Soham Grammarians - Scouting School Year 1966-67

Summer Camp 1966 saw us visit the Lake District where we camped at Great Tower, Windermere. 10 Senior Scouts travelled north up the A1 and after an uneventful journey reached the site to find it raining! The Warden gleefully told us that this was the first rain for three weeks - little consolation to us especially as it rained intermittently for the whole fortnight. We shall never forget hearing the final of the World Cup lying in a sodden tent with the steady drip failing to dampen our spirits.

The whole parry climbed Hellvelyn and enjoyed the exhilaration of Striding Edge even though it was so crowded that lights were almost necessary. Surprisingly it was the veterans of the party, Fernie and Mr Rennison who elected to return by a longer route. A later expedition conquered Scafell Pike where our efforts were rewarded by dense cloud on the summit and torrential rain for the descent - Bush really began to appreciate what relief rain meant. Another day saw us scale the Longdale Pikes; we divided into two parties, one going straight up the steep scree slope and the other taking a more gradual but much longer route. Rather surprisingly we arrived at the top simultaneously. Other activities included Venturer Hikes, building a bridge across one of the many streams which flow through the site, sailing on Lake Windermere under Fernie's expert guidance, and a visit to the world's first atomic power station at Calder Hall.

September saw the resumption of routine Senior Scouting with greater numbers than ever, but some lack in enthusiasm. Successful courses were run for the Meteorologist and Ambulance Badges though the latter failed to ensure that we held the County Ambulance Trophy at the competition held in March. A great deal of work has been done on the Scout HQ and all the Seniors have helped at some time or another; there is no doubt that Bush was the most stalwart helper and he was a worthy winner of the Platt Memorial Prize.

Early in the year RD Edmunds won his Queen's Scout Badge and 3 others have been won recently by TT Pennick, TL Leonard and WK Wheeler. These will be presented at the official opening of our HQ in October - we hope!

At the end of July 13 Seniors left to camp in Ireland under Mr AG Cornell, an experienced Rover Leader. They are to tour Co. Wicklow on foot taking the heavy gear by horse and cart - a humble means of transport which caught their imagination.

SCOUTS

This year has again seen a very full programme. Our first major activity was to achieve yet again a very high standard of cooking for the Annual Troop Dinner. Remember that all six of the cooks fell in the 12-15 age range. The Autumn Term also saw us finish third in the District Athletics Sports, a trophy we had won for the last two seasons. We also lost the Captain King District Challenge Flag which we had held for nine months. The Autumn Term Patrol competition was won by the Kestrel Patrol under P Frost.

The Spring Term is a term where the emphasis is on First Aid. The Patrol First Aid Trophy was won by the Kestrel Patrol who also won this term's Patrol Competition. For the first time ever the Troop won the District First Aid Cup. The team consisting of S Yeomans, S Freeman, P Stearman and A Jarman went on to finish seventh in the County Finals. This team is one which is young enough to do duty again next year. This term saw the departure of the Patrol Leader of the Eagle Patrol, C Dann, whose place was taken by S Murfitt. P Frost was appointed Troop Leader and his post as Patrol Leader of the Kestrel Patrol was taken by S Yeomans.

The Easter holidays saw our first camp of the season at Cuffley in Hertfordshire when "a good time was had by all". This camp became known as the Singing and Eating and Sawing Up Tree Trunks and Badger Hunting and Everything Else Camp.

The Summer Term saw a very exciting Patrol Competition which was won by less than half a point by the Owl Patrol under S Freeman from the Merlin Patrol under R Crofts and the Hawk Patrol under R Norris. The troop was represented by three patrols at the County Camp where we were the defending County Champions. All three patrols camped well but the Hawks (R Norris) did very well and on the domestic front were only beaten by the Peewits (on this occasion under D Hamilton) who were within a handful of points of retaining the County Trophy.

So our attention now turns to this year's summer camp in Guernsey where 38 of us will hope for fine weather and as cheerful a camp as last year's one at Peterchurch in Herefordshire. Then the new term will see the full flowering of the "New Look" Scouting. A challenge which we face with full and justified optimism.

IRELAND - 1967

After seven hours of train travel and four hours on a boat, punctuated by one or two hours of tedium in British Rail buffets or on draughty platforms, our first sight of Ireland was greeted with mixed reactions. Bush, Gilbert and King seemed most excited. They rushed below deck to break the news to the other members of the party, where they were told that Ireland had been discovered and colonised some time ago, and could they please have some peace and quiet. Not to be discouraged, they returned to the deck and watched the greeny-grey hills loom up out of the mist, in the true fashion of Columbus and Vespucci.

The cold, grey dawn changed into a cold, grey day, overcast and drizzling. However, when we finally disembarked at Dun Laoghaire (which is the outport for Dublin, for those whose geography isn't too good) we were too tired to notice the weather and the rather suspicious glances of the inhabitants. After all, we were foreigners. I mean, dash it all sir, they threw out the British.

