Memories as a Boy Scout - Alan Keighley |
These memories are from days before Political Correctness,
Elf & Safety, and the Compensayshun Culture were the norm. The
events simply could not happen today.
113th North London Scout Troop - St. Philips
Church, Philip Lane, Tottenham.
The first house next door in Philip Lane was a Dr.s surgery and when occasionally we lit fires in the piece of waste ground behind the hut and the smoke blew in the direction of the surgery we got complaints. Meetings were held in
the Church Hall on a Friday night, Wolf Cubs first about six oclock and Boy Scouts
about seven oclock. When I first joined the
cubs they were run by
.. Southgate and his sister. I never knew his Christian name.
In those days many people were always referred to by their nicknames. His nickname was
Nugget . They lived in Alton Road, in a house that almost backed onto ours at
14 Lismore Road. I went up into the
Scouts in 1947 after I was eleven. My brother was four years older so was already in the
Scouts. |
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St Phillips Church Hall |
Exactly when the 113th was founded I dont know,
but we had a black scarf with a one inch white trim, and on the back a diamond shaped
badge with the sword Excaliber embroidered in it. Again I dont know why
that emblem was chosen. Pictured left is the presentation of the 'Hill' trophy in at the church hall in 1955. China (Centre Back Row) has awarded trophies to the winners. The only one I can still recognise is Michael Robinson holding the silver cup. |
The Scoutmaster was Sidney Forty, but always called
China. He had been in the Army but demobbed by 1947/1948. He worked for the
Transport and General Workers Union, and had a twin brother - I think Reg, who was not
involved at all with the scouts. China got married at St. Philips and I have a photo. Assistant Scout Masters were Brian Tanner and
Derek Martin. |
Other Scouts I
remember and have in some photos were:
Alan Lockwood
(Dumbo) who died January 2009, John Langford, Raymond Neilsen, George Killingback, Terry
Lockyer, Roger Ward, Philip Whitehead (his father Tom Whitehead was the Rover Scout
Leader), Michael Newmarch, the Hazel brothers (Spud and Spiv), Michael Robinson, John
Coote, Paul Godfrey, John Cooper, Michael Shelley, Mickey Abbott,
. Stephens
We would go camping
at Easter and Whitsun to Debden, in Essex. The other side of the field fence was the
Epping Forest. We only cooked on wood fires so wood collection parties went out every day
and came back carrying stretchers, one boy at each corner, with a pile of wood of all
sizes. The thin sticks we would chop up with hand axes and the thicker ones with felling
axes.
The greatest
embarrassment was to have you parents come down on Sunday afternoon to visit the camp.
Ours never did. The Mum always wanted to see where her little lad was sleeping.
Summer camps with the Scouts were held at: 1950 at Kilve, in
North Somerset. 1951 at Shalfleet
on the Isle of Wight 1953 at Coombe
Valley, Cornwall, together with members of the 106th Group and Sea Scouts 1954 in the New
Forest, nr. Brockenhurst I think 1952 was
Dorset, but I didn't go for some reason or other. |
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Back
Row starting on the right with the Sea Scout Skipper in the cap - he was John Styles, then
working towards the left across the back row, R. Gray, J. Piert, Michael Newmarch,
three sea scouts, the Vicar of Morwenstow, two unknowns, Roger Ward, Myself, Terry
Lockyer, George Killingback, K. Williams, C. Lucas, H. Oliver Middle
Row seated extreme left Derek Martin On
the ground extreme left 'Spud' Hazel in the beret, then Michael Robinson That
is all I can identify |
I was in the Rover
Scouts when I went into the RAF to do my National Service in 1954.
Alan Keighley - April 2009