The foundation of the 1st Northwood Boy Scout Troop
dates back to 17 August 1914, within two weeks after the outbreak of the First
World War. This is almost certainly not a coincidence, since at that time
Scouts were assisting the war effort by guarding bridges and telephone lines,
patrolling coastal cliffs with the coastguard, and providing a messenger
service for the police. It is believed that the first Scoutmaster of the Troop,
Miss A Townsend, regarded her work with the scouts in the early years as a
contribution to the war effort.
That meeting in Chester Road on 17 August 1914 was
attended by 13 1ocal people, including two doctors, local clergy, a bank
manager, a school master and of course Miss Townsend. It was resolved to form a
Troop of Boy Scouts with Miss Townsend as Scoutmaster. Those present were to
constitute "the Local Association for the two parishes of Northwood"
and hoped to form further troops in the future. An Executive Committee was
formed undertaking the financial support for the Troop.
Scouts were to provide their own uniforms costing:
Hat 1/-
Long sleeved khaki shirt 2/6d
Navy blue shorts 1 /6d
Troop scarf (green) 6d
A nucleus of 8 boys was to come from the National
Schools on the Pinner - Rickmansworth Road. The headquarters were initially a
shed on Foxlees New Farm. There is no record of the Troops activities in the
early years, but by 1916 there were 30 boys in the Troop, and a Wolf Cub Pack
had also been formed. Some of the older boys wanted more active service and
combined with boys from the Pinner Troop to form a unit of the Scouts Defence
Corps who trained in drill and marksmanship and wore a red feather in their
hats after passing proficiency tests.
Scouts from the 1st Northwood later helped to form
other Troops. Jack Carr, a 1st Northwood Scout in 1917, later becoming A,S.L,
SL, and then their first Group Scoutmaster. George Wilson founded the 5th
Northwood at Holy Trinity.
The premises at Foxlees New Farm deteriorated rather
quickly and in 1921 the Troop moved into a small hut adjacent to the bridge on
Rickmansworth Road, provided by Mr. Harry Neal. A Rover Crew was formed in the
same year. In those days it was usual to put on an annual Troop Show, the
earliest recorded being in 1922 in the Mens' Club and in 1924 there was a
combined concert put on by 1st and 2nd Northwood. The 1931 show had two
sketches by the Scouts and a demonstration of fencing, whilst the Cubs put on
their own separate show with a short play, and 24 cubs gave a waxworks show!
Boxing was encouraged. 1st Northwood
had a punch ball, and competed with 5th Northwood for boxing medals. There was
a football club and a cricket team. For a time the Troop had a band, but later
bugle bands were prohibited in the Scouts, and the instruments were sold to the
Boys Brigade.
In the 1920s the 1st Northwood had their own
permanent camp site near Ruislip Reservoir. The first recorded camp in the
District was in 1921 when the troop went to Bourne End. Camping was a frequent
activity, with weekend camps throughout the year in addition to Easter, Whitsun
and Summer camps.
In 1924 1st Northwood scouts camped at the Wembley
Imperial Jamboree, and in the same year the scoutmaster accompanied 4 scouts to
the Second International Jamboree in Holland.
By 1932 there were two Cub Packs in the Group. They
had their own trek cart and tents.
The Group again moved to new premises in 1933, this
time to a brick built headquarters near Robarts Farm in Acre Way. Later the
site was required by the Pinner + District Memorial Hospital (who subsequently
used the building as a store) and the Group had to move yet again in 1938 to
Council owned land in Northwood Way where a timber headquarters was built (on a
site now occupied by Hillside School).
Through the 1930s the Group arranged concert shows
at annual intervals, involving fairly intensive coaching of the boys, whilst a
number of turns were contributed by local talent from outside the Group.
Unfortunately no programmes of these events seem to have survived.
During the Second World War there was an acute
shortage of leaders and a number of groups in the District had to close.
However the 1st Northwood continued to be successfully run by two of the older
scouts, Michael Taylor and Brian Burshall. It is a measure of their success
that by the end of the war in 1 94S the Group had 30 scouts and 15 cubs. A
Parents' Committee was then formed, and it was resolved to recruit leaders as
soon as possible and to explore methods of raising funds. Leaders seem to have
been recruited fairly quickly, but in spite of a flurry of fund-raising
activities money was short for several years. The Cub Pack grew quickly under the
two new leaders and by 1949 when the Group celebrated 35 years of Scouting,
there were 36 boys in the Pack, and 31 in the Troop, with long waiting lists.
However, the group at this time was constrained by a shortage of funds, and in
1948 when the leaders asked for worn out camping equipment, tents and cooking
equipment to be replaced, they were told there was never more than 62 in the
kitty.