Forty hours without sleep tends to take the edge off ones senses, and, consequently, my recollection of the first day of our visit is rather hazy. I remember breakfast in the station hotel, the train journey down the coast to Greystones, and, of course, the constant loading and unloading of kit. Here the more hardy, or was it foolish, amongst us took a dip in the sea. Here also we were supposed to collect our means of conveyance - one brewers dray, complete with horse, harness and a supply of oats. Because in Ireland, all but the most pressing business is postponed until the next day, our cart was a day late being delivered.

The next afternoon, a bright warm Saturday, we set off on our 100 mile circular tour of County Wicklow. Needless to say, everything couldn't go smoothly. Our optimism proved to be without foundation, and, almost inevitably, the horse (who remained nameless) was at the centre of the trouble. At first we thought the steep, dusty roads and heavy load were too much for the poor animal, and we were all too willing to lend a hand. Indeed, during the next five days we did more work than the horse. It took us this long to realize that we had acquired the laziest horse in Ireland. Because the brake on the dray had broken, we were obliged to push it up one side of the hills and hold it back on the other. This problem was solved when we realized that if we could persuade the horse to trot on the down hill sections the dray would not roll forward onto its hind legs. The horse complied with our wishes.

We learnt enough to write a book on equine psychology. Besides being lazy, temperamental and occasionally vicious, it apparently had a claustrophobic fear of gateways. On one occasion, when we were about to camp near Glendabugh [sic - Glendalough?], the horse bolted through the gate of a field, uprooting the gatepost, and dragged Mr. Cornell, with Edmunds seated on top of him, for a good 100 yards, before it could be stopped. Besides this show of high spirits each time we went through a gate, it was continually breaking various parts of the harness or getting ropes caught in its shoes. It had the habit of pulling up our tent pegs during the night, and of pushing its head into the tent as soon as it got light in the mornings. As I said, it had quite a temper when roused, and quite a kick too. Saul and Pennick were lucky to escape without a few bruises (or worse), when they ventured too near its hind legs.

However, enough of our equine friend. This trip was so packed with incidents that it would be impossible to relate them all. There was the time Mr Cornell invited three girl hitch-hickers [sic] to lunch, "in the interests of good Anglo-Irish relations". Then there was the story of Capt Oates, played by Goodfellow, who risked life and limb in his quest for our green toilet-tent, which, alas, we never saw again. Then again there was the occasion we all stood up for "God save the Queen" and disappeared quickly before the Sinn Fein got to hear of it. But to finish on a serious note, I would like to say how much we all enjoyed our journey through the Wicklow Mts and up the beautiful coastline, and I would like to thank Mr. Cornell, on behalf of everyone, for a most enjoyable and eventful trip.

SOHAM SCOUTS' BEST EVER FEAST

"The best dinner yet" was the verdict of 127 Scouts, parents and friends as they sat back, glowing and content, while their digestive juices went to work on a sumptuous four-course dinner cooked and served by Scouts whose average age was 13.

The occasion was the fourth annual dinner of the 1st Soham Grammar School Troop held in the Grammar School dining hall on Wednesday of last week.

NOVICES

The magnificent feast was cooked by Paul Frost, John Bokor, Roger Mitchell, Stephen Yeomans, Stephen Murfitt and Peter Leonard. Of the six, five had done no cooking on such a grand scale before.

"They did all the cooking and I did all the worrying," said Scoutmaster, Mr LR Hart. However, the end results justified the labour. The guests whetted their appetites on grapefruit and then tucked into chicken, stuffing, sausages, bread sauce, roast potatoes, mixed vegetables, brussel sprouts, and gravy, sweetened up on trifle, nibbled art cheese and biscuits and celery, and washed it all down well with coffee.

The charge was a mere 8s. per head. It covered the cost adequately, but then, there were no labour charges. After dinner, with everyone merry and jovial, the presentations were made, and two of the cooks at least were rewarded for their effort.

PRESENTATIONS

Paul Frost and Stephen Yeomans received their First Class Badges from Mr R Hodgkin, the District Commissioner from Newmarket.

It was a happy night for Kestrel Patrol as they watched both their Patrol leader and Second receive their badges.

The main presentation of the evening was to 16-Year-old Robert Edmunds, a Senior Scout and the youngest in the Troop for a good many years to receive the highest award, The Queen's Scout Badge.

Robert will have to go to London to receive his certificate. To obtain this coveted badge, a Scout must first have his First Class Badge -and then complete a series of over 50 tests which include two 10-mile hikes, one of 20 miles and another of 30 miles.

The Headmaster (Mr E Armitage) and his wife were present, and other guests included Mr TL Riley, Senior Master and former Scoutmaster Mr E Wimpenny, former District Commissioner for Ely, Mr JW Rennison, Group Scoutmaster, and Mr AS Pennick. chairman of the Parents' Committee.

[L-R: Peter Leonard - 'Sam'/Steven Murfit - Stephen Yeomans - Paul Frost - Mr Hart - Roger Mitchell - John Bokor]