Post by JEM on Sept 29, 2008 2:18:55 GMT
FIRST FOR BOYS 125 YEARS ON.
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A brief introduction to The Boys Brigade and a survey of the beginnings and first 10 years of 1st Saffron Walden Company First published as a chapter in the 1990 Edition of the history of Saffron Walden Baptists “MISSION UNFINISHED” now out of print.
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In the Beginning there were boys, to be employed and deployed for God..
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The Founders
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At Galston in Ayrshire in 1830 was born to a hand loom weaver and small shop keeper a son named John Brown Paton, He lived most of his life in England having trained as a Congregationalist minister and he became the Principal of the Nottingham Congregational Institute. A position he held for 35 years.
He founded the Boys Life Brigade and was President until his death in 1911. BLB developed a section for juniors called The Life Boys
In 1854 at Pennyland House near Thurso on the North coast of Scotland a boy was born who was called William Alexander Smith and about the age of 12 he used to march about with his school friends playing soldiers, with him at the head of the column.
His Dad worked in China and died there and he went to live and work with his uncle in Glasgow until he upset his uncle who was a pacifist and an elder of the Free Church of Scotland North Woodside Mission in the West End of Glasgow by joining the local army volunteer militia, the 1st Lanark Rifle Volunteers, in which he rose and when he finally retired in 1904 he was a Lieutenant-Colonel. William left his uncles business in 1878 to set up one of his own Smith, Smith and Company, with his brother Donald.
He became a Christian and in 1872 a member of the Young Men’s Christian Association and he became a member of the North Woodside Mission and in 1874 established there a Young Men’s Christian Society for the 17 plus group based on the YMCA principles.
At that time most boys left Sunday School in their early teens to roam the streets annoying people, and there was a clear gap between SS and the YMCS, which William then determined to plug.
He took on the role of Bible Class Leader of a group of very bored boys and described them as coming to amuse themselves and that the teachers whole time was spent in keeping order, quelling riots, subduing irrelevant remarks, minimising attacks on one another or himself, and protecting the teacher’s Sunday hat from destruction. The boys would not listen for two consecutive minutes. William sensed that they needed something new that would bring into their lives self discipline, life skills, challenge, comradeship, and Christian experience.
So William got together with his 2 Volunteers lieutenants James and John Hill and they established in 1883 a group they called The Boy's Brigade
The idea caught on and spread rapidly in Scotland, Ireland and England, to begin with mainly amongst the Free Church of Scotland and other nonconformist congregations but later in the Church of Scotland and the Church of England. Several other officers of his Volunteers Company assisted him and two later over the next 50 years became Presidents of BB, James Alston and John Roxburgh.
In 1886 they began camping in church halls at first and then under canvass. William died suddenly in 1914. In 1926 BLB and BB united and was thereafter called The Boys Brigade
In 1886 they began camping in church halls at first and then under canvass. William died suddenly in 1914 and so did not live to see thousands of his boys killed on the battlefields of France and Belgium or the efforts BB made to provide them with Rest Huts and Clubs behind the lines.
Whereas BB featured strict discipline, physical training and drill as important elements of their programme BLB featured first aid and life saving as important to them and they were committed to peace which was a popular idea in Britain from 1919-1935 a period during which the BB was widely unpopular because some companies paraded with dummy rifles in drill and it was considered too militant.
In 1926 after much acrimonious argument on both sides BLB and BB united and was thereafter called The Boys Brigade
THE ORIGIN OF THE SCOUTS
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After the relief of Mafeking another 19th century boy Robert Baden-Powell emerged as a hero as he had defended the city from the Boers and he did so by mobilising every boy he could and using them as spies, runners, messenger boys, and fire watchers. He became a great personal friend of William A Smith who encouraged him in 1903 to attend the London BB Display at the Royal Albert Hall.
Robert became an Honorary BB Vice President and remained so all his life. In 1904 Robert reviewed the 7000 strong Glasgow Battalion and in his speech said that he felt that some form of scout training would be popular within the BB and useful. He wished to try out his ideas of introducing to British boys what he had used with South African boys.
Early in his military career Robert while serving in India prepared a handbook called “Aids to Scouting “ which was widely accepted as a standard military handbook and taken up by some schools. A lot of schools already used drill as part of their programme including in Saffron Walden at East Street Boys School and the Saffron Walden and Newport Grammar Schools.
William suggested to Robert that he should rewrite that manual with British boys in mind and in June 1906 the BB Gazette reported that he had provided a manuscript to the Brigade called “Scouting for Boys” and they published extracts of the book commending the use of his ideas at BB camps and adaptations for city companies.
The BB then assisted Robert by arranging for him a Camp on Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour and provided 7 teenage boys from the 1st Bournemouth BB and 3 from the 1st Poole, and Robert recruited 10 from public schools. .
Following the success of that Camp, Robert published “Scouting for Boys” in 1908 and it was intended that the book would be used as a manual by the Boy’s Brigade, the Church Lads Brigade and the YMCA. At that time Robert had no intention of setting up a separate organisation. BB organised public meetings for Robert to promote his ideas and BB officers staffed some of them.
BB in some areas adopted scouting as part of their programme and in 1909 BB approved a uniform just for use in scouting with a broad brown BP shaped scout hat, with a embroidered BB crest on the front, a scout knapsack, a regulation BB belt and a navy blue shirt . BB also introduce a BB Scout badge and a certificate.
There was a limited response in BB because they already did swimming, signalling, and camping. From 1909 - 1916, 561 BB boys became First Class Scouts and 2,409 became Second Class Scouts . BLB also adopted parts of Robert’s manual into their programme.
The result of the sale of “Scouting of Boys” as a book and serialised in the Boys Own magazine, was that groups of boys all over the country got together themselves and the adults became concerned and got together to produce leaders and the Scouting Movement got under way.
Robert at one time thought of having all organisations and clubs for boys amalgamated into one national organisation along with the Naval and Army Cadets with the King as Patron and with Government funding but William resisted the idea believing that the Christian emphasis would be lost and that several organisations would appeal to different kinds of boys, as turned out to be the case. In the end BB lost about 400 officer and 10,000 boys to the new Scout Movement which over time soared to over 28 million world wide
The BOYS of SAFFRON WALDEN
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At the Baptist Church there had been continuous youth work since the Christian Endeavour Society of the 1880’s with the Sunday School founded in 1806 at it’s base. The Church Hall was also used for an evening vocational training school in the late 19th century.
