Cambridge District Scout Archive
Note 7/2/22 above IHQ number 9471 refers to Troop not Pack as is erroneously listed.
The 12th severed official connection to Milton Road School in 1915 (Cambridgeshire Chronicle March 1915). It remained a meeting place for many years. Terry Shaw, active in 1950’s, recalls the school being use for Scout events. He was not a Cub and the memory is well fixed a Scout section use.
The group recall the use of the title ‘Viscountess/Viscout Clifden’s Own’ as stemming from their early days when they used to regularly camp in the grounds of Wimpole Hall, which then was the country seat of the Clifden’s.
The earliest use of the title in the archives is 1912/13. Letters between SM J Murrish and Mary Clifden c 1916 ask that she be kept informed of the progress of the troop. She was probably aware that he was to join the army later that year.
The 6th Viscount was Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire from 1906 and both the 6th and 7th Viscounts were Vice Presidents of the local Association. Wimpole Hall came to be owned by Kipling’s daughter, a private person, and records of camps for any Troops stop. The original of the photograph above is to be found in their later home Lanhydrock, Cornwell.
Below is the registration document from IHQ at the time when registration was centralized. Head of that date registration was local. It retains the individual numbered ticket 910.
In 1942 the Group replied to the Census enquiry ; they listed Cubs (48), Scouts (26), Air Scouts (28), War Service Scouts (8 Included above), Rovers (6) & Scouters (6).
In 1943 they listed Cubs (34), Scouts (23), Sea Scouts (4), Air Scouts (31), War Service Scouts (5), Rovers (6), Sea Rovers (0), & Scouters (4) totaling 107 along with 10 Rovers in the services.
In 1944 the Group replied to the Census enquiry stating that the form was not big enough; they listed Cubs (44), Scouts (24), Sea Scouts (20), Air Scouts (32), War Service Scouts (0), Rovers (1), Sea Rovers (1), & Scouters (5) totaling 127 along with 23 ‘On Service’.
In about 1946/8 senior scouts of the 1st Cambridge who had lost their (Senior Scout) SM were meeting independently above an out building at the Spread Eagle Pub at the bottom of Victoria Road. There were ‘found’ by W A Mackrow who invited them to join the 12th. They became the Raleigh Patrol of the only other Sea Scout Group in Cambridge not connected to a school. (The 1st continued throughout this period.)
JWR Archivist Mar 2019
Cambridge District Scout Archive 