In 1956 the Group had to move again, this time to a
newly built headquarters on the Hogs Back - the present site. It had been hoped
to build a brick building, but this was prevented by the Council who insisted
on a less permanent structure with planning permission reviewed every 5
years.
Also in 1956 the Senior Scouts went camping in Luxembourg, but by the next year they were suffering from the lack of a Senior Scoutmaster, resulting in the boys losing interest. The Seniors were temporarily disbanded in 1958, to be reformed a year or two later. There was a serious shortage of leaders at this time, and following the retirement of the Akela, the two Cub Packs were merged into one in 1958.
In the 1960s the Group became relatively prosperous relying on a well run Jumble Sale for fund raising. Regular and frequent camps were held together with night hikes, parties and outings. For several years the boys did a Christmas Good Turn, raising money by the sale of Christmas cards which was then spent on parcels for needy elderly people in the district, or a cash donation was made to the Derby and Joan club. Canoes were purchased, at least one of them in kit form for assembly by the boys.
The 1970s were times of varying levels of activity. In 1971 there were about 30 scouts in the Troop, but due to serious leadership problems later in that year the members plummeted to 8, and there were no Scout leaders at all. In fact there were only three leaders in the Group. A Scout leader was appointed in Summer 1972 and thereafter the Troop grew steadily, as the new leaders, with commendable vigour and enthusiasm, introduced a programme of varied activities. Unfortunately the Cub Pack encountered a similar problem in 1973 when both leaders left within a short space of time. For some months the Pack was kept going by the GSL with some parent help and it was in serious danger of closing until a new leader was found in November 1973. Under the new leadership both Scouts and Cubs prospered.
The year 1974 marked the 60th Anniversary of the Group and several events were held to celebrate the occasion (including the laying of our first carpet in the hall of the headquarters! ) The Cubs had a party and a week of activities. A weekend Father and Son Camp was held on a farm in Cowley on the Sunday of which there was an open day with barbeque lunch for boys, parents and guests. Over 100 people attended this day of activities, the forerunner of the Cowley Day-Out which followed a similar pattern of sports, activities plus scouting demonstrations, with an excellent cooked lunch and a tea, for over ten years. Also in this year the Scouts put on a play. There were two performances, the second one being to an invited audience of old age pensioners.
Another play was performed in 1975, this being only one of a broad range of Scout activities which also included night hikes, canoeing, rock climbing and abseiling, and of course weekend and summer camps.
By 1976 there were 30 Cubs and 33 Scouts, of whom 5 held the Chief Scouts Award, The Scout Troop camped in France in 1977, their first overseas visit. As an example of the varied programme of the Troop at that time, one remembers a dinner prepared for the Committee members and guests by the Scouts in 1978, as part of their proficiency badge work. This was a four course meal beautifully cooked and presented as part of a very convivial evening.
Unfortunately the cycle of good and bad periods continued. Whilst the Cubs continued to flourish to the extent that there was a waiting list of about 20 above the full Pack complement of 30, the Troop was again short of leaders, and numbers fell to 12 Scouts by 1979. The appointment of a new Scout Leader and A S L led to a gradual increase in boys up to 20. In recent years the position has been fairly stable. The Cub Pack has always been full, with a good range of activities arranged by excellent leaders. In the Scouts we have also been fortunate in our leaders. In 1985 the Group was the first in the district to found a Beaver Colony for boys aged 6 to 8.
As the 1st Northwood completes its 75th Year of continuous scouting, it is in a flourishing condition. All the sections are active and enjoying good scouting and we are fortunate to have a total of 1 4 warranted leaders and 3 instructors. The Beaver Colony has 20 boys and has taken part in county events such as the "Beaver Bonanza" as well as District activities. The Cubs have 28 boys and have been to camp twice this year as well as winning the District football competition and gaining 10 Bronze, 4 Silver and 2 Gold Arrows plus 40 proficiency badges.
There are 21 Scouts of whom 13 gained their Scout award, 1 his Pathfinder and 3 their Explorer's badge, In addition 3 Scouts are on the verge of gaining their Chief Scouts Award. The Troop have camped in the Peak District, gone rock climbing and canoeing and earned a total of 42 Proficiency badges in the last year. This year they will camp in the Republic of Ireland.
A Venture Scout Unit has recently been formed and has already taken part in the County pancake race at Chalfont Heights as well as performing a conservation project in Northwood and are busy preparing a Summer expedition. There is a strong and active Executive Committee supporting the leaders and boys and the jumble sale this year took well in excess of £5,000.
The occasion of the 75th Anniversary is being celebrated by a Reunion Dinner, Group photographs and a day out for the boys.
The Group looks forward to celebrating its centenary in 2014
Acknowledgement: The story of Scouting in Northwood
and Eastcote 1914- 1967 by F. Edwards