Strong Sunday Schools to Bible Class levels abounded at Abbey Lane Congregationalist church, the two Methodist churches, the other two Baptist Churches, at St Mary’s Church of England, and at Gold Street Chapel.
Pupils of the Friends School had forced the extension of the Friends Meeting House, and young people were involved in the Salvation Army Corps in Castle Street.
A lot of young people were involved in the Temperance Societies. All the local schools were linked too the various churches as it had been the Free Churches of the 19th century that had clamoured for universal education.
Up to 1936 the Head master of the East Street Boys School were Members of Congregationalist and Baptist Church and teachers from both churches staffed local boys and girls schools. Unfortunately some were stern disciplinarians who used the cane too frequently at least until several senior boys at East Street refused to take it any more and beat up the master with his own cane causing him to be off work for 6 months,
In 1912 the 1st Saffron Walden Scouts was founded
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and it had a strong band. My Dad and an uncle were involved in it.
During the Second World War years, when all local youth organisations gradually closed down as their leaders were fighting for the nation’s survival, the curate of St Mary’s Parish Church Reginald Humphries, who was also chaplain to RAF Debden and later many years Vicar of Newport established
a strong Church Lads Brigade Company including a band. My elder brother belonged to that and played a bugle, and I got involved with his mates in some of their activities.
After the war the CLB closed down and the Scouts reopened. In 1959 Abbey Lane Congregationalist , Castle Street Methodist and High Street Baptist Churches combined in support and staffing of 5th Saffron Walden Scouts with feeder cub packs.
The Scouts met as they still do at the Baptist Hall and at one time we had a Beaver Colony there as well.
At the Baptist Church from 1900 to 1955 we had one after the other the Baptist Band, the Baptist Youth Institute, The Young Life Campaign, The Senior and Junior Christian Endeavour Societies, the Girls Life Brigade, the Junior Choir, the Baptist Boys Club, and the Girls Auxillary.
From 1955 developed the Young People Auxillary mid week with the Young People Fellowship on Sunday Evenings with the Youth Witness Team and we were involved in organising with other churches Saffron Walden District Youth for Christ.
In the 1960’s we ran an Open Youth Club, Plus 16 Club, and into the 1970’s The Followers, TWYG and TWYGLETS, and Adventurers. Other boys and girls were involved in the St John Ambulance Cadets, ATC, ACF, Scouting and Guiding.
THE ROOTS OF OUR BB FAMILY TREE
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In 1890 the 2nd Enfield BB Company was formed at a Congregationalist Church, and about 40 years later when Lieut A D Wiltshire was it’s Captain, a boy joined it aged about 12, and went to Whitecliff Bay IOW camping. His name was Eric Stanley Guest. We generally call him Stan and he went on to become a Christian, and an officer, and his brother Bert became O in C of the Juniors. Stan Guest went on to become an ordained minister with the Congregationalists.
Thus he arrived as Pastor of Sawbridgeworth Evangelical Congregationalist Church which between the wars had had a BLB Life Boy’s Company and a Young Men’s Christian Society which provided for the young men of their community what BB and Scouts provides for teenagers now.
In 1959 Stan founded the 1st Sawbridgeworth BB Company. One of the founder members was 8 yearold Mike Turner, and he grew up through all the ranks to become Captain of 1st Sawbridgeworth. Then he married Lynda, a member of the Girl’s Brigade, and they moved to live at Saffron Walden and Mike was a Battalion Vice President, and on the Officers Reserve List. At Walden Mike became Leader of the Adventurers
In 1969 Stan founded the Herts & Essex Border Battalion of the BB from the Sawbridgeworth. Bishop’s Stortford and Harlow companies and the Ongar Junior Section.
In 1978 Saffron Walden Baptist Church installed a second floor to their Church hall to mark the Bicentenary of the Church 4 years earlier which opened up the opportunity to do more youth work.
Arising from a Battalion Council determination to respond to Brigade’s desire to start more new companies to celebrate the Centenary in 1983, late in the 1970’s Mike approached the minister and deacons about forming a BB Company here and was rebuffed.
The argument was that we did not need BB as we had a the well established Scouts. Our leaders then were not ready for what God clearly wanted them to do. Nothing new in that. On one occasion Mike was criticised by the Deacons over something that went wrong at Adventurers but when he reminded them that he was leading Adventurers for them and needed more help for which they were responsible, the deacons were stung out of their complacency and had to apologise.
PLANTING THE BB BANNER AT SAFFRON WALDEN
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By 1980 there had been several changes in the Diaconate and it then included several former members and officers of BB and others favourable to it.
In March 1980
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Mike arranged a meeting with Jim and Rene Baterip, the Battalion Training Officers at our church hall to introduce the idea. Not many people turned up but there was positive interest.
The Church Treasurer attended the meeting because he wanted to gauge how much such a new venture would cost the Church, and as a safety measure he volunteered to be Company Treasurer, but pointed out that he could not do anything else to help them. Famous last words that turned out to be.
During the first year he passed all BB money through the Church accounts and was gently told off by the chief auditor as it extended auditing the Church accounts by about another hour. After that the accounts were separated and someone else audited them.
In April the first Staff Committee Meeting was held.
Discussed at Diaconate, one deacon remained against the idea of having a BB Company and another who himself helped a neighbouring company was happy about the idea, but against Mike being Captain. Otherwise it was agreed to go ahead and see whether God would prosper the idea or not.
Originally it had been intended that Ed Fuller, a Deacon, and former Captain of Bury St Edmunds BB would be Captain with Mike as Officer in Charge of Company Section, but Ed’s health stopped this and he served as our one and only President. His three grandsons, Matt, James and Daniel became loyal members of the company. Ed and his wife Bessie provided us with our Mace.
We had two Vice - Presidents. Mr Edwin Allen of Elm Grove, former Captain of a Brighton Company helped us with money to provide lady officer’s uniforms, haversacks and belts and a cup to be awarded annually for the Best Boy in Company Section which was often a difficult choice to make.
Mrs Frances Payne became our 2nd Vice - President as her late husband Ken, a former Mayor of Ramsey, Isle of Man, had served as Captain of the 1st Carlisle Company. Frances provided our Colour
The Deacons approved Initial Grants for the 3 Sections and a substantial loan to put the boys into uniform straight way and pay for them later.
