Policy
The Cambridge District Scout Archive does not seek to gather in all material relevant to Scouting in Cambridge. It does not have the space nor the finances to preserve it all. It will take in material that would otherwise be lost and would very much appreciate the major items of Cambridge Scout history such as the Silver Bugle award which was reported to be in existence in 1978. (Now located June 2022)
A single collection is vulnerable. Groups specific material should stay with and be valued by the group.
One of the functions of the Archive is to make the information available and share the artefacts through display at the District Headquarters and as a travelling exhibition for Groups and in promoting Scouting. In doing so we hope to make the legacy and memory of all that has gone before less vulnerable.
John and Rosemary Chambers
This enterprise was started following the death of John Chambers and the most kind-hearted distribution of his collection by his widow Rosemary.
John, a life long Scout, had amassed a most extensive collection of Scouting material including several unique pieces from the earliest days of Cambridge District. The Cambridge specific material was set aside to be passed on to the District and the rest of the collection offered to Scouting friends and colleagues. The residue of the collection including many books remains with the District.
This event prompted the question, where are the District Archives? Much had been saved up to the split in the district in 1983 and this is the basis and the currant limitation of the archive.
This most significant donation is but a dim echo of all that John has done for Scouting.
Tony Claydon Tony has passed on significant collections of records concerning the running of now defunct parts of the District along with artefacts and advice.
Rob Farrington has passed on records of Gang show much of which remains to be worked through.
Several other people have passed on material to the archives, in single items, such as the 8th Cambridge Wolf Cub flag, or collections of records and books. William Holliday DC has hunted out and passed on several items, some lost to the movement.
A great deal of the later material remains to be assimilated and the physical collection requires preservation and display.
Past Appeals
W T Thurbon was concerned to gather ‘Group Logs’, putting out an appeal in 1976. Some years later Rosemary Chambers was doing the same through the Cambridge Scout Gazette. A number of group appeals have gone out through the years. Some of this may have resulted in the depositions at Cambridgeshire Collection or with John or Tony, above.
JWR Archivist Feb 2019
Cambridge District Scout Archive 