Nick's Ramblings

About 18 months ago with the build up to the 2007 Scouting Centenary celebrations looming, I thought I’d look into my own Group’s history. We’d (the Scout Group) always known that there had been Scouts in Porthill since 1908, but could I actually prove it?

That’s where life started to get interesting! I got in touch with the Scout Association and they told me of a leader who was registered as holding a warrant in December 1908 as a Leader, but, and of course there is a but, there are no details about which Troop!

The problem is that Scouting started started rather quickly with no real ‘organisation’ as such until BP retired from the Army in 1908. Boys just set up their own patrols and followed what was written in ‘Scouting for Boys’.

There is documentation from 1915 from our District, of which I have a copy, but no where does anything say a thing about 1908.

Looking at the War Memorial for the members of the Troop killed in the Great War and checking their details on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s web site it was noticeable that most of them would have been between the ages of ten and twelve in 1908. However, this is not absolute proof.

A few people in administrative positions within the District have said we started in 1908 and in fact wrote so in an article in the local newspaper written in 1983 when we restarted our Scout Troop (we’d only had Cubs for about 20 years).

So it was time to dig deeper. It seems that none of the Church’s (who sponsor us and let us use the Hall for free) records before 1920 have survived. Although having said that, I’m going to our county record office to look at them this weekend.

I was getting a bit stuck at this point! I decided to take a look at some of the old local newspapers from 1908. These are available at our local library on microfilm.

Looking through the Staffordshire Sentinel football edition of Saturday 5th December 1908, I saw this in the Stop Press –

And there it is – Porthill Scouts 4 : May Bank Boys 1.

The bit about Mr. Lloyd George and the Suffragettes gives it quite a nice ‘timely’ feel.

In the same paper the following week, Saturday 12th December 1908 is this –

So there we are. I think it highly unlikely there were to groups of young people called Porthill Scouts!

It might be an interesting idea to hold a football match on 5th December this year to commemorate this. Perhaps our friends from Basford Scouts could fill in for May Bank Boys? It would be nice to think that we would win 😉

Last night at the District’s Executive Committee meeting, I was awarded my 15 years long service award!

Fifteen years as a Scout Leader, well Assistant Beaver Leader, Assistant Scout Leader, Scout Leader and finally Group Scout Leader!

Where did that go???

Seems that the Scout Association are having another publicity blitz with the launching of the new proficiency badges. From what I’ve read in the media and on various web sites (see the BBC’s coverage here), the coverage is still positive. Of course there are those that always make the snide remarks, but we have to put up with such ill informed journalists.

Looks like they’re trying to cover a whole range of activities and yet keep all the traditional stuff. That’s what keeps the kids interested folks!

Interestingly enough, I was showing our Scouts how to use hurricane lamps the other day and they sat there thoroughly interested. Now I’d like to say that I was really engaging and interesting, but it may have had something to do with setting light to things!!!

On Friday I went with some of our Leaders to tidy up our Gear Store. This in part preparation for some new storage lockers and cupboards we are going to have built later in the year. 

Anyway, we managed to find the floor(!) and discover a load of kit that hadn’t been seen for years! We also found what was good, what was bad and what needed repairing. Actually, the only repairs needed are to four Tilley type paraffin lamps which need new glass globes. We threw our a load of junk and some old tents that were long past it. It was interesting to check over three patrol (ridge) tents we bought in 1984 & 1986. These are a little worn and have been repaired a few times, but, and this is the main thing, they are still useable! I would like to see some of our modern dome type tents last that long. That’s the thing with using ‘proper’ canvas, it’s heavy duty and easily repairable. I guess using these tent again and again is a sign of good Scouting – ‘Careful of Possessions and Property’ (Scout Law).

Once we’ve got our new cupboards etc. we will need to appoint a proper quartermaster to ensure we don’t get in a mess again!

We've now completed the Scout's Christmas parties. Last week we took 30 or so Beavers & Cubs to see the Bee Movie at the cinema. They all had a good time and behaved really well, albeit a bit noisily (you have to hear thirty 6 – 10 year olds to believe it)!

Then last night I went with the Scouts bowling. Another good evening with some interesting new styles of bowling being exhibited by the Scouts!

But the thing that got me, was that one of the parents came up to all the Leaders and gave us all a Christmas present for looking after 'little Johnny' for the last year! I had to pick myself up off the floor!

In the 18 or so years I've been a Scout Leader of one sort or another, I've never had this happen. Normally, it's unusual enough to get a 'thank you' from a parent let alone a gift. Now of course, we don't do Scouting for personal gain, but the occasional Thank You is always appreciated. Especially after a week long camp!

Anyway, thank you to the parent for the most unexpected gift!

Just read this article in the Telegraph about an Explorer Scout who has spent one year under canvas to raise money for a children’s hospice.

Well done to him! I hope the Scout Association recognises him in some way!

I was chatting to my sister last night and she asked me ‘what would you do if a parent with a child who has special needs came to you and asked if their child could join Beavers, Cubs or Scouts?’ So I said I have a chat with the parents, see what their child’s needs were, check with the District’s special needs advisors and then if the child was able to join us draw up a ‘contract’ between the Group and the parents stating what we can and can’t do, what help we’d need from the parents and reminding the parents that we’re not child care professionals, but we will do our best to get their child to join in and enjoy Scouting.

She was a bit shocked as a colleague of hers had been told by a client (they’re both psychologists dealing with children with special needs), that a local group had turned their child down flat!

As we’ve had two young people in the Group in the past who’d both had Asperger’s Syndrome I was a bit shocked. You don’t just say ‘No’.

Scouting should be available to all young people irrespective of their background or circumstances. Even if they couldn’t accommodate a young person with special needs, at least they should have tried and then seen if there were alternatives. Saying ‘No’ is just not on.