At the same time the Church established the 3rd and 4th Saffron Walden Guide Companies, one on church premises and one at Golden Acre Community Centre and a new Brownie pack. These were each provided with an initial grant and the Treasurer and his mother provided Colours to one Guide Company and one Brownie pack. A similar Initial grant was offered to the Scouts but they declined.
During June through to August the potential officers did their Basic Training Course and the Treasurer tagged along to see how much it was going to cost us.
Asked at the end of the course whether he wished to be an officer he said that he couldn’t. So it was decided to present him with a BB Friends Badge. Then he discovered that Brigade regarded it’s Treasurers as Company Business Managers as Brigade is a charity, and they could hold the rank of Warrant Officer, so with his foot in the door so to speak, he became one of them ( a year later he was camp padre, and deputising for the minister at meetings, and some years later he became a Lieutenant )
So the officers and staff at the beginning were were Mike and Lynda Turner, Jean Sale, Imogen Dulieu, Trevor and Sandra Blackmore, Les and Ann Revell , David Yule, and John Maddams with Colin Turner, Mike’s 17 yearold younger brother as Staff Sgt.
Mike's parents Avis and Lionel Turner served in a supportive role and with fund raising, along wiyh Michael and Dorothy Hughes. Avis later served as an Anchor Boys leader and Michael joined as a Junior Section Officer. Early in the 1980's Arthur and Elaine also began a long period as officers.
On Sat Sept 6th 1980 we had a Recruitment Day
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with a makeshift Band from volunteers who turned up from the Harlow, Sawbridgeworth and Gillingham Companies. These young men also distributed handbills around town. We had an exhibition on the Common in a marquee provided by the 1st Bishop’s Stortford Company, the first and oldest of the Battalion’s companies originally formed at St Michael’s in the 19th century when it had a pipe band and paraded in kilts and amongst whose staff was a Lieut Kitchener ( Not Sammy, as he is not that old).
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Juniors & Anchor Boys first met on Sept 9th and Company Section on Sept 11. To begin our company we enrolled 65 boys.
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B.B Week was observed in November by Company Section in a sponsored Field Walk from Ashdon and by Juniors in a sponsored cycle ride in R A Butler School playground. The Company entered the 1981 Carnival with a float behind a BB Band bussed in from Enfield at their expense for which we were grateful.
A CAMPING WE WOULD GO.
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The previous year we had been able to send Les’s 14 yearold son David to Camp with the 1st Wormley Company,
Our own first Annual camp was held with members of the 1st Sawbridgeworth Company at Mundesley on the Norfolk coast near the Bacton Oil Refinery on a Methodist Youth Association site. Tents were obtained from a local supplier and were put up the previous evening by volunteers from Sawbridgeworth and we travelled over by minibuses and cars.
The programme included abseiling from a tree, a boat trip on the Broads, a visit to a working windmill, a barbecue, a picnic, and the Camp Run along the coast road and back along the sandy beach This was won by Jason Kitchener and the first woman home was Jumble Sale ( Mrs Jean Sale, our cook)
One evening all the staff were missing except the C.O. and the Padre. They had gone to visit Lord Nelson who lived on the other side of the road according to the sign hanging outside.
What is more they took the C.0’s younger brother with them.
In years following that incident the rule was laid down of no drinking alcohol on or off camp by under 18’s.
CAPTAIN PUGWASH.
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Amongst the leaders was a great friend of Mike's, John Marshall who was Treasurer of the 1st Sawbridgeworth Company, otherwise known as Sawbo City. John was also a member of Bishops Stortford Operatic Society and brought with him to Camp a hamper of clothes for dressing up in.
Most of the way there we were singing songs though some attempts at bawdy songs by the boys were quickly suppressed by John. John was excellent at putting. He organised sessions of the Rat Race Game for the staff which starting at 10pm could go on until 2am and after that he wrote up his diary notes ready to read them with a lot of humour at Breakfast wearing a four cornered pirate hat, so he became known as Captain Pugwash.
He was so meticulous at Tent and Kit inspection he was still at it when everyone else was having breakfast. He organised and refereed sports activities. He drove parties of boys all over the place. He organised the Camp Concert in the on-site theatre and he was our Neptune the First. One night he took on the role of the Mundesley Ghost coming across a meadow all in white with lit torches and was most impressive.
He was a great example of an all rounder with a deep love of boys. He taught our officers a great deal in one week and many a tear was shed 8 months later when he died suddenly of a heart attack while driving his car.
INITIATION
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As Neptune the First, John Marshall initiated new campers into the Proper C.H.A.R.L.I.E.S including his successor Neptune the Third John Maddams who like him was an night owl.
The C.H.A.R.L.I.E.S stood for the High and Noble Order of the
Company of Hoaxers And Raggers Living In hErts and eSsex.
Initiation in those days was widespread in Brigade but has long since been banned. Ours followed the lines laid down by Stan Guest. Each new camper dressed only in swimming trunks paraded before Neptune on the beach to which we had paraded in fancy dress with a makeshift band. Each had to answer a riddle. If he got the answer wrong he had a solution ladled onto his bare back and was then taken by assistants into the sea to wash it off.
The original Recipe was simply flour and water. If the camper answered correctly he had two doses for being a know-all, and if he was cheeky he might get an extra helping down the inside of his trunks. At the end of the week each received a special certificate which many prized and some framed.
As time had gone on and in later years other items became added to the flour and water such as excess scrambled egg, excess peas, gravy, stewed apple, and other ingredients including on one occasion Jason Kitchener ’s sock which went missing during the week.
In later years this activity was replaced with a special meal, own-made headgear and new candidates brought jokes or poems to Neptune who appeared each year in more and more extravagant attire, heralded by buglers and one year delivered from his tent in a car, due to the rain.
One year Elaine Webb wore an upright slice of toast as she was Camp toast maker., Tricia Troughton wore a creation of foil pie containers and I think it was Linda who had a tiara of milk bottle tops.
All that remained of that tradition by 2008 was the Certificates to first time campers to the less ancient but still noble Company of Helpers And Revellers Living In Essex and Suffolk.
In 1981 at their first attempt our Company Section won the Battalion Drill Competition.
We bought our first musical instruments in a sale at cost price, some of them donated by supporters, and formed a Drum and Bugle Band that first played in public in 1982
That year we camped at Penmaen in the Gower thingyula in Wales where the programme include a 15 minute flight over the shore and the camp site from Swansea airport, where the padre fell off his trolley on the Alpine Run.
