March and Whittlesey

Cambridge District Scout Archive

1911 – 2005

Cumulative notes

The following is taken from letters to County Secretary (Prof.) Patrick Duff.  He was County Sec from 1945/6 to 1974 and details of these Cambridge Districts have not been retained by other Cambridgeshire Secretaries within Cambridge District Archives. Some early County reports / contact lists remain.

In 1948 it was confirmed or agreed that warrants be passed directly to Cambridge and Newmarket Districts and those of  South Cambs., West Cambs., March, Wisbech and Ely go through PD.  There is some peripheral mention of Cambridge or County material, and a few about Newmarket.

The dates do not suggest the founding date for each group but the dates in which they were mentioned.  All they give is a date at which it was active.

March & District / March & Whittlesey – March & District+Whittlesey and District (later Whittlesey and Thorney)

1947    Wisbech or Wisbech District or Wisbech and District – a note of 1947 by P Duff’ I neither know nor care’, which is a little direct for him.

1956    From 1956 March & District to be March & Whittlesey (Commissioners District) with two Local Associations, March & District and Whittlesey and District.

1957    Whittlesey & District 1957 being:

• 1^st Whittlesey
• 1^st Coates (Holy Trinity)
• 1^st Turves         (not yet registered)

1957    March & District 1957 being:

• 1^st March
• 2^nd March
• 3^rd March (St John’s)
• 4^th March (Our Lady & St Peter)
• 1^st Chatteris                 1933
• 2^nd Chatteris
• 1^st Doddington

1961    Registration as March & Whittlesey, Local Association Whittlesey & Thorney with four groups – not noted  (21.7.1961) 

1968    1^st Whittlesey transferred from Whittlesey & Thorney LA (which no longer exists) to March LA. W & T held final meeting 12/6/1968.  Lack of leaders.  Only the one Gp.  Described as autonomous part of March District. 

(It is not known at what date Whittlesey and District became Whittlesey & Thorney LA.)

Groups from both Districts being (note 1^st Chatteris not mentioned in PD records)

• 1^st March                     1927                            1949    1950    1953    On 9/6/1949 14 No. warrants inc GSM Goakes and two of his family  1969   ‘73
• 2^nd March                                                          1953  1966    1968
• 1^st Coates (Holy Trinity)                                  1953    1957
• 4^th March (Our Lady)                                      1953
• 5^th March (Salvation Army)                            1957    1962
• 1^st Doddington                                     1955    1968   
• 1^st Whittlesey  (St Andrews)                            1958     1966
•             (Dropped St Andrews 1957 – still quoted ’66))
• 3^rd March (St John’s)                                       1970
• 1^st Benwick                                                      1961    (between March & Whittlesey – an irregular founding)
• 1^st Turves (Pack)                                              1957
• 2^nd Chatteris                                                    1965/7     1968                        1973

DC       Douglas Richmond                  10/57

SM 3rd March at some date Mr. Kenner (from Clifford Goakes, suggesting that it was when he was quite new to Scouting (joined 1931)

DC’s

H R Mallett

Douglas Richmond

Cliiford Goakes

Became Fenland in 2005

JWR Archivist Mar 2023