Cambridge District Scout Archives
W T Thurbon, long time District Secretary, prepared an analysis of Scouting Leaders in Cambridge for the years 1945 – 1952.
The problems, leader recruitment and turnover, are the same problems we have today. The differences become evident with closer study.
1953
For the average 27.5 groups the District needed 33 new leaders to bring the numbers to the minimum and thereafter 18 new leaders a year to maintain this minimum.
These minimums were two leaders
What they had on average was:
Female leaders were two thirds of Cub Packs and not in any other section.
Honour lies in honest toil: years as leader
The average length as leader for those leading was 7 years, for those past leaders 4 years.
At 50, everyone has the face he deserves: years of leaders
Where did they come from?
The percentage of teachers is surely far smaller today. Only six were senior members of the University, a statistic that WTT commented upon. The involvement of senior members of the University dropped steadily between the wars.
Where did they go?
Those who left did so for a mix of reasons that have not changed, some that are disappearing and some that have gone.
National Service is no longer a reason and the expectation that the wife would quickly become a mother and/ or look after the house/ husband is no longer given as a reason. A mental review of the ages of those currently running sections will place the ages of the leaders in this report into perspective.
JWR Archivist Jan 2019
Cambridge District Scout Archive 