We enjoyed a singsong at a camp fire with Welsh Scouts from Cardiff, we could not match them in singing but we brought up our instruments and played. Jim Baterip edited the magazine and served as Neptune the Second. Mike had to take his family home to Walden as Kathryn was unwell and return 2 days later with Andrew.
BB Centenary Year
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1982 ended with a torch light procession to light a beacon on the Common to welcome 1983 the BB Centenary Year which included a fund raising Jig-In ( sponsored jig saw making ) by our Juniors, and a Caledonian Evening led by dancers from Cambridge, when the Treasurer turned up in a kilt. We had our own Display and participated in the Battalion Display at Harlow, and visited the special day at the Suffolk show ground near Ipswich for FANFARE 83, the District Display.
An expedition camp took place at East Runton for 4 Seniors and 4 third year Juniors. In October we held an Open Evening when the Treasurer read the Queen’s Speech. The boys showed their skills. We had an iced cake and Good News (TEV) New Testaments with the centenary logo on. where presented to each Company member. Juniors were also given AV New Testaments at Christmas on the insistence of their Officer in Charge, which in the light of the later discovered errors in the TEV is as just as well.
That year we first entered the Town Fun Run as our 10 mile race, raising money for a charity. Robert Crane beat Jason Kitchener by 4 seconds. We also entered a team in the Church “IT’S A KNOCKOUT” at Long Acres, Debden. We observed the year by having a group photograph taken with time release by Warrant Officer Clive Pegg outside the church..
In 1984 Company Section had a fund raising walk to Addenbrookes Hospital Cambridge. We held at East Runton our last united Camp with 1st Sawbridgeworth before they disbanded on Aug 31st just before their 25th anniversary.
2nd Bedford in the field on the other side of the road raided us at midnight but later in the week we met together for a football match and refreshments. Our Seniors with two of theirs sat up until 2am in a tent at the end of the site . That year we went sailing, fishing and pony riding.
Neptune the Third presided over Initiation and produced “The Runton Rover” camp magazine. Arthur Coote organised the Concert. That autumn David Yule became O in C Company Section, and David Revell and Chris Hughes did their basic training and became warrant officers. Clive Pegg took charge of the Band.
We participated in the Battalion Gala, John Maddams became Battalion Executive Minutes Secretary and Competitions Secretary, and later Secretary of the Junior Sections & Anchor Boys Committee.
We met 1st Sawston in a Wide Game at Wandlebury and had a Saturday Special with sausages and a video. Robert Hall and Jason Kitchener formed a music group called THE RACE AGAINST TIME
In 1985 we provided 5 of the panels for the People of God Frieze around the gallery frontage in the church. Captain Turner obtained his Bronze Award at Life Saving.
Camp 85 was at Bembridge Isle of Wight where on the Sunday afternoon a heavy storm demolished our camp site all but the marquee and most of us spent some nights in Bembridge Village Hall until the Seniors had rebuilt the camp. There in the marquee at the end of the week we held our “Hurricane Hilarity” Concert.
David Yule led a Sponsored bike ride to and from Hadstock to raise money to buy special teaching equipment for the Peter Kirk School for Children with Special Needs, and our carpentry group - Matthew Rowlandson , Lee Kitchener and Jason Thomson made for them a bowling alley with skittles. Juniors raised £175 for missionary work in Brazil.
In 1986 Robert Hall, Brian Gibbs, and David Bates took part in a snowy night walk. Jason Thomson accompanied Captain Turner and Bob Clayden on a weekend in icy Derbyshire and Easter campers had to return home a day early to avoid being snowed in for a fortnight.
5 members took part in the Annual Waltham Walk.
We expanded our Bible class to take in Scouts and Guides, and some of our members joined the Youth Fellowship.
Camp ’86 was at Gorleston in a Methodist Church Hall and memorable for the great Water Fight with water cannons and water rifles, sailing model boats on the pond, and a cricket match that went on so long we thought of calling for candles as the batsmen could no longer see the ball until it hit.
Our Display in the grounds of Castle Street School included a “Gun Run Race”
We contributed to the Saffron Walden Time Capsule Project The capsule is to be dug up in 2286. We provided buglers for Remembrance Sunday the first of many years of doing so.
We played 1st Sawston at Cricket at Newport Grammar School and won. Our match with the church team we lost by 8 runs and both sides fielded 13 players.
During that year we published several editions of our own magazine “Bugler” and presented 3 new awards for battalion competitions. We exhibited at the Town Hall Leisure Activities Exhibition, and organised a successful Town Tidy Community event. We had a Clowns Float in the Carnival, and we fund raised for S.W.A.G ( now Medics) and for the new local Nursery School.
For 6 months we “took in” the 1st Saffron Walden Girl’s Brigade with our boys until they could regroup with a new Captain.
During 1987 Target Trails were popular. We paraded to the Parish
Church for Mothering Sunday. We hosted the Battalion Five A Side Football competition at the Lord Butler Leisure Centre. Jason Kitchener obtained his Presidents Badge and Staff Sgt rank.
Camp was held at East Runton including a canoeing course, some wind-surfing, swimming at Gresham school, a 20 mile Senior Challenge , and pony trekking . During that week of the wettest summer for 18 years a waterlogged day was spent at Yarmouth but much enjoyed and a windy walk to Sheringham ended with playing crazy golf on a cliff top in heavy rain with a gale blowing.
Our Church Youth worker Phil Milburn and Jason Kitchener played out “Albert & Daisy” at a campfire we shared at 1st Wormley’s Camp site near Overstrand, where we learned a Russian love song and dance. Mr Madds fell off his hired bike into a thorn bush while organising the Camp Run. Three boys went to Feldon at Christmas for a holiday activities course.
The Year 1988 brought the united display at the County High School with the now reformed Girls Brigade from Castle Street Methodist Church.
£150 was raised for Brigade Aid for a Clean Water project. Most of this was given unwittingly by the church congregation. The Company Section boys created a well on the platform and then explained to the congregation how the money was to be used.
They were supposed to stand at the doors with buckets to receive a retiring collection, but when the offering was announced they got up and passed the buckets along the pews collecting £130 in loose change which they poured into their well while the hapless minister stood waiting to receive the collection bags. What a hi-jack!.
We took part in the Eastern Area Baptists Scene ’88 event at Bury St Edmunds, parading through the street in a March of Witness of 3000 Christians with 3 of our officers carrying the Essex Banner some of which, women of our church had embroidered.
