Scouts with an air of adventure

4:43pm Thursday 14th June 2007

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Founded in early 1937 and registered at Imperial Headquarters on December 29 that year, 4th Tolworth Air Scout Group is believed to be the oldest air scout group in the country.

The group was started as 4th Tolworth Scouts but a lack of available leaders and rationing due to the onset of World War II led to the group struggling to stay afloat only two years after its creation.

In 1944, young people in the area were evacuated to the country, causing the group yet more misery.

It is recorded that the summer camp of that year - a cycling expedition to Devon and Cornwall - involved only three young scouts.

However, despite its falling numbers and external pressures, the group has never closed in its 70-year history.

On April 1, 1941, the national scouting association created an air scout division - 4th Tolworth transferred to the new section almost immediately, becoming 4th Tolworth Air Scouts.

Since then, the group has held its weekly meetings at Our Lady Immaculate Catholic Primary School in Ewell Road, Tolworth.

Present day

4th Tolworth Air Scouts is the largest air scout group in Surrey. It was recently re-awarded prestigious RAF Recognition, allowing its scouts to participate in week-long camps in Gloucestershire with RAF pilots.

Cliff Beck, group scout leader, said: "Last year we went on camp in Kemble where the scouts were able to go paragliding, microlighting and fly in RAF planes.

"I also managed to organise the Red Arrows to do a fly-past at the end of the camp."

Air scouts have to complete three basic aviation badges. Skills to be mastered include being able to recognise aircraft, read air maps and understand navigation.

Mr Beck said: "In fact, the scouts learn anything a genuine pilot needs, but on a simpler level."

Memories

Alan Powell, 55, from Tolworth, was a venture scout leader at 4th Tolworth for six years.

He said: "I was a leader just before the scout association was reorganised and venture scouts became the explorer scouts of today.

"My son was eight at the time and a pupil at Our Lady Immaculate School and I became a parent-helper with the group when they needed a hand.

"4th Tolworth is associated with the school and we were able to use the school hall for meetings and a storage room there for our equipment.

"4th Tolworth is one of a few RAF-recognised air scout groups in the country. That means that we were able to organise for the scouts to go up in RAF planes with RAF pilots.

"We also used to take the venture scouts on camps in February, May and October, and air activity weeks in Gloucester where they would get involved in anything to do with aviation. We also arranged for them to go up in light aircrafts at Redhill.

"The idea of it all was just to have fun."

Next week: 6th Tolworth