MEMORIES AND REFLECTIONS

Whilst tidying my study recently I came across an old, one inch to the mile Ordnance Survey map of Dartmoor. Marked upon it was a route I had walked in the summer of 1965 as a senior scout. This made me wonder about my companions on that trip and what had happened to my old scout troop. A Google search found the troop’s website. The historical section and photographs stimulated memories of people I had known and places I had visited. To see photographs and film of many fellow scouts and our leaders, as well as a few of myself, has stirred other recollections. So I have recorded some memories of scouting in the 1950s and 1960s and the influence it has had on my life.

First some dates. I joined the 2nd Southampton ‘B’ Cub Pack in 1957, moved to the scout troop in 1960 and then the senior scouts in 1964. I left as a Queen’s Scout in 1967. Life was very different 50-60 years ago, and so was scouting.

Central to the Group’s existence and functioning at that time were the Longhurst and Penfold families whose commitment and energy were major factors in the continuity and popularity of the 2nd Southampton Scout Group.

The Arthur Dawkins Hall was the base for all the Group’s activities and I vaguely remember a short extension was built in my early days. The hall was surrounded by a lot of old housing which was redeveloped in the mid 1960s. Then the access was from Stratton Road.

The cub pack was my introduction to organisations outside of school though my memories of the pack are limited. One was an overnight stay at the Scout Hut with cubs from both packs. I cannot remember any activities except having to sleep in blankets on the floor. The other occasion was the wedding of Akela and being part of a cubs’ guard of honour outside St James's church following the ceremony.

My memories of the scout troop are clearer. ‘Paddy’ Penfold was “skipper” and assisted by several scouters. The names MacNally, Glass and Sutton come to mind but not first names. In those days we wore shorts and wide brimmed hats. The meetings were structured and we were taught all manner of things, many of which have been of significant use in later life. There was also encouragement to acquire badges. I remember ‘Bob a Job Week’ but with no great affection. I realised the necessity to raise funds for Scouting but was reluctant to knock on doors. I felt it was often an imposition on those who, perhaps, benefited from my labours. The Group also ran Jumble Sales and Summer Fairs to raise fund

As well as learning practical skills and achieving badges scouting was also about forming and developing a positive and responsible character as set out in the scout promise and laws. These are arguably some of the most important of all the influences that scouting has on its members.

A notable feature of these scouting days were camps and hikes. The practical culmination of the map reading and basic camping skills we had been taught were 8 mile and 15 mile hikes. The latter had to include an overnight camp and we had to carry all our kit.

My first troop camp was on Ober Heath, in the New Forest, in the summer of 1961. My patrol, under the leadership of Alan Carter, had a cottage tent which was roomy but awkward to pitch. The need to dig fire pits and erect camp kitchens was fun but cooking on open fires in all weathers often resulted in food that was barely edible. The concept of ‘burn, bash and bury’ to get rid of rubbish was new to me. The siting and digging of latrines, whilst vital, was an obsession with the leaders. The senior scouts did some pioneering, erecting an aerial runway and a rope bridge over a stream. These became part of an assault course over which the patrols competed against each other. The race was chaotic not least as it included pulling the trek cart and transporting it across the stream in pieces and reassembling it on the other side. The week was a very enjoyable experience and I always looked forward to summer camps. The trek cart was used a lot and I recall loading it with equipment and tugging it to Rownham's Farm for patrol camping weekends. Of course the roads were not so busy then.

In time I went into the senior scouts with Bill Smith as leader assisted by Harry Penfold (senior) and Bob Day. There was the opportunity to plan for and take badges such as in first aid or expeditions (Explorer badge) which were part of the qualifications for the Queen Scout award.

Most enjoyable and challenging were the exercises and expeditions. The Civil Defence (CD) organisation, which remained from World War 2, ran regular exercises to maintain their skills in search and rescue. Senior scouts were among the volunteers to be casualties for these exercises. Suitably ‘made up’ to mimic serious injuries (broken limbs, head injuries, large bleeding wounds, etc) we would be allocated to old buildings in a disaster site and the CD would come and rescue us. Of course, we ensured we were in the most inaccessible places. One exercise was in the then empty housing around the Arthur Dawkins Hall, just before these were demolished. Another was in the army's training village of Imber on Salisbury Plain.

Scout run competitive exercises between troops included ’Q~Du’*, a night hike where each team encountered incidents to be dealt with. First aid, pioneering problems and other tests of skills, initiative and leadership were set and our performance assessed. On a similar exercise we were thrown a dead rabbit and told to prepare supper! There were also hiking competitions of over 20 miles to navigate to check points and so to find on our way to the finish.

We also arranged our own activities such as hike camping in the New Forest. A particularly notable trek and camp was 50 miles around the Isle of Wight with Tony Penfold and Teddy Olden. Over 5 days we walked in a very cold, windy and wet Easter holiday. In the summer of 1965 Tony Penfold, Mike Ford and I completed a 50 mile, 5 day hike camp around Dartmoor, the route of which was marked on the map I mentioned earlier.** Of necessity we had to carry all our rations. It was wild and boggy country, hard work but an exhilarating expedition.

In 1966 ‘Black Prince” was a Hampshire, Senior Scout, expedition to Austria. Mr Boyd-Wallis was one of the leaders and organisers. Each group had separate routes for a 7 day hike in the north of the country and it was an opportunity to explore a foreign land and meet some of the population. It ended with a mass camp near Vienna. What an eye opening experience for my first trip abroad.

Scouting and the rest of my life:

I would like to think that some of my character traits were also positively influenced by scouting. In addition to the encouragement of my parents and teachers, Scouting was a significant influence on my choice of career. First aid as taught to me in the cubs and scouts fascinated me and was part of my decision to read Medicine at university. I subsequently became a surgeon, where it was fundamental to be able to tie a firm and secure reef knot!

An appreciation of being active outdoors, particularly in the countryside, has remained with me. Among my best memories are hiking and camping trips. I really enjoy being in wild, natural environments; cities I shun. Yes, it can be cold, wet and dispiriting at times but the ability to overcome such problems is very satisfying and even elating when the trip is completed. In retirement I am fortunate to live in a village in NW Herefordshire. I am within easy reach of the Black Mountains, Brecon Beacons and Radnor Hills and walk regularly, currently up to 15 miles in a day. In addition in recent years trips to NW Scotland, the Lake District and recently the Yorkshire Dales have provided the stimulation and challenge of energetic hikes in beautiful hill country.

My walking and occasional camping trips have not been limited to the UK. I've trekked in several European countries, New Zealand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Nepal and Patagonia. I spent my 52nd birthday camping at the Rombuck Monastery on the Tibetan approach to Everest having just circumnavigated Mt Kailash in the far west of the country.

Scouting was a great, formative and significant influence on my life. It helped shape my life and character. I owe a major debt of gratitude to the 2nd Southampton Group, its leaders and my fellow cubs and scouts. May the troop continue to inspire and develop the youth of today.

Peter Harper. October 2022