Our Band took part in the Stansted Carnival. We beat 1st Bishop’s Stortford at cricket and organised a Car Treasure Hunt. A team of three participated in the Waltham Walk.
We camped on a windy cliff at Swanage in Dorset, with a successful Senior Challenge at Poole.
Two sorties were made into the English Channel for mackerel fishing. Jenny Bates organised a hilarious Camp Concert. Kate Thomson published the Camp Magazine for us with an illustrated cover produced by Cpl. Matthew Rowlandson.
The Future which is now the Past.
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John Man organised a Presentation of a carriage clock to Mike in appreciation of all his service to us when he began his sabbatical year during which he sought, obtained, and trained for a new job
In July The Officers Meeting having heard that Mike had resigned, had met and wondered if this was the time to close down. Staff Sgt Jason Kitchener arrived late from his work, hearing this, said loudly and passionately “You cannot! You must not!”.
That clinched the meeting, they then sought a figure head who would not interfere with the Section O in C’s, and finally they asked the ex-Treasurer, Lieut John Maddams, who stood in as Captain for a year with orders to “hold the Company together” and David Revell was appointed as O in C Company Section. Neither knew for how long they might be needed.
Mike clearly expected to return for he asked the two of them to concentrate on keeping the Company afloat, and not to worry about having a Display or a Camp, taking part in Battalion executive matters or Battalion events. Keep things simple. Keep the Company together.
Knowing no other way to run a BB Company than he had showed them, they totally ignored his advice and entered everything and added some new things too.
Yvonne Morton took on the task of Treasurer which she has continued now for over 20 years.
We organised a visit to the Science Museum in London. Several people responded to a “Skills to Share Appeal” and so we were able to organise classes in Cooking, IT Computer use, First Aid, Wayfaring, Hand Printing and Art.
Not knowing what the Company’s future was going to be the officers felt they must develop training for NCO’s and Seniors with the view of encouraging them to staff the company in the future.
Building on the good foundation of previous years the year produced 6 Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme Bronze medal holders and 5 more were added to the scheme. 4 Presidents Badges were achieved.
Two boys began Queens Badge courses. Six boys went to Feldon on Holiday Activity Courses. We organised our own Leadership Training Course with teenagers from other battalion companies. Four NCO’s went to BB Feldon Training Centre for a Leadership Training week- end course.
All three sections entered all the Battalion competitions and won so many that we won the two top awards, the P G White Trophy and the right for a year to parade the Battalion Queen’s Colour. We also organised our own 10 Mile Run as the Council one had been discontinued. We organised it between the Church Youth Organisations with the help of parents and staff.
Because another plan broke down with just a couple of weeks notice before Christmas, we wrote and along with the Junior Church members we produced “The Key to Christmas”. We organised our Display on church premises with a hobbies exhibition downstairs.
We camped at Great Bentley Methodist Church hall in Essex with visits to Walton, Frinton, Colchester, Clacton, and Brightlingsea. We staffed it with 3 officers and the NCO’s, who did splendidly. John Man, the son of a Chinese Restaurant owner and Dawn Pearce organised the meals.
David drove the minibus and John took some boys around by train. Late one night the officers were all at Colchester General until well gone midnight with a boy with a mangled thumb while the NCO’s maintained on-site duties.
We made two gigantic sand castles. We celebrated Adrian Ralph’s 16th birthday, and ended the week with a party, concert and dance. Simon Pickhaver won the Greg Moss Trophy for the Camp run around the largest village green in England. We all learnt a lot.
Towards the end of the year Mike returned as Band Master and we bought the 2 bell lyras. Christopher Hughes joined the Church after baptism, and several of our teenagers went forward in Christian commitment at the Billy Graham Crusade Rally.
In the Autumn Mike Turner returned as Captain and John transferred to the Junior Section where a need for help had arisen to assist Lieut Michael Hughes as Janet Claxton had left to return to Zaire on missionary service and Jean Sale was about to leave to do a 4 year Open University course.
Lee Kitchener was appointed Staff Sgt and Corp. Andrew Dyer was appointed to lead the Target Award Group. So our second decade began.
During 1990 the Band now made up of members of BB and GB entered the BB National Marching Band Competition and the first of three annual camps at Woolacombe in Devon was held.
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Published by the Church Archivist who was an officer from 1980 - 1997 and is currently registered with Brigade as a Helper No 00260198 who has assisted in other ways since 1997, including at Camp until 2007, and is a Life Member of the London BB Steadfast Association.. LHPM. 2008
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A brief introduction to The Boys Brigade and a survey of the beginnings and first 10 years of 1st Saffron Walden Company First published as a chapter in the 1990 Edition of the history of Saffron Walden Baptists “MISSION UNFINISHED” now out of print.
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In the Beginning there were boys, to be employed and deployed for God..
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The Founders
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At Galston in Ayrshire in 1830 was born to a hand loom weaver and small shop keeper a son named John Brown Paton, He lived most of his life in England having trained as a Congregationalist minister and he became the Principal of the Nottingham Congregational Institute. A position he held for 35 years.
He founded the Boys Life Brigade and was President until his death in 1911. BLB developed a section for juniors called The Life Boys
In 1854 at Pennyland House near Thurso on the North coast of Scotland a boy was born who was called William Alexander Smith and about the age of 12 he used to march about with his school friends playing soldiers, with him at the head of the column.
His Dad worked in China and died there and he went to live and work with his uncle in Glasgow until he upset his uncle who was a pacifist and an elder of the Free Church of Scotland North Woodside Mission in the West End of Glasgow by joining the local army volunteer militia, the 1st Lanark Rifle Volunteers, in which he rose and when he finally retired in 1904 he was a Lieutenant-Colonel. William left his uncles business in 1878 to set up one of his own Smith, Smith and Company, with his brother Donald.
He became a Christian and in 1872 a member of the Young Men’s Christian Association and he became a member of the North Woodside Mission and in 1874 established there a Young Men’s Christian Society for the 17 plus group based on the YMCA principles.
At that time most boys left Sunday School in their early teens to roam the streets annoying people, and there was a clear gap between SS and the YMCS, which William then determined to plug.
He took on the role of Bible Class Leader of a group of very bored boys and described them as coming to amuse themselves and that the teachers whole time was spent in keeping order, quelling riots, subduing irrelevant remarks, minimising attacks on one another or himself, and protecting the teacher’s Sunday hat from destruction. The boys would not listen for two consecutive minutes. William sensed that they needed something new that would bring into their lives self discipline, life skills, challenge, comradeship, and Christian experience.
