard to come by. During 1992 Anna Clifford obtained her Queens’ Scout Award and took out a Warrant as Assistant Beaver Scout Leader. The two Leaders continued to run the Colony through to July 1993. After that Belinda became involved with evening classes and couldn’t continue. A replacement Leader could not be found so the Colony was closed down as a temporary measure. Regrettably the temporary closure lasted almost 3 years until Margaret Arnold re-opened it as described earlier.

Another disappointment in 1993 was the decision to close the Tigers Cub Pack. This occurred in June and was due to low numbers in the Pack. Tigers (and the forerunner Dale Pack) had enjoyed continuity right from the start in 1933 so the decision to close was not taken lightly. John Hoptroff had been Assistant Cub Scout Leader from 1985 until 1987 when he took over as Cub Scout Leader upon Bert Blundy’s retirement, so John had served as Leader of Dale/Tigers Pack for six Years.

The Troop had started the Nineties with Steve Jones as Scout Leader (from 1987). He continued until the end of 1991 when he had three Assistant Scout Leaders, namely Alan Wingham, David Gomm and Jeremy Hearn. Alan Wingham then took over the Leader Role for the next two and a half years. Paul Lomax, who had become a Queens Scout in 1991, followed Alan from 1994 until 1998. David Parrock, another recent member of the Venture Scout Unit took over to finish off the Nineties.

At the end of the Eighties/start of the Nineties was the time when Chris Deal left the 6th Edgware Venture Scout Unit as Leader to concentrate on his duties as Assistant District Commissioner (Venture Scouts). Tony Hopper had been Assistant Venture Scout Leader for three years and agreed to become acting VSL in 1990. In the following year Tony had help from Huw Lewis as Assistant VSL. Further help came from Alan Macdonald-Brown who also took a warrant after his time in the Unit. 1991&1992 proved to be a record breaking time for the ‘STAG’ Venture Scout Unit because five Queen’s Scout Awards were gained within a twelve-month period. They were gained by five females and this formed a record within the District and the County, the recipients were Susan Ballard, Vicky Beswick, Anna Clifford, Liz Clifford and Helen Philips. Huw Lewis left during 1993 but Tony Hopper and Alan Macdonald-Brown carried on for the remainder of the Nineties. Sadly, the number of Venture Scouts dropped off considerably. The numbers fluctuated but the trend showed a general decline. To illustrate this point some numbers have been extracted from minutes of meetings (Scouter’s, Committee and AGM’s).

 

Year Month/Numbers Month/Numbers
1991 January           10 November      14
1992 April                    9 November       15
1993 February            7 September        5
1994 April                    4 September        6
1995 January              4 May                      5
1996 May                      6
1997 June                    5
1998 May                      3

 

In spite of falling numbers the gaining of the Queen’s Scout Awards continued. Three were obtained in the period late 1997/early 1998 by Richard Manners, David Wingham and his brother Jeremy Wingham.

Camping continue to be a strong activity through the Nineties as can be seen from the following summary: –

 

Year Section Camp Site
1990 Dale/Tigers Gillwell
Eagles Hammerwood, E. Grinstead, Sussex
Troop Pear Wood – Harrow Flag Competition

“Quite a few other camps”

1991 Dale/Tigers Well End (6 boys)
Eagles Well End (21 boys)
Hammerwood – Whitsun Week
Troop South Downs Way – hike for a week.
Phasels Wood – Harrow Flag
Venture Unit Chalfont – Weekend
Wales – Week long expedition
1992 Eagles Well End, District Cub Camp, won Camp Trophy
Troop Chalfont – Harrow Flag 2nd Place
Well End – Weekend in November
Venture Unit Peak District – Weekend
Zellhof, Austria (County Expedition)
1993 Eagles District Cub Camp (17 boys)
Troop Harrow Flag Competition
Lees Wood, Watford
Venture Unit Hammerwood – Long weekend
1994 Eagles Hammerwood (17 boys) Good report from visiting ADC
District Cub Camp (22 boys)
Troop Chalfont (Mid November) 5 boys & 3 Leaders
1995 Eagles Hammerwood (16 boys) good inspection report
Chalfont County Camp
District Cub Camp
1996 Eagles District Cub Camp
Troop Phasels Wood (Easter) joint camp
Venture Unit    “              “             “             “          “
Kandersteg, Switzerland – County Expedition
Eagles District Cub Camp
Phasels Wood 6th Edgware Cub Camp

