Cambridge District Scout Archive
A Silver Bugle was given in 1911 by Alderman Morley.
The Bugle was retired after the Great War. The feeling was that the symbolism of a Bugle had become to be out of place. It is not clear from the records whether this was the decline in appreciation and adverse commentary on the use of the bugle by poorly trained Scouts, or, very much more likely, the move away from military associations, post war.
The history of the Bugle was well recorded and the following print has been located in a number of places.
The last of these is not engraved on the Bugle.
In 1925 it was felt that a Bugle was not a suitable prize for Scouts and it was sold and a shield purchased. A reference suggests that an offer was made to buy the Bugle and then it was returned to the District.
The Bugle was reintroduced as a Trophy for the Senior Query Competition in 1947. It was won by
- 1947 12th Cambridge Drake
- 1949 12th Cambridge Grenfell
- 1950 12th Cambridge Grenfell & 26th Cambridge Wingate
- 1962 13th Wingate
- 1965 12th Cambridge Drake
Senior Scouts ended in 1967 and the use of the title ‘Query’ had stopped and was replaced by Alert Competition.
The Bugle was (again) returned to District and stored at Perne Road where it was found in May 2022 in a dark corner of a dark room on the floor looking, in its dark leather case, like a brick placed to secure a table from moving.
JWR Archivist May 2022
Cambridge District Scout Archive 