So William got together with his 2 Volunteers lieutenants James and John Hill and they established in 1883 a group they called The Boy's Brigade
The idea caught on and spread rapidly in Scotland, Ireland and England, to begin with mainly amongst the Free Church of Scotland and other nonconformist congregations but later in the Church of Scotland and the Church of England. Several other officers of his Volunteers Company assisted him and two later over the next 50 years became Presidents of BB, James Alston and John Roxburgh.
In 1886 they began camping in church halls at first and then under canvass. William died suddenly in 1914. In 1926 BLB and BB united and was thereafter called The Boys Brigade
In 1886 they began camping in church halls at first and then under canvass. William died suddenly in 1914 and so did not live to see thousands of his boys killed on the battlefields of France and Belgium or the efforts BB made to provide them with Rest Huts and Clubs behind the lines.
Whereas BB featured strict discipline, physical training and drill as important elements of their programme BLB featured first aid and life saving as important to them and they were committed to peace which was a popular idea in Britain from 1919-1935 a period during which the BB was widely unpopular because some companies paraded with dummy rifles in drill and it was considered too militant.
In 1926 after much acrimonious argument on both sides BLB and BB united and was thereafter called The Boys Brigade
THE ORIGIN OF THE SCOUTS
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After the relief of Mafeking another 19th century boy Robert Baden-Powell emerged as a hero as he had defended the city from the Boers and he did so by mobilising every boy he could and using them as spies, runners, messenger boys, and fire watchers. He became a great personal friend of William A Smith who encouraged him in 1903 to attend the London BB Display at the Royal Albert Hall.
Robert became an Honorary BB Vice President and remained so all his life. In 1904 Robert reviewed the 7000 strong Glasgow Battalion and in his speech said that he felt that some form of scout training would be popular within the BB and useful. He wished to try out his ideas of introducing to British boys what he had used with South African boys.
Early in his military career Robert while serving in India prepared a handbook called “Aids to Scouting “ which was widely accepted as a standard military handbook and taken up by some schools. A lot of schools already used drill as part of their programme including in Saffron Walden at East Street Boys School and the Saffron Walden and Newport Grammar Schools.
William suggested to Robert that he should rewrite that manual with British boys in mind and in June 1906 the BB Gazette reported that he had provided a manuscript to the Brigade called “Scouting for Boys” and they published extracts of the book commending the use of his ideas at BB camps and adaptations for city companies.
The BB then assisted Robert by arranging for him a Camp on Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour and provided 7 teenage boys from the 1st Bournemouth BB and 3 from the 1st Poole, and Robert recruited 10 from public schools. .
Following the success of that Camp, Robert published “Scouting for Boys” in 1908 and it was intended that the book would be used as a manual by the Boy’s Brigade, the Church Lads Brigade and the YMCA. At that time Robert had no intention of setting up a separate organisation. BB organised public meetings for Robert to promote his ideas and BB officers staffed some of them.
BB in some areas adopted scouting as part of their programme and in 1909 BB approved a uniform just for use in scouting with a broad brown BP shaped scout hat, with a embroidered BB crest on the front, a scout knapsack, a regulation BB belt and a navy blue shirt . BB also introduce a BB Scout badge and a certificate.
There was a limited response in BB because they already did swimming, signalling, and camping. From 1909 - 1916, 561 BB boys became First Class Scouts and 2,409 became Second Class Scouts . BLB also adopted parts of Robert’s manual into their programme.
The result of the sale of “Scouting of Boys” as a book and serialised in the Boys Own magazine, was that groups of boys all over the country got together themselves and the adults became concerned and got together to produce leaders and the Scouting Movement got under way.
Robert at one time thought of having all organisations and clubs for boys amalgamated into one national organisation along with the Naval and Army Cadets with the King as Patron and with Government funding but William resisted the idea believing that the Christian emphasis would be lost and that several organisations would appeal to different kinds of boys, as turned out to be the case. In the end BB lost about 400 officer and 10,000 boys to the new Scout Movement which over time soared to over 28 million world wide
The BOYS of SAFFRON WALDEN
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At the Baptist Church there had been continuous youth work since the Christian Endeavour Society of the 1880’s with the Sunday School founded in 1806 at it’s base. The Church Hall was also used for an evening vocational training school in the late 19th century.
Strong Sunday Schools to Bible Class levels abounded at Abbey Lane Congregationalist church, the two Methodist churches, the other two Baptist Churches, at St Mary’s Church of England, and at Gold Street Chapel.
Pupils of the Friends School had forced the extension of the Friends Meeting House, and young people were involved in the Salvation Army Corps in Castle Street.
A lot of young people were involved in the Temperance Societies. All the local schools were linked too the various churches as it had been the Free Churches of the 19th century that had clamoured for universal education.
Up to 1936 the Head master of the East Street Boys School were Members of Congregationalist and Baptist Church and teachers from both churches staffed local boys and girls schools. Unfortunately some were stern disciplinarians who used the cane too frequently at least until several senior boys at East Street refused to take it any more and beat up the master with his own cane causing him to be off work for 6 months,
In 1912 the 1st Saffron Walden Scouts was founded
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and it had a strong band. My Dad and an uncle were involved in it.
During the Second World War years, when all local youth organisations gradually closed down as their leaders were fighting for the nation’s survival, the curate of St Mary’s Parish Church Reginald Humphries, who was also chaplain to RAF Debden and later many years Vicar of Newport established
a strong Church Lads Brigade Company including a band. My elder brother belonged to that and played a bugle, and I got involved with his mates in some of their activities.
After the war the CLB closed down and the Scouts reopened. In 1959 Abbey Lane Congregationalist , Castle Street Methodist and High Street Baptist Churches combined in support and staffing of 5th Saffron Walden Scouts with feeder cub packs.
The Scouts met as they still do at the Baptist Hall and at one time we had a Beaver Colony there as well.
At the Baptist Church from 1900 to 1955 we had one after the other the Baptist Band, the Baptist Youth Institute, The Young Life Campaign, The Senior and Junior Christian Endeavour Societies, the Girls Life Brigade, the Junior Choir, the Baptist Boys Club, and the Girls Auxillary.
From 1955 developed the Young People Auxillary mid week with the Young People Fellowship on Sunday Evenings with the Youth Witness Team and we were involved in organising with other churches Saffron Walden District Youth for Christ.