 

The Nineties was a decade of mixed fortunes for the 6th Edgware Scout Group. The Beaver Colony was a prime example of this with its on-off-on life. Another example was the fluctuating numbers of boys (and girls as far as the Venture Scout Unit was concerned) and also of experienced Leaders. In general, the last few years showed a markedly lower numbers that the last few years. This is demonstrated in the following table.

 

Date Beavers Waltham/Eagles Dale/Tigers Troop Ventures Total Total Scouters
10/1990 33 16 35 10 94
1/1991 34 19 35 10 98 9
5/1991 16 33 20 31 10 110
11/1991 24 34 ? 33 14 ?
1/1992 24 32 14 31 13 104 11
4/1992 24 34 ? 25 9 ?
11/1992 ? 33 6 25 15 ?
6/1993 ? 35 closed 25 7 ?
1/1994 closed 35 16 5 56
9/1994 36 7 6 49
1/1995 29 10 4 43 6
5/1995 ? 10 5 ?
5/1996 6 ? 14 6 ?
5/1997 24 ? 14 5 ? 10
5/1998 24 ? 3 3 ?
1/2000 11 22 10 ? ?

 

During 1993 Annual General Meeting two prestigious awards were made: – The District Commissioner, Brian Jones, said that the presentations were regrettably belated but duly recognised the work done for the Group over a long period of time. Thus, Peter Hunt received the Silver Acorn whilst David Archer received the Medal of Merit.

A year later, in June 1994, a fire took hold on the outside of the Headquarters building which caused damage to the exterior. Fortunately, the cost of the repairs was covered by insurance; this was particularly good news because the Group funds were low at the time and money was needed for other work, for example roof repairs. This was about the time when recruitment to the Group Committee started to be a major problem for the group’s continuance. Peter Lintott took a warrant as Assistant Scout Leader in April 1994 and therefore resigned as Chairman at the AGM. A new Chairman could not be found for several months until Sue Nutkins became the Acting Chairperson. She continued until the end of 1996 after which a Vacancy continued for a short while until Gary Ellacott took over to see out the Nineties. Meanwhile back in 1994 Mr & Mrs Hearn and Mr & Mrs Deal retired from the Group Committee after many years of valued support. Then in 1997 Peter Nutkins retired as Group Treasurer after four years’ service. Anne Fernandes, who had been Group Secretary for seven years agreed to be acting Group Treasurer also. A year later Anne formally resigned as Secretary, in order to be the Group Treasurer. Anne continued to be in this role to see out the Nineties. As Far as the group Secretary role was concerned, it remained unfilled for the rest of the Nineties.

In conclusion, it can be seen that the last few years of the Nineties saw the Group Committee decreasing in size and effectiveness until it hardly existed. This had the effect of fundraising declining except for income derived from letting the main hall occasionally plus the regular rent from the Nursery using the small hall. This situation contributed to the worrying conclusion that something had to be done differently. Right at the very end of the Nineties the possibility of a merger with the 1st Edgware Scout Group was floated. Brian Jones, as District Commissioner, held a number of meetings with both Groups separately and jointly which lead to a formal merger taking place on 1st May 2000. The merged Group took the title 1st/6th Edgware Scout Group.

 

Lists

  • Contents are:
    • Warranted Section Leaders and Assistant Section Leaders.
    • Queen Scouts (since 1987)
    • Group Officers ( Since 1967)
  • ———- Indicates that the section was closed.
  •      ?         Indicates that a name has not been established.
  • The lists are all referenced against a calendar year. The name quoted against any particular year represents the person who held that post for the most time during that year if a changeover had occurred.
  • Very Little data is available regarding names of instructors or recipients of “Thanks” Badges, so it has been considered unfair to publish lists which would be very incomplete.

