St George’s Day

Cambridge District Scout Archive

The following is an incomplete list of St Georges Day events with additional notes on who gave the sermon and for whom the collection was made.

                                                Address                                   Collection

• 1932    St Georges Church if possible (poss Cubs)
• 1933    Guildhall
• 1934    Great St Mary’s with Guides
  • 1934 Windsor First St Georges Day .  Four from Newmarket and 5 from Cambridge.  ‘In the event of it becoming an annual event…’
  • 1935    Windsor           No allocation this year
• 1935    Plan to be held at a Free Church                  Later  discussion about St Georges C
• 1936    Great St Mary’s
• 1937    Great St Mary’s
• 1939
• 1940    St Paul’s
• 1941    St George’s
• 1943    Holy Trinity    
• 1944    Holy Trinity
• 1945    Holy Trinity
• 1947    St John’s Chapel                                                                      Fen Disaster Fund
• 1950    Guildhall           C , S, G of Old Scouts
• 1952    Guildhall
• 1953    Guildhall                      500 / 600 attended
• 1958    Guildhall
• 1959    Guildhall
• 1960    Guildhall                                              Bishop of St Albans
• 1961    Guildhall                                              Wesley Ch                   Roland House 
• 1962                          No event couldn’t book suitable venue
• 1963    Guildhall                                              Cannon Churchill Col
• 1964    Guildhall          March past Band Mayor took salute  Chaplin Leys Roland House    
• 1965    Guildhall          W O Bell took salute
• 1966    Guildhall                                              Principal Ridley Hall
• 1967    Guildhall          Diamond Jubilee, asked for a choir from Scouts
  • Windsor Mini bus for 4 or 5 + family
  • Catholic priest spoke for 1^st time
• 1968    Scouts to Ely Cathedral (700) Cubs Wesley Church(200)
•  
• 1971    Guildhall 1200 attended
• 1981    Great St Mary’s           asked for Lady Mitchell Hall (not available), the Catholic church (too small – didn’t know the capacity possibly 800)  Needed 1000
  • SOS Villages / Handicapped Scouts
• 1986    Camb. N and Camb. S met in Wesley and Holy Trinity Churches (service only) respectively
• 1990    300 Paraded  Federation of European Scouts also paraded in City on this day
•  
• 2011    Queen Ediths School
• 2012    Queen Ediths
• 2013    Queen Ediths
• 2014    Queen Ediths
• 2015    Queen Ediths
• 2016    Queen Ediths
• 2017    Abington
• 2018    Abington
• 2019    Not held
• 2020    Milton (Cancelled – Covid 19 virus lockdown)

University

The University held separate services some years – in 1955 Jesus College Chapel, 1957 Downing College Chapel.  These were not recorded in the District archives.

Capacity        

• Great St Mary’s           1000+
• Holy Trinity                
• Catholic Church (Our Lady of The Assumption and The English Martyrs) when asked unknown c 800

Awards

St George’s Day is the occasion when National awards are presented.  

Prayers

The Scouts Prayer was included in several services from the 1960’s.  It is taken here from the 1940 edition of Prayers for use in the Brotherhood of Scouts (first edition 1927)

March past

1953    March past as above.

In 1962 Scouts March past, Cubs watch from Market Square

In 1963 the offer to the Cubs to march (with the band) was turned down by CL’s.  Troops will march in columns of three

In1964 instructions added ‘although it is understood that some (Scouts) do not want to take part.’ 

Choir

In 1967 requests to form a choir from Scouts for Diamond Jubilee

Singing

In 1965 attempts to get Ralph Readers Scouts Hymn said correctly had a ‘Tonic sol-fa’  on the Service sheet                  m – d d f – m – m d d r r –

Bands

In 1963            Cambridge City Band

Parents

1967    Tickets were not available to family and friends because it was in school and term time

JWR Archivist Dec 2019