Scout Retention in Cambridge

The first twenty years

Throughout the history of Scouting concern has been raised by the decline in attendance over the age of 14. This was the school leaving age until 1947.

This review looks at retention in Cambridge in the first 20 years with regard to the origins and sponsors of the groups.

With the notable exception of the 1^st Cambridge (Sea Scouts from 1913) which almost certainly originated from the Boys Brigade, early Scout Troops in Cambridge were largely formed or sponsored by three distinct organisations, Churches, Schools and College choirs.

Some later Troops were sponsored by other bodies or stood as independent Troops. Examples include; a Lone Patrol which existed with no other affiliation; a temperance society, possibly affiliated to a Church; independent Troops, one possibly at the Leys prior to the 60^th being registered.

Retention: Churches

Churches were amongst the earliest and the largest group of sponsors of troops in Cambridge. In the Cambridge ‘District’ (outside the Town boundaries) all Troops were given the village name and not that of the Church or school that sponsored and hosted them. There is clear evidence that some of these were directed by the organisation around the village churches.

Churches differed from other sponsoring bodies in that they might hope to increase retention for the church or Sunday school as much as for the troop. It is difficult to identify where the Church was the major driver in the troop and where the affiliation was (increasingly) remote. From their start in 1928 the 28^th Cambridge was affiliated to St John’s but was always an open group. In 1957 1^st Chesterford were looking for University help ‘… all travelling expenses are paid if necessary by the Vicar under whose general oversight the Group functions though not sponsored officially.’

Clear conclusions cannot be drawn from Church sponsorship. It is not clear if the Churches hoped to attract people to the Church by having a Troop and one church limited numbers with a requirement that boys ‘lived in the parish or attended the choir’. Clearly they would not have adopted an organisation of which they did not approve and may have held no other motives than to support the movement.

Retention: College Choirs

In Cambridge several College choirs opened Troops. These institutions may have originally had a cut off point when the voice broke. The practice was to rest the voice during this period. This certainly modified over time. There is no evidence of organised movement of scouts to other troops. As ‘closed’ troops membership was directly associated with the membership of the choir but in 1929 a newspaper report on the occasion of 21 years of Scouting described the three College Choir Troops as being for ‘past and present members’.

One troop at least (9^th) that originated in a college choir did formally remove the choir membership requirement. Others did so; possibly the 41^st, certainly the 27^th (see below). The 41st had camps before the troop was founded and choir members, whether members of the troop or not, camped afterwards. On leaving the choir they continued to camp as members of the Troop.

The ‘choir’ element of the name is often dropped in the records, possibly for convenience, but this may not reflect the ongoing membership requirements. We may hypothesize that the ‘choir’ element was retained elsewhere despite accepting other college boys or retaining ex choristers. Mr Fletcher became a member of the 9^th Cambridge Queens’ College Choir Troop and a member of the choir as this was a requirement. He could not make the practices because he was in the dairy trade.

Colleges were involved in other Missions, in Cambridge and in East London, and troops were formed at these centres. There is no evidence of the attendance requirements of these Groups.

College Choir Packs

Queens’ College Choir (9^th) 1910 – 50’s and amalgamation
- Later ‘Queens’ College’
St Catherine’s Choir (3^rd) 1912 – 13
Caius College Choir (24^th) 1918 – 24
Christ’s Choir (10^th) 1921 – 34
St John’s Choir (26^th) 1919 – 24
Clare Choir (27^th) 1919 – 21
Peterhouse (4^th) 1924 – c. 30 (now identified as not being a choir based troop)
Pembroke College Choir (41^st) 1930 – 43
Trinity College Choir (working with 7^th) 1922

These College choirs were distinct from church centred choirs, where continued church attendance might be expected. Most requirements of closed groups are not specifically recorded.

‘27th (Clare Choir) Mr. Vaisey-Hope in to be congratulated on keeping them together, now that they have ceased to be a choir’ Reveille 1920

Retention: School leaving age

From the start of scouting the school leaving age has been identified as an issue. The majority did not stay on beyond 14 or later 15.