Group Scout Master (GSM)

1933 Rev. F. EAGLES (Acting) Assisted by Major PELLS
1934                                           “
1935                                           “
1936                                            “
1937 Rev. L.G. DENNIS ( Acting)
1938                          “
1939                          “
1940 ?
1941 ?
1942 ?
1943 ?
1944 ?
1945 ?
1946 ?
1947 Charles E FOREMAN
1948                            “
1949                            “
1950                            “
1951 W. Bill SCHOOLING
1952                            “
1953 Albert ( Skip) S. CHILES
1954                             “
1955                             “
1956                             “
1957                             “
1958                             “
1959                             “
1960                             “
1961                             “
1962 Keith M. TUGWELL
1963                              “
1964                             “
1965 Jim BENTLY & John HOLLAND
1966 John HOLLAND

 

 

Group Scout Leader (GSL)

1967 John T. HOLLAND
1968               “
1969               “
1970               “
1971               “                   & E.A (Ted) WEATHERLY [Deputy]
1972               “
1973               “
1974               “           & Peter HUNT [Deputy]
1975                “
1976 Peter HUNT & David ARCHER [ Assistant GSL]
1977                “
1978               “
1979               “
1980               “
1981               “
1982                “
1983                “
1984                “
1985               “
1986                “
1987               “
1988                “
1989 David ARCHER [Acting GSL]
1990 Allan ARNOLD
1991                “
1992                “
1993                 “
1994                “
1995                “
1997                “
1998 David WINGHAM [ Scouter in Charge]
1999 Tony HOPPER [Scouter in Charge]
2000               “

 

Beaver Scout Leader (BSL)

1990 ————–
1991 Belinda O’BRIEN
1992                   “
1993                   “     & Anna Clifford ABSL}
1994 ——————
1995 —————-
1996  Margaret ARNOLD & Jannette CHRISTIAN
1997                   “
1998 David WINGHAM
1999                   “ & Jane SHEPHERD   [ABSL}
2000                   “ & Mary DUTSON [ABSL}

 

Cub Master (C.M.) Akela

Dale Pack Waltham Pack
Michael LEMMON 1933 ———————
                 “ 1934 ———————-
? 1935 ——————-
? 1936 ——————
? 1937 ——————-
? 1938 Dave COOK
? 1939       “
? 1940 ?
? 1941 ?
? 1942 ?
R.F. DODD 1943 ?
      “ 1944 ?
      “ 1945 ?
      “ 1946 ?
      “ 1947 —————–
      “ 1948 ——————
      “ 1949 ——————
       “ / Miss D. G PELLS 1950 ——————-
William SCHOOLING 1951 ?
? 1952 Mrs M. MacEWEN
Mrs Gladys I. CHILES 1953               “
      “ 1954               “
      “ 1955               “
      “ 1956               “
      “ 1957               “
      “ 1958               “
      “ 1959                “
      “ 1960               “
      “ 1961 Mrs B. SHORTEN/ Mrs A RONCO
      “ 1962 Mrs A. RONCO
       “ 1963 Pack run by ACM
      “ 1964 Miss Dorothy CHILES
Peter HUNT 1965                 “
Mrs Doris HOLLAND 1966                  “
       “ 1967                  “

 

Cub Scout Leader (CSL)

