County Commissioners

Cambridge District Scout Archive

County boundaries

1974    Local Authority         ‘Huntingdon and Peterborough’ joined ‘Isle of Ely and old ‘Cambridgeshire’   to become a new large Cambridgeshire.

1977    Scout County              Creation of East and West Cambridgeshire        Cambridge became East Cambridgeshire (East Cambs.) without any apparent changes to the borders. Huntingdon and Peterborough became West Cambs.

1990    Scout County                 East and West Cambridge Scout Districts amalgamated on 01/02/1990 to become Cambridgeshire Scout County

Cambridgeshire

• Captain Luddington                                                                           1912 – 1919
• Professor Stanley Gardiner     (acting)Professor of Zoology              1915 – 1918
• Captain Windham                                                                               1920 – 1922
• (Capt J N) Bendyshe                                                                           1922
• Rev C T Wood                                     Dean of Queens’                     1923 – 1941
• Rev Alan T Welford                                                                             1942 – 1944
• MacFarlene Grieve     (acting)                                                            1945 – 1951
• Brigadier Duchesne MC         Silver Wolf                                          1952 – 1968
• Oswald Bell                             Silver Wolf                                           1968 – 1972
• Brigadier Duchesne MC         Silver Wolf                                         1972

East Cambridgeshire             (As old Cambridgeshire, now alongside West Cambridgeshire)

• Lt Col Mainwaring MC           Silver Wolf                                           1973 – 1979
• F A J Mackenzie                      Silver Wolf                                          1979 – 1986
• Brian Payne                                                                                         1986 – 1990  

West Cambridgeshire             (Huntingdonshire and Peterborough)

• Col George Terrill                                                                               1974
• Derek Prince               Silver Wolf                                                      1975 – 1983
• A Bell 1983 – 1990
• Tony Ben                                                                                                     – 1990

Cambridgeshire (East Cambridge and West Cambridgeshire combined)

• Brian Payne                                                                                         1990 – 1995
• J B (Alex) Alexander                                                                            1995 – 2005
• Richard Hames                                                                                   2005 – 2011
• Liz Craig                                                                                              2012 – 2014
• Stephen
• Chris Ward                   Silver Wolf                                                      2018 – date

*****

Those CC’s with separate pages are underlined

Captain Luddington                                                                                      1912 – 1919

William James Cropley Luddington was a retired Army Officer from Ely.  He was nominally in role for seven years but in practice rejoined the Army in the Great War.  Stanley Gardiner acted as CC for much of his tenure and Capt Luddington resigned shortly after his return from the war.  He was made Major after the war and died soon after.

Professor Stanley Gardiner  (acting) Professor of Zoology                         1915 – 1918

Stanley Gardiner was CC and Cambridge DC at the same time.  Over work was given as the reason for his resignation as DC in 1919.

Captain Windham MC                                                                                  1920 – 1922

From a renowned military family well established in Newmarket, perhaps only incidentally an army officer.   

Captain Bendyshe                                                                                         1922

A long established landowning family in Barrington this was probably Captain J N Bendyshe.

Rev C T Wood                                                Dean of Queens’                                 1923 – 1941

He was an early convert to Scouting and an active SM of several troops during the war, DSM and DC.  He initiated and largely funded the purchase of Abington Campsite for the County.  He acted as a temporary DC to Cambridge 1936 – 1938 and was active with 9^th Cambridge throughout his time as DC and CC.  Eighteen years in post.

Rev Alan T Welford                                                                                       1942 – 1944

Rev. Alan Travis Welford was Chaplain and Fellow of St John’s College 1946 – 1956, later Professor in Adelaide.  A psychologist and worked in ergonomics. He is not known to have held major Scouting posts but is known to have been ASM 56^th Cambridge (Harlston and Haslingfield)  around 1934/5.

Gavin Malcolm MacFarlene Grieve  (acting)                                                1945 – 1951

SM and GSM of the 5^th Cambridge (Perse), ADC with responsibility for schools, ACC and acting CC. 

Brigadier C C Duchesne OBE MC        Silver Wolf                                        1952 – 1968

Cyril Collier Duchesne a career soldier in RE.  Sixteen years in post.

Oswald Bell                                        Silver Wolf                                          1968 – 1972

Professionally an Educationalist he was for 20 years Headquarters Commissioner for Universities and Colleges, chair of HQ Education board and worked on European Scouting committees.  He gave professional thought to the role and interaction of Scouting within the changing society.

Brigadier C C Duchesne OBE MC      Silver Wolf                                          1972

(see above)

Lt Col Mainwaring MC                      Silver Wolf                                          1973 – 1979

Retired from the Army aged 50 and worked at Cambridge Institute of Education.  Previous Scout involvement ahead of resignation is unclear.  Joined 11^th/9^th and was briefly DC before becoming CC. He worked on the HQ Advance Report Committee which led to the 1966/67 review of Scouting.

F A J Mackenzie                                  Silver Wolf                                          1979 – 1986

He was a Scout from 1932 and engaged with the 11^th, later 11^th/9^th for many years.  Eventually acting as GSM alongside his roles as DC and CC.

Brian Payne                                                                                                    1986 – 1990

JWR Archivist Aug 2022