1899 12
1918 14 most remained in one school until 14, not moving to a new school
1947 15 social and educational demands uncovered by WW2
1973 16 for one year, 1973, there were no school leavers
2013 17 education/ training at least part-time until they are 17

Ken North, 50 years in the Scout shop, ‘had to’ leave school aged 14, in 1926.

7th (County School). ‘The misfortune of the Troop is that, when a boy leaves the School, he necessarily leaves the Troop, as meetings are held in the afternoon: therefore Maw and Mansfield are not. But the Scouts are splendidly backed by the Headmaster, and this term have a number of keen recruits. They are lucky in having secured Mr. Power as S.M., and have excellent P.L.’s in Hersey and Collins. They had a great Field-day with the Corps at Wimpole, acting as their Scouts.’ Reveille 1920

The Troops and Groups in schools that prospered from the early days are those which were based on institutions with either a fixed feeder group and / or boys beyond minimum school leaving age. These were largely fee paying schools, higher education secondary schools, boarding schools or homes for those with other needs. As the list of reasons for leaving the 55^th (below) indicates the hours and distance to work and the demands of further education were issues.

In the early 1920’s schools did seek permission from the District to hold on to boys who changed schools or left school. Discussion was largely about a few Scouts who were either moving to a school without a troop or were senior in the troop.

In 1929 the Education Committee in Cambridge turned the elementary schools into Infant, Junior and Senior schools. The effect on school based Groups is not recorded.

The following is not a complete list of schools, nor did they all prosper:

1908 The Perse (5^th) a private school to 18. Troop ran for 100 years
Higher Grade school (6^th) a council school which initially took pupils to 14 and 15. Many children stayed in their primary school until 14. The Troop finally closed in 1924.
1911 Milton Road (12^th) was also, initially, a higher grade school (until 1937) and scouting flourished. It later detached from the school, the Troop leaving the feeder pack in the school. Still running.
Harvey Goodwin Home for Waifs and Strays (various links and the 10^th) kept boys until 14. They ran for many years with a successful Troop probably entirely from the home.
1918 Littleton House School (16^th and later 52^nd) provided schooling for ‘mentally backward children’. Ran in various locations and districts until 1979
St Faiths (21^st) Preparatory school to the age of c 13 It is part of the Leys confederation which as the 60^th started a Troop in 1933. There is a suggestion that the Leys had an independent Scout Troop c. 1910
1919 Morley Memorial (3^rd later 25^th) Became a council school in 1912: the older children (to 14) were removed in the 1930’s. It did not prosper as a Troop closing for the second time in 1923.
County (7^th) Founded 1900 as Cambridge and County School for boys between 11 and 18 it ran very successfully until the school moved to become a sixth form college in the 1970s and running a Venture Scout Unit until 1974 when it amalgamated to become Tithe VSU.
1933 Sawston College (52^nd) The College was founded in 1930. It and other village colleges in Cambridgeshire had a new emphasis on education ‘from the cradle to the grave’.
The Leys (60^th) A private school with a successful Troop from 1933 to c 1978

Not all schools are schools, not all schools are named as such. Some village troops were based in schools and may have been initiated by the schools and lead by teachers but have the village name. Some schools were Church based institutions before amalgamation into Council control as such it is not always clear if the Troop is associated with the School or the Sunday School or Church. The Victoria Road Congregational School (10^th) is one such.

Retention: OTC ACF/ SCC/ ATC: later collectively CCF

Schools with an Officer Training Corps (OTC) had a pre existing organisation that superficially had the same role.

1914 The 5^th Cambridge (Perse) had a rule in 1914 that Scouts over the age of 14 in the September must leave for the Officer Training Corps. It is not clear if this rule was initiated following the onset of the Great War but concern expressed at the time about the effect on the troop suggested that it was a new rule. However, the Troop was clear that it did prepare boys in some way for the experience of OTC. ‘The OTC will feel grateful… for many a smart young recruit when he leaves the scout troop for the Corps.’

This requirement lasted only a few years after the end of the war. The difference between the organisations which required a move in 1914 also showed as Scouts opted to go the other way.

1924 5^th Cambridge ‘The majority of the PL’s who joined the OTC have become Rovers’ The Troop had sixteen patrols at this time.

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