Dale/ Tigers Pack Waltham /Eagles Pack
Mrs Doris HOLLAND 1968 Miss Dorothy CHILES
      “ 1969       “
       “ 1970       “
       “ 1971       “
        “ 1972       “
Mr. H. W. Bert BLUNDY 1973       “
      “ 1974       “
      “ 1975 Mrs Beryl MORRIS
      “ 1976       “
      “ 1977       “
      “ 1978 Mrs M. BURGESS
      “ 1979 Mr Tony STAINES
      “ 1980       “
      “ 1981       “
      “ 1982       “ / Allan ARNOLD
      “ 1983 Mr Allan ARNOLD
      “ 1984       “
      “ 1985       “
      “ 1986        “
John HOPTROFF 1987       “
      “ 1988        “
      “ 1989        “
      “ 1990 Mrs Margaret ARNOLD
      “ 1991        “
      “ 1992       “
      “ 1993       “
      “ 1994        “
—————— 1995      “
—————— 1996 Ms Theresa HICKEY
—————— 1997        “
—————— 1998        “
—————— 1999        “
—————— 2000        “

 

Scout Master (S.M.)

Dale Troop Waltham Troop
Eric Arthur FARTHING 1933 ——————
? 1934 ———————
? 1935 ————————–
? 1936 ———————-
Edwin YOUNG 1937 —————————–
      “ 1938 Dave COOK
      “ 1939       “
? 1940 ?
? 1941 C. E. Charlie FOREMAN
? 1942 ?
? 1943 ?
? 1944 ?
Dave Cook 1945 ?
      “ 1946 ?
Bert MANLEY 1947 ——————–
Robin A POPE 1948 ———————–
       “ 1949 ————————–
       “ 1950 —————————
      “ 1951 ———————-
William SCHOOLING 1952 ———————————
      “/ C.G. (Bung) COOPER 1953 ——————————–
C.G. (Bung) COOPER 1954 —————————-
      “ 1955 ———————————-
   “ Troop run by ASL from March 1956 ————————–
To June 1957./ Keith TUGWELL 1957 W.H. Bill TURPIN
Keith TUGWELL 1958       “
      “ 1959       “
       “ 1960 ———————
       “ 1961 ———————-
A.E. Tony DRAKE 1962 ————————–
       “ 1963 —————————
Peter R JACKSON 1964 —————————
      “ 1965 —————————-
Peter HUNT 1966 ————————
      “ 1967 —————————

 

Scout Leader (SL)

1968 Mr Peter HUNT
1969         “
1970       “
1971         “
1972         “
1973 Mr John HOLLAND [GSL]
1974 Mr John MILLS
1975       “
1976 Mr Colin SILLS
1977 Mr David ARCHER
1978       “
1979       “
1980       “
1981 Mr Keith MASON
1982       “
1983       “
1984       “
1985       “
1986        “
1987 Mr Steven JONES
1988       “
1989       “
1990        “
1991       “
1992 Mr Alan WINGHAM [as ASL]
1993        “
1994        “ / Paul LOMAX
1995 Mr Paul LOMAX
1996        “
1997        “
1998        “
1999 Mr David PARROCK [as ASL]
2000        “

 

Scout Master (Seniors) [S.M. (S)]

1947    ?
     48 ———
     49 ———
1950 ———-
    51 J. CALLOW [as A.S.M.(S)]
    52              “
    53 A.M. (Tony) ALFORD {as A.S.M. (S)]
    54                                “
    55                                “
    56                                “
    57 D.R. (Doug) COOK + A. COLBURN [both as A.S.M. (S)]
    58                             “                       “
    59                            “
    60 L.O. (Lance) SHORTEN
    61                                  “
    62 J. (Jim) BENTLEY
    63                        “         + Tony DRAKE [as S.M.]
    64 A.E. (Tony) DRAKE
    65 R.L. SPRING [as A.S.M.(S)]
    66              “
    67              “
    68 Senior Scouts ceased; Venture Scouts started.

 

 

VENTURE SCOUT LEADER  (V.S.L.)

