Cambridge District Scout Archive
Trans – Atlantic support 1942
24/6/1942 ‘The DC reported …. on a pleasant episode that occurred when Mr George H Rockwell of Cambridge (Mass.) a member of the National Council of American Scouts, presented as album containing the greetings of the Cambridge (Mass.) Scouts to the Cambridge(Eng) Scouts. The DC further reported that he hoped to present in return an album containing the greetings of the Cambridge Scouts.’ District Records
This token of support was sent to Cambridge, England from Cambridge Massachusetts in June 1942 This was sent in the depths of the Second World War before the Battle of El Alamein (started October 1942). It is of El Alamein that Sir Winston Churchill said after the war, “Before Alamein we never had a victory. After Alamein, we never had a defeat.”
The exchange went both ways across the Atlantic. A film of the work the American Scouts was shown.
It details some of the defence activities that American Scouts were undertaking.
‘The Boy Scouts of Cambridge Mass., U.S.A., take this opportunity to greet the Scouts of your city. We have heard numerous accounts of the splendid work you all have done and are doing in the war situation. Bravo!’
District Archive Collection
1942 Cambridge (Mass) to send American publications to UK. It was agreed to ask the DC to arrange for copies of Scout and Scouter to be sent to Mass.
1942 Letter from Massachusetts acknowledged receipt District Minutes
1943 DSM suggested that a social for American Scouts and Scouters should be arranged and Guiders invited. District Minutes
1943 US Scouts (Mass) sending a film The film was ‘Camp Quintapoxet’ and IHQ asked permission to copy for the IHQ archives.
1943/44 It was proposed to ask the BBC to broadcast communication between Cambridge and Cambridge Mass on the ‘People to People’ programme In Jan 1944 they were reported as considering this proposal.
1945 Cablegram received from Mass.
1946 Sports equipment was passed on to the District from USAF
1946 An American Scout requested that flowers be laid on his twin brother grave in the American Military Cemetery on May 30th (the American Remembrance Day) This was done by Rovers of the 60th and repeated the following year.
1948 Reported reception of parcels and gifts of scout gear from Scouts of Ohio. District Minutes
Note: Cambridge Council 227 merged with Boston Minutemen 229 in 2000 and both are now part of Spirit of Adventure Council which covers the Greater Boston Area. Cambridge is part of the Sons of Liberty District.
Note: Camp Quintapoxet was a campsite operated by Cambridge Council (number 229). On amalgamation it was sold to the Audubon society and is now named Wildwood and lies south of Peterborough and WNW of New Ipswich in Massachusetts.
The following was a National resolution to ‘extend cordial greetings to Scouts and Scouters in Britain…’.
JWR Archivist Jan 2019
Cambridge District Scout Archive 