In the 1960’s we ran an Open Youth Club, Plus 16 Club, and into the 1970’s The Followers, TWYG and TWYGLETS, and Adventurers. Other boys and girls were involved in the St John Ambulance Cadets, ATC, ACF, Scouting and Guiding.
THE ROOTS OF OUR BB FAMILY TREE
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In 1890 the 2nd Enfield BB Company was formed at a Congregationalist Church, and about 40 years later when Lieut A D Wiltshire was it’s Captain, a boy joined it aged about 12, and went to Whitecliff Bay IOW camping. His name was Eric Stanley Guest. We generally call him Stan and he went on to become a Christian, and an officer, and his brother Bert became O in C of the Juniors. Stan Guest went on to become an ordained minister with the Congregationalists.
Thus he arrived as Pastor of Sawbridgeworth Evangelical Congregationalist Church which between the wars had had a BLB Life Boy’s Company and a Young Men’s Christian Society which provided for the young men of their community what BB and Scouts provides for teenagers now.
In 1959 Stan founded the 1st Sawbridgeworth BB Company. One of the founder members was 8 yearold Mike Turner, and he grew up through all the ranks to become Captain of 1st Sawbridgeworth. Then he married Lynda, a member of the Girl’s Brigade, and they moved to live at Saffron Walden and Mike was a Battalion Vice President, and on the Officers Reserve List. At Walden Mike became Leader of the Adventurers
In 1969 Stan founded the Herts & Essex Border Battalion of the BB from the Sawbridgeworth. Bishop’s Stortford and Harlow companies and the Ongar Junior Section.
In 1978 Saffron Walden Baptist Church installed a second floor to their Church hall to mark the Bicentenary of the Church 4 years earlier which opened up the opportunity to do more youth work.
Arising from a Battalion Council determination to respond to Brigade’s desire to start more new companies to celebrate the Centenary in 1983, late in the 1970’s Mike approached the minister and deacons about forming a BB Company here and was rebuffed.
The argument was that we did not need BB as we had a the well established Scouts. Our leaders then were not ready for what God clearly wanted them to do. Nothing new in that. On one occasion Mike was criticised by the Deacons over something that went wrong at Adventurers but when he reminded them that he was leading Adventurers for them and needed more help for which they were responsible, the deacons were stung out of their complacency and had to apologise.
PLANTING THE BB BANNER AT SAFFRON WALDEN
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By 1980 there had been several changes in the Diaconate and it then included several former members and officers of BB and others favourable to it.
In March 1980
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Mike arranged a meeting with Jim and Rene Baterip, the Battalion Training Officers at our church hall to introduce the idea. Not many people turned up but there was positive interest.
The Church Treasurer attended the meeting because he wanted to gauge how much such a new venture would cost the Church, and as a safety measure he volunteered to be Company Treasurer, but pointed out that he could not do anything else to help them. Famous last words that turned out to be.
During the first year he passed all BB money through the Church accounts and was gently told off by the chief auditor as it extended auditing the Church accounts by about another hour. After that the accounts were separated and someone else audited them.
In April the first Staff Committee Meeting was held.
Discussed at Diaconate, one deacon remained against the idea of having a BB Company and another who himself helped a neighbouring company was happy about the idea, but against Mike being Captain. Otherwise it was agreed to go ahead and see whether God would prosper the idea or not.
Originally it had been intended that Ed Fuller, a Deacon, and former Captain of Bury St Edmunds BB would be Captain with Mike as Officer in Charge of Company Section, but Ed’s health stopped this and he served as our one and only President. His three grandsons, Matt, James and Daniel became loyal members of the company. Ed and his wife Bessie provided us with our Mace.
We had two Vice - Presidents. Mr Edwin Allen of Elm Grove, former Captain of a Brighton Company helped us with money to provide lady officer’s uniforms, haversacks and belts and a cup to be awarded annually for the Best Boy in Company Section which was often a difficult choice to make.
Mrs Frances Payne became our 2nd Vice - President as her late husband Ken, a former Mayor of Ramsey, Isle of Man, had served as Captain of the 1st Carlisle Company. Frances provided our Colour
The Deacons approved Initial Grants for the 3 Sections and a substantial loan to put the boys into uniform straight way and pay for them later.
At the same time the Church established the 3rd and 4th Saffron Walden Guide Companies, one on church premises and one at Golden Acre Community Centre and a new Brownie pack. These were each provided with an initial grant and the Treasurer and his mother provided Colours to one Guide Company and one Brownie pack. A similar Initial grant was offered to the Scouts but they declined.
During June through to August the potential officers did their Basic Training Course and the Treasurer tagged along to see how much it was going to cost us.
Asked at the end of the course whether he wished to be an officer he said that he couldn’t. So it was decided to present him with a BB Friends Badge. Then he discovered that Brigade regarded it’s Treasurers as Company Business Managers as Brigade is a charity, and they could hold the rank of Warrant Officer, so with his foot in the door so to speak, he became one of them ( a year later he was camp padre, and deputising for the minister at meetings, and some years later he became a Lieutenant )
So the officers and staff at the beginning were were Mike and Lynda Turner, Jean Sale, Imogen Dulieu, Trevor and Sandra Blackmore, Les and Ann Revell , David Yule, and John Maddams with Colin Turner, Mike’s 17 yearold younger brother as Staff Sgt.
Mike's parents Avis and Lionel Turner served in a supportive role and with fund raising, along wiyh Michael and Dorothy Hughes. Avis later served as an Anchor Boys leader and Michael joined as a Junior Section Officer. Early in the 1980's Arthur and Elaine also began a long period as officers.
On Sat Sept 6th 1980 we had a Recruitment Day
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with a makeshift Band from volunteers who turned up from the Harlow, Sawbridgeworth and Gillingham Companies. These young men also distributed handbills around town. We had an exhibition on the Common in a marquee provided by the 1st Bishop’s Stortford Company, the first and oldest of the Battalion’s companies originally formed at St Michael’s in the 19th century when it had a pipe band and paraded in kilts and amongst whose staff was a Lieut Kitchener ( Not Sammy, as he is not that old).
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Juniors & Anchor Boys first met on Sept 9th and Company Section on Sept 11. To begin our company we enrolled 65 boys.
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B.B Week was observed in November by Company Section in a sponsored Field Walk from Ashdon and by Juniors in a sponsored cycle ride in R A Butler School playground. The Company entered the 1981 Carnival with a float behind a BB Band bussed in from Enfield at their expense for which we were grateful.