1968 D.G. (Derek) EYRES
     69                                 “
     70                                 “
     71                                 “
     72                                 “
     73 David WEATHERLEY [as A.V.S.L.]
     74                           “
     75                           “
     76                           “
     77 Ed. ROBINSON [as A.V.S.L]
     78                    “
     79                    “
1980 Dave HOLLAND
     81                     “
     82 Steve BROOKS
     83                     “
     84 Chris BRANT
     85                    “
     86 Chris DEAL
     87                  “
     88                  “
     89                  “
1990 Tony HOPPER
     91                   “
     92                   “
     93                   “
     94                   “
     95                   “
     96                   “
     97                   “
     98                   “
     99                   “
2000                  “

 

ASSISTANT VENTURE SCOUT LEADER (A.V.S.L.)

1968 Bill CODD + R. THOMPSON
     69              “                        “
     70              “
     71              “
     72              “
     73 ———————
     74 ——————–
     75 Ed. ROBINSON
     76                  “
     77  ————  N.B. Venture Unit closed from June to December
     78 ?
     79 ?
1980 —————
     81 Steve BROOKS
     82 Bob House + Chris BRANT
     83               “                          “
     84 Caroline DEAL
     85                      “          + Bob HOUSE + Paul BAXTER
     86                       “                        “                                “
     87 Tony HOPPER
     88                  “
     89                  “
1990 ——————–
     91 Alan MACDONALD-BROWN + Hugh LEWIS
     92                   “                                                        “
     93                   “                                                        “
     94                   “
     95                   “
     96                   “
     97                   “
     98                   “
     99                   “
2000                  “

 

ROVER SCOUT MASTER (R.S.M.)

1947 ———
     48 ———
     49 ———
1950 ———-
    51 ———-
    52 ———-
    53 A.S. (Bert) CHILES {as G.S.M.]
    54                            “
    55                            “
    56                            “
    57                            “
    58                            “
    59                            “
    60  A.C. JONES
    61                “
    62                “
    63                 “
    64                “
    65 Peter JACKSON [as A.R.S.M.]
    66              “
    67              “
    68 Rover Scouts ceased; Venture Scouts started.

 

ASSISTANT CUB SCOUT LEADER (A.C.S.L.) – DALE/TIGERS

1975        ?
     76 R. (Richard) BATES + Mrs. D. (Dorothy) HOLLAND
     77                               “        + K. (Keith) MASON
     78                                “                                  “
     79                                 “                                “
1980                                “                                 “
     81                                “
     82                                “
     83                                “
     84                                “      + J. (John) HOPTROFF
     85                                “                                   “
     86                                “                                   “
     87 E. (Elaine) BLUNDY +     R(Raoul) DIGGLE
     88 A. (Andrew) BLUNDY
     89                              “
     90                              “      + D. (Dee) BURGESS)
     91                              “                                  “
     92                                                                   “
     93                                                                    “
Tigers Pack closed down in June 1993

 

ASSISTANT CUB MASTER (A.C.M.) – DALE

1950 Miss B. (Barbara) JACKSON
     51                                            “
     52                                             “
     53                                             “
     54                                            “    (Married John Pope in 1954)
     55                                            “  + Miss J.B. (Beryl) STROUD
     56                                             “                                              “
     57                                             “                                               “
     58 ———————–
     59 ————————-
     60 R.W. (Reg) STORER
     61 ————————–
     62 Mrs. A.F. (Audrey) WEBB
     63                                          “    + Mrs O.B. MONKS
     64 P.R. (Peter) HUNT             +                      “
     65 J.T. (John) HOLLAND       + Mrs. D (Doris) HOLLAND
     66 Mrs B. (Brenda) HUNT
     67                                      “
     68 Mrs E. (Edith) JENKINS + H.W. (Bert) BLUNDY + A.(Tony)

STAINES

     69                                      “                                          “                   “
1970                                      “                                          “                   “
     71                                      “                                          “                   “
     72                                      “                                          “                   “
     73                                      “                                          “
     74                                      “

 

