12th Cambridge District: Outline

Cambridge District Scout Archive

Note   

• Cambridge District troops are those outside Cambridge Town boundaries.  Some troops altered from Cambridge District to Cambridge as the boundaries altered. This system ended in steps between 1928 and 1935 and all Groups used Cambridge numbers.
• Packs were not formally attached to troops until the move to the Group system in 1928.
• Many of these District troops are poorly recorded

• 12^th Cambridge District (Bottisham)                        1912 – 1920
• 12^th Cambridge District (Bottisham) Pack   1919 – 1920/21
• 12^th Cambridge District (Shelford)               1922 – 1924
• 12^th Cambridge District (Shelford) Pack      1921 – 1922/3
• 12^th Cambridge District (Shelford) Pack      1923 – 1925
• 12^th Cambridge District (Shelford)               1925 – ?

12^th Cambridge District (Bottisham)                        1912 – 1920

Recorded by Sec as Dec 1913

• SM       H E King
• ASM     G Wheaton

Oct 1914

• SM       H E King
• ASM     R W Muirgay

1913 Bottisham Met at Bleak House, The School Bottisham and had blue shirts. In 1914 they played Bugles to announce the passage of HMH through the village. Mrs. Hinton was Lady SM in 1919 and hosted the troop at Bleak House.

Reveille reports ‘she now has Fuchs to help her.’ Fuchs was F Fuch, one of the original troop members, alongside Noel Newman, Fred Wheaton, A Harris, A Wisbech, F Jarvis, S Pearce and H Ruse. None of these names are listed on the local War memorial, although other family members are named.

They were registered in May 1913 and listed in 1912 – 1913 Annual report.  Last mention Stourbridge Fair in mid 1920.

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12^th Cambridge District (Bottisham) Pack   1919 – 1920/21

A Bottisham Wolf Cub Pack is registered in 1919.

See 1^st Bottisham History by Martin Pates in Cambridgeshire Collection for more details. Bottisham were later in Mid Cambs.  1935 and reported as revived 1947/ 48 – 1951. Bottisham were later in Newmarket District as 1^st Bottisham and Hosted Excalibur VSU.

Closed 1920

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12^th Cambridge District (Shelford)               1921 – 1924                             IHQ      9838

Originally registered with Cambridge Association om 26^th April 1921 the registration form  is dated 3th May 1922 and with IHQ number 9838.  Meeting at the Metalwork room , School gardens, Gt. Shelford School  the troop was Open.

Starting with one leader and nine Scouts

• SM       George C Langham                 (resigns 26/2/1924)
• Chaplain          Rev ? W Jeeves           Red House Gt Shelford
• ASM     G C Langham
• Fletcher   ?

The Shelford Troop IHQ Number 9838 Closed 1924

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12^th Cambridge District (Shelford) Pack      1921 – 1922/3                                    IHQ  4006 / 5807

A ‘temporary’ Pack Registration form dated July 1922 notes that the pack need re registering.  It was registered with Cambridge Association 26/4/1921 but not re registered in (unclear).

The pack was meeting at the Metalwork room at Great Shelford School with one leader and 10 Cubs

• CM      G M FitzGerald            Kings Farm Lt Shelford            Warrant 21/6/1921

(note: ‘leaving England and cannot re register. Pack must lapse’)

• CM      Miss Hurrell                Gt Shelford      1/2/1922
• ACM    Miss R Willis
• CM      G Langham                  117 Catherine Street

Noted ‘recent forms’ 15^th July 1923 (possibly 15^th Jan 1923)

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12^th Cambridge District (Shelford) Pack      1923 – 1925                            IHQ 5807

Pack registration form 30^th Jan 1923             IHQ 5807

The details are unchanged and the pack is clearly labelled Open.  No ranks are given just names:

• G C Langham                                     
• Miss M Warwick         St Calixtus, Great Shelford

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12^th Cambridge District (Shelford)               1925                                        IHQ 14447

Registration form 1^st Dec 1925  IHQ 14447.  The re registered Troop was meeting at the school and wsa open.  George C Langham was now living in Bury St Edmunds and he was the only leader registered with fourteen scouts.  Light and Dark blue scarf

Last known mention in Feb 1925.

At some point a 61^st Cambridge Great Shelford was formed.  If the troop had continued this would have been in around late 1928 when the Group system generally resulted in a change of names and IHQ numbers.  The 61^st was certainly running by 1933 and in 1934 moved to South Cambridgeshire one of four Districts formed out of the very large Cambridge District.  Like other transferred Groups they dropped the 61^st Cambridge element and became Great Shelford.

JWR Archivist Feb 2023