Category: Scouts

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Scouting Blogs

I’ve been reading the blogs of the three Scout Leaders linked on the right for a while now and very interesting they are too. I can’t remember how I found them initially, but they are worth a read. The only thing is, I can’t seem to find comparative blogs from UK Leaders. Now, the three Scouters in the States only talk about their Scouting on their blogs, where as I go on about anything that comes to mind, but still I can’t find anything comparable in this country.

I do find it interesting to see the US perspective, but I would like to see what my fellow Scouters in this country have to say!

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Remembering

After the Remembrance Day service at Church on Sunday, which, incidentally was quite well attended by the Beavers, Cubs & Scouts, I got home and after lunch got a phone call from our Assistant Cub Leader.
His Dad had shown him some photographs of some old Porthill Scouts, who were distant relatives of his, and were not mentioned on the Church's war memorial. It seems that our Troop had, in effect, two Troops. Our Church had a daughter church at Longbridge Hayes and the Troop had a patrol, Bulldog, based there. The two brothers in the photograph were both in Army uniform. One was killed in 1916 and the other in 1918. From what I've been told so far, all the members of Bulldog Patrol died in the Great War. All their names are listed on the old Church's war memorial and this still survives. If fact, I believe that the names of the dead are listed in the Book of Remembrance that is displayed in our Church.
As the Beavers & Cubs are meeting at Church tomorrow night, I think I will pop in and see if I can borrow the book. I'm pleased to say that I've found the two who have been brought to my attention on the Commonwealth War Graves website, Once I've found all the info on Bulldog Patrol, I'll be adding them to the Scout's Remembrance website.
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Remembrance Day

In Flanders Fields

by John McCrae, May 1915

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep,
though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
 
 
poppy11.gif
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Camping with Cubs

Just back from a weekends camping at Kibblestone with our Cubs and those from 99th Berry Hill. We stayed in the Cub Lair (it’s too cold for Cubs to sleep in a tent at this time of year) which I haven’t been in for years. I managed to go in the sleeping / activity area before the kids arrived and it smelt like it did when I was a kid of 3 when Mum & Dad took me to District Cub camps! Can’t beat a good wooden polished floor!

 lair.jpg

The classic Cub Lair in the Autumn shot!

We had a good weekend and the kids were a good bunch and generally well behaved, well as much as 28 Cubs can be! The only exception was that they didn’t go to sleep properly until 3 am on Friday night! No such problems on the Saturday night though!

As we had a bit of a past, present and future theme going on, I finally got to wear my original 1930’s Scout hat I bought earlier this year.

Me in Scout hat

I had been feeling a bit jealous of BuffaloEagle, the Lone Star Scouter from Texas in the USA, as I’d been reading his Blog last week and in all of his photos there is a clear blue sky! All the times I’ve been camping this year, it’s rained! So of course as we were sleeping indoors this time, the weather was lovely, clear and not a drop of rain. It was a bit chilly, bit it is November after all! See here for all the photos.

There was a ceremony at the camp to commemorate an old District Treasurer that I went to while we were at camp. The District had donated some money in his memory to do up the archery area. Very nice it was too. While I was there though, I saw one of my old primary school teachers and his wife. I haven’t seen him for a good few years. He was taught at school by my Grandpa, he taught me and my sister and then some years later moved into the house next door to my other Grandma and Grandad! Small world really!

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A Second Century!

Just been reading more about Scouting’s centenary celebrations (see the Telegraph) and it’s just occurred to me that Scouting has now entered its second century!
1907 was a good year. Mum’s parents were born and Scouting started!
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Scouting is 100

Happy Birthday to us…..!!!!!Laughing Birthday Cake 
Just got back from our District's Sunrise Ceremony at Apedale. It was a nice sunny morning and quite a lot of Beavers, Cubs, Scouts etc. turned up, which was quite impressive as it's the school holidays. It was a good place to have it as you could look across the majority of North Staffordshire.  See some photos here.

The press coverage on Scouting is still positive – see here for example. It seems that the Centenary celebrations and the Jamboree are all having positive reactions!

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Scouting is ‘A Good Thing’

Reading through the various websites and newspapers yesterday and today, it seems that the general opinion is that Scouting is a good thing! Wow what a shocker! It's nice that the positive aspects are being promoted and not just the usual piss takes. Not a mention of Dyb Dyb Dyb (stands for Do Your Best. Dob stands for Do Our Best – now you know!). Not that those phrases have been used for nearly 40 years!
The Scout Association's PR machine is doing really well in this our centenary year and with the Jamboree going on.
The general opinion is that Scouting is a good influence on young people and is a good influence. I'm sure BP must be impressed! 
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Name a Train

Looks like one of the train operating companies is to name a locomotive with a Scouting name.
Naming a locomotive with a Scouting related name is not a new idea.

In the 1930's the London Midland and Scottish Railway named one of it's Royal Scot locomotives, number 6169, The Boy Scout. They also named one, number 6168, The Girl Guide.
In the 1950's British Railways named a Britannia class locomotive, number 70045, after the then current Chief Scout, Lord Rowallen.
I'm interested to know which TOC it is. How about 'The Scout'?
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Cub Camp

Well, I have to admit, I really enjoyed myself this weekend! That was the first camp I’ve been on for ages I’ve enjoyed.
I think it was because I wasn’t in charge and I wasn’t continually having to tell the kids what to do. The last few Scout camps I did were hell because the kids had to be constantly supervised as they hadn’t got a clue! They just didn’t have any idea how to do simple things like cooking beans, washing dishes etc.!

Also, although it was cold, I didn’t freeze to death!

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Helpers 3

For some reason (not complaining though), the Senticomic published my press release about us needing leaders for the Scout Group again. They did manage to mangle it again!

Total number of phone calls ZERO, none, nothing! So thanks people of North Staffordshire, that confirms what I've thought for a while, no-one cares about anything but themselves! 

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Helpers

Why is it people say that they will help out with Scouts, sound really interested and enthusiastic and then suddenly drop out?

I've had this happen 4 times this year and it's starting to get annoying. Either you want to help or you don't, just don't string people along!