A tradition of leading the way

5:26pm Thursday 3rd May 2007

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A booklet written by the first Scoutmaster records that 1st Tolworth began in 1907, when a group of just five boys took an interest in the ideas set out by Robert Baden-Powell in the book Scouting for Boys and asked their local curate Reggie Bullock to become their leader.

The group officially registered at Imperial Headquarters in March 1909, only one month behind 1st Kingston Hill.

"I didn’t get back to the borough until 1948, and when I did, 1st Tolworth was still doing well and the District Commissioner asked me, my father and my brother to go and rescue 6th Tolworth which was near closure. I still have my blue 1st Tolworth scarf though!”

Philip Moss

In September 1915, 1st Tolworth opened one of the first cub packs in Kingston, followed in 1918 by one of the first rover crews.

The group began meeting at St Matthew's Church Hall and only moved headquarters to Pyne Road in Tolworth in 1965, when 1st Surbiton Park closed down and moved out.

In 1991, the group had to knock down the 100-year-old hall and rebuild it after the roof became dangerously damp. In 1983, continuing its tradition of leading the way, the group opened the first beaver colony in the district.

Scouting memories

Philip Moss, 80, joined 1st Tolworth as a cub scout in 1933 as a six-year-old.

He said: "I belonged to St Matthew's Church and my father, Skipper, was assistant scout leader at the time so it was natural that I joined.

"I had been dragged along to camps and meetings in Douglas Road anyway before I joined because of my father and my older brother, who were both involved in the group.

"We used to camp at Polyapes but also on Whinney Hill in Chessington, the only scout group in the district who had permission to camp there.

"I later moved into the scout group but then the war came along. My father was called up as a civil defence worker so we saw very little of him from a scouting point of view.

"A lot of boys moved away and leaders were called up, but nevertheless the group kept going, despite only having one scout group member for a couple of months - me!

"I also remember we carried on camping at Polyapes, but we had to do it in special camouflage tents.

"In 1944, when I was 17, I became a scout leader. I was underage but I had a letter from the District Commissioner giving me permission.

"I wasn't able to do much though for the group because I joined the army almost immediately and was called up.

"I didn't get back to the borough until 1948, and when I did, 1st Tolworth was still doing well and the District Commissioner asked me, my father and my brother to go and rescue 6th Tolworth which was near closure. I still have my blue 1st Tolworth scarf though!"

The group's founding scoutmaster Reggie Bullock wrote in 1918 about the origins of 1st Tolworth, describing how five or six boys had decided to hold a competition as to who could find the greatest number of old birds' nests on a single country walk.

He wrote: "Then we were soon in the midst of the mysteries of knot tying, the scout law and the Union Jack. One by one, we added to our numbers."

During World War I, 1st Tolworth scouts guarded local railway bridges and lines.

He wrote: "Night after night, the boys were out on their lonely and rather eerie task and never were volunteers lacking.

"Right well does Surbiton and Tolworth show the keeness they put into blowing the all-clear after air raids. It is not quite so well known that this often meant a four-hour wait at the police station on a bitterly cold night and no time off from work the next day to make up for lost sleep."

• See next week's Surrey Comet for a feature on 3rd kingston scout group.