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1st Whitstable
Scouts
In recent weeks, we have continued to collect
material in our move towards a permanent feature on the 1st
Whitstable Scouts. The collection has been boosted by a range of
fascinating photos kindly supplied by Chris Nutten. However,
before we take a look, I would like to remind former scouts of
this message from Lawrence Wells...
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1st Whitstable
Scouts Centenary
It's the 1st Whitstable Scouts centenary
this year. We are throwing a large tea party for present
& past members on.....
Sunday
14th June at Scout Headquarters.
We wish to contact as many past members
as we can. Please e-mail...
groupexec@sky.com
or write to..
Lawrence
Wells, Group chairman c/o 12 Linnet Avenue, Whitstable
Kent CT5 4TN
Thanks
Lawrence
Wells
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We know that quite a few of our readers were
scouts in bygone days and we would urge them to email Lawrence at the
address shown. In the meantime, let's get back to Chris Nutten's
photos....
Gang Show
I was never a scout but I do remember being part
of the audience at the Scout's Hall in Acton Road for an
annual event that was synonymous with scouting ..... The Gang
Show. In those days, the Scout Hall was a corrugated
iron building (possibly painted green) and it had a
"church" look about it. Recently, I discovered the
reason for that ecclesiastic air.The structure had served as St Peters church in
Sydenham Street until 1924 when it was purchased by the scouts for
£100 and transported to Acton Road!
The photo below provides evidence of those happy
nights.....
Chris tells me that the gang shows were more
usually held at the Congregational Hall in Middle Wall. This
may have been the case when the show became too big for the scout
hall. Can anyone come up with a date, location and names for the
scene above?
Scout Camp -
1955
Of course, scouting means canvas and outdoor
living... at least once a year. This lovely shot shows the
marquee at the Scout Camp of 1955.....
The couple on the left will be well known to
former 1st Whitstable Scouts worldwide. They are Chris's aunt
(Elsie Nutten) and uncle (Cecil Nutten). Elsie was Akale.
I must admit that the other faces in the photo
seem familiar and I am sure our readers will be able to come up
with names. They may also be able to help with the location. Chris
has a record of it being Fairlight Green. There are Fairlight villages in both Surrey and
Sussex..... but were either relevant to the photo?
Comment on Scout Camp Photo of
1955
| The leaders in the 1955 1st Whistable
scout camp photo are...
Standing L to R: Elsie Nutten, Cecil
Nutten, Keith Foster,
John Janes aka JJ,
Kneeling: Bill Carney, Don Jones,
Of the 5 camps I attended from 1952 to 1956 3 were
at Fairlight Glen and 2 at Shalford near Guilford.
Bill Leeden
Hemel Hempstead
Herts |
| Our Reply: Thanks, Bill. You've tied that
photo very nicely for us |
A Later Scout
Camp
Chris has supplied a range of photos from another
camp from the 1960s or, possibly, early 1970s. I will leave you
with his captions and comments....
| Above: "Skipper David Butcher
(seated) holds court surrounded by (standing from left to right)...
John Keam, Peter Brooks, David Hancock, Paul Diment and
Robin Davis"
Below: "This is Robin Davies and batman,
Andy West. Note the 'mug trees' on the right.
Making a 'mug tree' was always the first project
when we pitched tent. Robin later played in a local
band called Saffron Wax. I remember seeing them at
the building that is now The Whistlestop
Restaurant". |
| Above: "This shot shows the
marquee (on the left) at the heart of the camp. It is
where everything happened. Notice the kit laid out for
inspection by Skip and his team.
Below: "Time to pack up and go
home" |
A Scout Chat
Column!
Simply Whitstable wasn't the first organisation to
have a Chat column. The Scouts had one back in 1970 - long before
the worldwide web arrived. This copy has been carefully preserved
by Chris for 40 years.....
... and it contains evidence of yet more scout
activities with reports of two victories on the football picth.....
By now, you will realise that, wherever there was
a Whitstable team, there was a member of the Nutten family, In this
case its "C Nutten"..... and he scored hat tricks in successive
games!
The note from Skipper David Butcher below refers to a
district camp site at Wealden Woodlands.....
This is located on the main Herne Bay-Canterbury
Road and is now a busy wildlife and business park. In those days,
of course, it was a quiet and fairly remote spot.
Our Thanks
Many thanks to Chris for taking the time to scan
and forward all this material. It is much appreciated by both me
and our readers.
Comments on
Scout Articles
I was a member of the 1st
Whitstable Scout Group 1936-1953.
The Gang shows that I participated in sometime between 1943-1946
were staged at the Parish Hall, Oxford Street.
The Scout Hall in Acton Road was dark red/maroon.
In the picture of the scout camp 1955 the person with a moustache
on the right at the front (squatting) is Don Jones. The location
is probably Fairlight Glen, Sussex just east of Hastings on the
coast. I attended at least one camp at Fairlight sometime around
1947.
Robert F Brett
Victoria
BC
Canada |
| Our Reply: Many thanks for filling in some
of the gaps, Robert. As I am colour blind, I am not
surprised that I thought the scout hall was green!!!!
PS I have replicated your comments in the Visitors Book
(entry date 19/5/09) to ensure a wider audience for the
data you have supplied. |
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I was a member of the First Whitstable Scouts,
late 50s to early 60s and appeared in numerous gang shows at the
Congregational Hall. I was proud to be patrol leader of Wood
Pigeon patrol, taking over from Eric Spratling. Roy
Campbell was seconder. I think Sherry Clark is at the back on the
right of the first photo.
We used to camp at South Street on Bartletts Farm,
I recall, and also at Folkestone. The scout hut was maroon, later
painted green. I remember having great fun and being allowed to
carry a sheath knife big enough to gut a buffalo with [worn low on
the hip of course] and purchased from Boultings along with the
catapult. By 'eck, we were armed to the teeth.
Keith foster was skip. Dave Butchers dad was
second, Trevor Watson and Joey Keats ran a great gym club and the
band was pretty good as well. A good place to be on Monday nights.
George Henry Goldfinch
Whitstable
14 August 2009 |
| Our Reply: Thanks, George. I am glad
you have confirmed that the scout hall was painted green
for a while!! I was beginning to think that I was even
more colour-blind than I thought I was!!!!! It's
hard to believe how "tooled up" youngsters were
allowed to be in those days. Apart from sheath knives,
Boultings also sold air pistols and rifles - all without
the need for a license. PS As
it is some time since the scouts article was published, I
have replicated your message in the Visitors Book.. |
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