Query ??? trophy

Cambridge District Scout Archive

Discussed in District Meeting in Jan 1939 a  ??? was set for Sept 30th 1939 in Cambridge.  It was cancelled ‘owing to the outbreak of war’.

Nearer the end of the war it was revived.  It was originally proposed for Cambridge in 1944 and entitled a ‘Utility ???’ in the terminology of war time austerity, all inessentials being eliminated to feed the war effort.

The Alert Trophy as awarded to the Scout Patrol with the highest place in the Query??? Competition.  The Alert competition later had categories for Scouts, Guides and Cubs and appears to have replaced the title Query??? 

The first competition was in Easter 1945.

Sections for

  • Scouts                          (Alert Trophy for highest places Scout Patrol)
  • Senior scouts  
  • Guides
  • Senior Section (Guides)

In 1954 the winner of the Senior Scout Patrols that participated in the Query Competition of that year were listed as ‘Silver Bugle’ winner.  The Silver Bugle, first presented in 1911and withdrawn after WW1 was reused as a trophy. See Silver Bugle.

We have full sets of questions and/ or answers for the following early competitions.

  Questions Answers
1945 X X
1946 X X
1947 X X
1948    
1949   X
1950   X
1951    
1952    
1953    
1954 X  
1955    
1956 X  
1957 X X

Cambridge Archives

1947    Questions for Query competition later published in ‘Table Talk’ (presumably a local paper column) and provided comments.

1949    Guides would like to join. Agreed that they could be given a souvenir if they won.  District Minutes

The Silver Bugle was specifically entitled Senior Query Competition and the engraved list of winners gives

  • 1947 12th Drake
  • 1949 12th Grenfell
  • 1950 12th Grenfell and 26th Wingate
  • 1962 13th Wingate
  • 1965 12th Drake

When the Alert trophy was opened to Guides in 1949 they won both the Junior and Senior events. The District initially proposed to give a Certificate then a Prize voucher to the Guide winner (if they won).  They were awarded 30/-.

Often the Query and Alert elements are cross named in the District Minutes, probably because the Guides frequently won the competition. The Alert Trophy was for the highest placed Scout Patrol. (See Alert Trophy).

JWR Archivist Feb 2019