Cambridge District Scout Archive
Reggie Mallett of March, Cambridgeshire, has a place here because he was confused with Howard Rothwell Mallett of Cambridge. They are both generally recorded as H R Mallett.
Interestingly both were long term Scouters and awarded the MBE and OBE respectively. They are not known to be related.
Reggie was born in 1895 in Norwich, one of 14 surviving children of 16. He became an apprentice jeweller and moved to March where he opened a jewellers shop in 1923. It is not clear when he started scouting but was said to have been a Scout for 47 years, possibly at some point shortly before he died in 1957, which would give start date of very soon after the start of Scouting.
He was SM of the 1st March, on open troop / group and later DC for March. Cliff Goakes believes that he started Scouting in March.
Following WW2 he took on a partner at his jewellers shop Douglas Richmond who was to succeed him as DC (certainly in 1957). He was also SM to Clifford Goakes who started as a Cub in 1931 and was to follow Reggie as SM of the 1st March (an open Group) and followed Mr Richmond as DC.
Reggie received the MBE in 1952, the brief summary mentioning his role as JP and Chairman of the Isle of Ely Youth Employment Committee, but not his Scouting. He was a Catholic and also received the Papal Gold Cross as recognition for being ‘a Good Samaritan’. The Catholicism was at a time when Christian denominations did not share some services. Reggie did not become involved in Rover Investitures which Clifford recalls as being held in a local village with an enthusiastic minister – in the bell tower.
A photograph from1931 in Scout uniform shows him ‘wearing his medals’. One of these is likely to be the scout Silver Cross for saving a child from drowning awarded in 1921. The other is less clear, but it is not his MC and bar which he was awarded in 1917 as Lt, later Capt. of the Middlesex Regiment. He was wounded in 1918. His military medals were later sold at auction along with two letters for £1100.
He was well known in March and at this date (Oct 2023) his shop still carries his name, although it closed in 2022.
JWR Archivist Nov 2023
Cambridge District Scout Archive 