A long, distinguished history (From Surrey Comet)

A long, distinguished history

5:19pm Wednesday 11th April 2007

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1st Kingston Hill is one of the few scout groups in Kingston with an uninterrupted history dating from 1908.

When first formed, it began meeting in Thatched House Lodge in Richmond Park or around Ham Common, before moving to St Paul's School and then Park Road in Kingston.

“I remember teaching the cubs one evening about star constellations, and in particular about one called Cassiopeia. This little boy came running up to me the following week saying ‘I’ve seen it, Akela. Cassius Clay, I’ve seen it!’.”

Edna Day

In January 1909, after only nine weeks in existence, numbers had already increased to 12, forming two scout patrols - Wolves and Peewits.

There are few records pertaining to the 1st Kingston Hill scouts in their 100-year history, but one in particular can be found in the Surrey Comet itself - in November 1915, the troop was presented with a bugle by Basil Philpott, organist of the Chapel Royal, and mention was made of its help to "the military authorities, the Mayor and Corporation, the Education Committee and the Hospital Committee".

During World War One, the scouts did their duty by signalling warnings for Zeppelin air raids with maroons and sounded the all clear by cycling around Kingston blowing their bugles. In December 1918, the troop received a silver bugle from Norbiton Bowling Club in what the Surrey Comet tartly described as "the first, and so far only, public recognition of the useful work which scouts have performed during the war".

The Rover Crew was first formed in 1919, with a cub pack founded on December 12 the following year.

Subscriptions at the time were only one penny per week and stayed at that level until 1935. The freehold for land on the Farm Estate in the Tudor Drive area was bought in 1923 for £500, with a view to erecting a permanent headquarters.

Most of the money was raised by selling low interest bonds to friends and parents.

The Chief Scout, Lord Baden-Powell, was asked to be the architect of the building, but had to decline the offer due to pressures of work.

On November 5, 1924, the headquarters were officially opened, but running water was not installed until 1932.

But the arrival of running water did not bring the scouts flooding in, and 1932 was in fact a bad year for 1st Kingston Hill, because membership of the cub pack fell to just seven and fears were expressed that until the pack headquarters was moved to Kingston Hill, there could be very little chance of an increase in strength.

The 1st Coombe Pack had already expressed a wish to become attached to 1st Kingston Hill and the two cub packs eventually combined under the leadership of Miss Clifton of Coombe.

During World War Two, the group was run by a committee of six boys after the scoutmaster was evacuated, and in 1943 all social functions at the hut had to be postponed after it was damaged in an air raid. By 1945, the cub pack had grown so large that it had to be split into two, each with 30 boys.

Over the next 60 years, information about the group is scarce, with reports surfacing infrequently about repairs to the hut and summer fetes.

Memories of 1st Kingston

Edna Day, 74, became Akela of the 1st Kingston Hill cub packs, Normans and Vikings, in the 1960s, after her son joined the group.

She said: "Paul joined the cubs aged eight because it was a very active pack at the time. He went on camp for a weekend, the first time he'd been away from home and he had such a good time that I went to thank the then-Akela.

"He happened to mention they were looking for more help so I joined up. Six weeks later, I was in uniform!

"I remember teaching the cubs one evening about star constellations, and in particular about one called Cassiopeia. This little boy came running up to me the following week saying I've seen it, Akela. Cassius Clay, I've seen it!'."

Walter White, a master at St Paul's School, was the founding scoutmaster for 1st Kingston Hill. In his memoirs, he wrote: "The year was 1908 ... when for the first time in my life I saw a scout and found out what scouting meant.

"It happened during a walk I was taking in Richmond Park early one Saturday afternoon. Just after entering Kingston Gate, I saw four or five boys dressed up in what I thought was a funny rig-out. Three had scout hats, one or two had shoulder knobs and all had broomsticks.

"Well-filled haversacks - made and stocked by mother - promised an expedition of some sort or other into the land of make believe. This was their complete uniform. They had no scout shirt, belts, shorts or scarves.

"However, what they lacked in uniform they made up for in keeness and enthusiasm.

"To my surprise, as I walked past them, I was greeted with a smart salute, and then I observed that all the boys were attending the school at which I was a master. We became friends at once, and they all began to explain why they were in uniform and what they were doing."

Mr White recalled that his fledgling group had no money, no headquarters, nothing except Scouting for Boys and half a dozen eager lads under 12.

Meetings were held in Richmond Park or Ham Common, where all important decisions were made, including one to allow only boys from St Paul's School to join.

He continued: "In our wanderings we had seen other scouts about and found they belonged to the 1st Kingston group under a Mr Gerald O'Rourke and to the 1st Surrey troop, under a Mr Gay.

"The thing to do in those days was to be "first" something or other, we called ourselves "1st Kingston Hill."

• To read a detailed history of 1st Kingston Hill scouts click here
• See next week's Surrey Comet for a feature on scout bands from 1st Hook, 2nd Hook and Kingston and Malden

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