ASSISTANT CUB SCOUT LEADER (A.C.S.L.) – WALTHAM/EAGLES

1975        ?
     76 Mrs. M. (Madaline) BURGESS
     77                                             “
     78         ?
     79         ?
1980 T. (Tim) GOLDSMITH
     81                           “   + A. (Allan) ARNOLD
     82                           “                                  “
     83 Mrs. M. (Margaret) ARNOLD
     84                                               “
     85                                               “
     86                                               “
     87                                               “
     88                  “   + Mrs. J. (Jan) PEACOCK  + E. (Ted) CHAMPION
     89                   “                           “                                       “
     90                    “                         “                                        “
     91     ?
     92 G (Geoff) JANIK
     93                           “
     94 ———————
     95 ———————
     96 R. (Richard) MANNERS  + D. (David) WINGHAM
     97                               “                                             “
     98                               “
     99                               “
2000                               “

 

ASSISTANT CUB MASTER (A.C.M.) – WALTHAM

1950 ——————-  (Miss D.G. PELLS)
     51 ——————-
     52    ?
     53 W. (Bill) NOBLE + Miss S.A. (Audrey) WEBB
     54                       “                                          “ + M.(Mike) ELKINGTON
     55                                                                           “                            “
     56                                                                          “                             “
     57                                                                                                          “
     58 Mrs A. RONCO                                                                +         “
     59                      “
     60                      “                            + Mrs. B. (Beryl) SHORTEN
     61 ———————-
     62 Miss D. (Dorothy) CHILES
     63                                           “
     64                                           “
     65 ———————-
     66 ———————-
     67 ———————-
     68 ———————-
     69 ———————-
1970 ———————
     71 ———————
     72 ———————
     73 ———————
     74 ———————

 

ASSISTANT SCOUT MASTER (ASM) – DALE

1933 A.E. COOK
     34               ?
     35               ?
     36               ?
     37               ?
     38 J. (Jack) MANLEY
     39                           “
1940 G.J.W. LOW
     41                   “
     42                   “
     43                   “
     44                   “
     45                   “
     46                   “
     47                    “  + R.A.  (Robin) POPE  + G.T. CALLOW
     48                    “                                    “                          “
     49                    “                                    “                          “
1950                    “                                    “                          “
     51                    “                                   “                           “
     52                    “    + D.R. (Doug) COOK                     “
     53 K. (Keith) TUGWELL                 “
     54                               “                          “
     55                               “                          “               + D.R. (David) SHAW
     56                                “                         “                                                “
     57                                “                         “                                                 “
     58 A.E. (Tony) DRAKE  + D.R. (David) SHAW
     59                           “
1960                           “    + P.R (Peter) MOSS + P.S. (Phil) TUGWELL
     61                           “     + G.(Geoffrey) GOODALL
     62 P.R. (Peter) JACKSON +                           “
     63                             “                                         “
     64 P.B. (Peter) SPRING
     65 R. (Ralph) THOMPSON + M.J.ABBOTTS
     66                           “      + B.S. (Brian) CATT + D.L.(David) ARCHER                              + H.R. (Henry) HATFIELD
     67                                “              “                 “                                    “

 

 

ASSISTANT SCOUT MASTER (ASM) – WALTHAM

1938-46 Troop existed but names and dates of A.S.M. Warrants held have not been established.
1947-56 Troop did not function.
1957  N.W. (Norman) COOMBS
     58                                      “
     59 ——————-
1960 G. (Geoffrey) GOODALL
Waltham Troop Closed down in 1960

 

 

ASSISTANT SCOUT LEADER (A.S.L.)-DALE

1968 R.S. (Ron) BRUNSDEN+ CATT+ARCHER+HATFIELD
     69                                “                     “                “                  “
1970                               “+ J.(John) JENKINS  “          “+ D.S. HICKFORD
      71                                 “                         “             “                         “

