Cambridge District Scout Archive
Met at Shirley School, Green End Road, 2002
St George’s Church was newly built and a curate Rev. Herbert Wise was appointed in 1932. He had been curate at St Matthew’s, Cambridge since 1923 and was a member of the very strong 23rd Cambridge (St Matthews) Rover Crew, related by marriage to two other Rovers. No vicar was in place at that early date and the inspiration for the foundation of the Scout Group is very likely to have been his. He moved in 1936.
1936
The St Andrews (Chesterton) and St George Parish magazine record the 54th St George was struggling for leaders and ‘at present the few who remain in the troop are meeting in with the Harvey Goodwin Troop at their HQ’. The appeal for SM’s having failed it was announced later that year that the 8th would join the 54th and be known as the 54th.
- J Palmer GSM
- A Eades SM
- Mr. Boast ASM
By 1937 Mr Palmer was running the 54th troop and the Cubs were under the care first of Mr. Bone and later of Miss Gawthorp. This archive source including St George’s and the 54th only runs from 1 Jan 1936 and ends in December 1937.
The 54th ran on after the 1946/47 period in abeyance and was deemed to have retained its identity. Flourishing for long periods it suffered a major setback when the hut was burned down in 1988 (suspected arson). Selling the land at the height of property boom they benefited by the crash that occurred shortly afterwards and built the new 54th. They ran on in Chesterton until 2018 when they finally closed. The building became the new District HQ.
JWR Archivist Mar 2019
Cambridge District Scout Archive 