+ D.(David) WEATHERLY + D.(David) PLIMSAUL

     72 BRUNSDEN+JENKINS+ARCHER+WEATHERLEY+PLIMSAUL
     73                                                        “                                                “
     74 D.(David) HOLLAND +              “                                               “
     75                              “                          “ + C.A. SILLS + T.J.GOLDSMITH
    76                               “                          “
   77                               “      + A.(Tony) GAMMONS
   78                                                                    “
   79                                                                    “
1980 C.(Chris) DEAL                                       “
    81                         “               + E.(Eddy) MACDONALD-BROWN
   82                         “                                                “
   83                         “                                                “
  84                          “                                                “
  85                         “       + I (Iqbal) SYED
  86                                                           “
 87                                                           “
 88 A.   (Alan) WINGHAM +           “
 89                           “                +  J.(Jeremy) HEARN
 90                            “                                               “
 91                            “                                               “ + D.(Dave) GOMM
 92 G.(Gary) HOPTROFF +                                 “                             “
 93 P (Paul) HARDING   +                                    “                              “
 94 P.(Paul) LOMAX +                                           “ + P. (Peter) LINTOTT
 95                                                                              “                                “
 96                                                                               “
 97                                                                              “
 98 D.(David) PARROCK +                                  “
 99                              “                                               “
2000                               “                                               “

 

QUEEN’S SCOUT AWARDS

[SINCE VENTURE SCOUT UNIT STARTED IN 1967]

1967 D. CATT
G. MARCH
D. WEATHERLEY
1977 P. MC CARTHY
    “ G. BARTLETT
   “ R. BATES
  “ G. GOLDSMITH
1980 C.DEAL
   “ C. BRANT
1982 I. ROBERTS
    “ P. BAXTER
1985 R. MCKINNON
1986 H. LEWIS
J. I. MASON
1989 A. MACDONALD-BROWN
Miss H. MASON
1990 N. CRESSWELL
P. LOMAX
1992 Miss S. BALLARD
Miss V. BESWICK
Miss A. CLIFFORD
Miss E. CLIFFORD
Miss H. PHILLIPS
1997 D.WINGHAM
R. MANNERS
1998 J. WINGHAM

 

 

CHAIRMAN

1967 Mr. B. (Ben) BROOKS
    68                             “
    69                              “
1970                              “
    71                              “
    72                              “
    73                              “
    74                               “
    75                               “
    76                               “
    77                               “
    78                               “
    79                               “
1980                               “
    81                               “
    82                               “
    83                               “
    84                               “
    85 ———————-       [A. (Wink) GOLDSMITH as Deputy]
    86 Mrs. D. (Dulcie) BURNETT +                 “
    87                                    “                                   “
    88 Mick DEAL                                                  “
    89 Peter HUNT                                                “
1990                “                                                      “
    91 Peter LINTOTT        [Kay WHITEHEAD as Deputy]
    92                   “
    93                    “
    94                    “                  / Vacancy after A.G.M.
    95 Sue NUTKINS
    96                  “
    97 Gary ELLACOTT
    98                      “
    99                      “
2000                      “

 

GROUP OFFICERS

Secretary Treasurer
Mrs. O. CATT 1967 Mrs. Helena WEATHERLEY
                    “ 1968
                    “ 1969
Mrs. MILES 1970
              “ 1971
              “ 1972
              “ 1973
Mrs Joan GREENING 1974
                            “ 1975
                            “ 1976
                             “ 1977
                            “ 1978
Mrs. GAMMONS 1979
                          “ 1980
Miss Rosemary STAINES 1981
                                    “ 1982
                                     “ 1983
Miss Sarah HUNT 1984
                           “ 1985
Mrs. R. SPINKS 1986
Mrs. Stephanie ARCHER 1987
                                       “ 1988 Debbie HUNT
                                        “ 1989                    “
Anne FERNANDES 1990                     “
1991                      “
1992 Mrs. Amar PATEL
1993 Peter NUTKINS
1994                       “
1995                       “
1996                       “
1997 Anne FERNANDES (Acting)
1998                        “
1999                         “
2000                         “

 

Dwayne Fields proudly holds the title of the UK's 11th Chief Scout

An explorer, adventurer and TV presenter, Dwayne's been seen in BAFTA nominated Channel 5 series Race to the Pole, on BBC Springwatch, Countryfile, National Geographic and Disney+.

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