A CAMPING WE WOULD GO.
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The previous year we had been able to send Les’s 14 yearold son David to Camp with the 1st Wormley Company,
Our own first Annual camp was held with members of the 1st Sawbridgeworth Company at Mundesley on the Norfolk coast near the Bacton Oil Refinery on a Methodist Youth Association site. Tents were obtained from a local supplier and were put up the previous evening by volunteers from Sawbridgeworth and we travelled over by minibuses and cars.
The programme included abseiling from a tree, a boat trip on the Broads, a visit to a working windmill, a barbecue, a picnic, and the Camp Run along the coast road and back along the sandy beach This was won by Jason Kitchener and the first woman home was Jumble Sale ( Mrs Jean Sale, our cook)
One evening all the staff were missing except the C.O. and the Padre. They had gone to visit Lord Nelson who lived on the other side of the road according to the sign hanging outside.
What is more they took the C.0’s younger brother with them.
In years following that incident the rule was laid down of no drinking alcohol on or off camp by under 18’s.
CAPTAIN PUGWASH.
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Amongst the leaders was a great friend of Mike's, John Marshall who was Treasurer of the 1st Sawbridgeworth Company, otherwise known as Sawbo City. John was also a member of Bishops Stortford Operatic Society and brought with him to Camp a hamper of clothes for dressing up in.
Most of the way there we were singing songs though some attempts at bawdy songs by the boys were quickly suppressed by John. John was excellent at putting. He organised sessions of the Rat Race Game for the staff which starting at 10pm could go on until 2am and after that he wrote up his diary notes ready to read them with a lot of humour at Breakfast wearing a four cornered pirate hat, so he became known as Captain Pugwash.
He was so meticulous at Tent and Kit inspection he was still at it when everyone else was having breakfast. He organised and refereed sports activities. He drove parties of boys all over the place. He organised the Camp Concert in the on-site theatre and he was our Neptune the First. One night he took on the role of the Mundesley Ghost coming across a meadow all in white with lit torches and was most impressive.
He was a great example of an all rounder with a deep love of boys. He taught our officers a great deal in one week and many a tear was shed 8 months later when he died suddenly of a heart attack while driving his car.
INITIATION
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As Neptune the First, John Marshall initiated new campers into the Proper C.H.A.R.L.I.E.S including his successor Neptune the Third John Maddams who like him was an night owl.
The C.H.A.R.L.I.E.S stood for the High and Noble Order of the
Company of Hoaxers And Raggers Living In hErts and eSsex.
Initiation in those days was widespread in Brigade but has long since been banned. Ours followed the lines laid down by Stan Guest. Each new camper dressed only in swimming trunks paraded before Neptune on the beach to which we had paraded in fancy dress with a makeshift band. Each had to answer a riddle. If he got the answer wrong he had a solution ladled onto his bare back and was then taken by assistants into the sea to wash it off.
The original Recipe was simply flour and water. If the camper answered correctly he had two doses for being a know-all, and if he was cheeky he might get an extra helping down the inside of his trunks. At the end of the week each received a special certificate which many prized and some framed.
As time had gone on and in later years other items became added to the flour and water such as excess scrambled egg, excess peas, gravy, stewed apple, and other ingredients including on one occasion Jason Kitchener ’s sock which went missing during the week.
In later years this activity was replaced with a special meal, own-made headgear and new candidates brought jokes or poems to Neptune who appeared each year in more and more extravagant attire, heralded by buglers and one year delivered from his tent in a car, due to the rain.
One year Elaine Webb wore an upright slice of toast as she was Camp toast maker., Tricia Troughton wore a creation of foil pie containers and I think it was Linda who had a tiara of milk bottle tops.
All that remained of that tradition by 2008 was the Certificates to first time campers to the less ancient but still noble Company of Helpers And Revellers Living In Essex and Suffolk.
In 1981 at their first attempt our Company Section won the Battalion Drill Competition.
We bought our first musical instruments in a sale at cost price, some of them donated by supporters, and formed a Drum and Bugle Band that first played in public in 1982
That year we camped at Penmaen in the Gower thingyula in Wales where the programme include a 15 minute flight over the shore and the camp site from Swansea airport, where the padre fell off his trolley on the Alpine Run.
We enjoyed a singsong at a camp fire with Welsh Scouts from Cardiff, we could not match them in singing but we brought up our instruments and played. Jim Baterip edited the magazine and served as Neptune the Second. Mike had to take his family home to Walden as Kathryn was unwell and return 2 days later with Andrew.
BB Centenary Year
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1982 ended with a torch light procession to light a beacon on the Common to welcome 1983 the BB Centenary Year which included a fund raising Jig-In ( sponsored jig saw making ) by our Juniors, and a Caledonian Evening led by dancers from Cambridge, when the Treasurer turned up in a kilt. We had our own Display and participated in the Battalion Display at Harlow, and visited the special day at the Suffolk show ground near Ipswich for FANFARE 83, the District Display.
An expedition camp took place at East Runton for 4 Seniors and 4 third year Juniors. In October we held an Open Evening when the Treasurer read the Queen’s Speech. The boys showed their skills. We had an iced cake and Good News (TEV) New Testaments with the centenary logo on. where presented to each Company member. Juniors were also given AV New Testaments at Christmas on the insistence of their Officer in Charge, which in the light of the later discovered errors in the TEV is as just as well.
That year we first entered the Town Fun Run as our 10 mile race, raising money for a charity. Robert Crane beat Jason Kitchener by 4 seconds. We also entered a team in the Church “IT’S A KNOCKOUT” at Long Acres, Debden. We observed the year by having a group photograph taken with time release by Warrant Officer Clive Pegg outside the church..
In 1984 Company Section had a fund raising walk to Addenbrookes Hospital Cambridge. We held at East Runton our last united Camp with 1st Sawbridgeworth before they disbanded on Aug 31st just before their 25th anniversary.
2nd Bedford in the field on the other side of the road raided us at midnight but later in the week we met together for a football match and refreshments. Our Seniors with two of theirs sat up until 2am in a tent at the end of the site . That year we went sailing, fishing and pony riding.
Neptune the Third presided over Initiation and produced “The Runton Rover” camp magazine. Arthur Coote organised the Concert. That autumn David Yule became O in C Company Section, and David Revell and Chris Hughes did their basic training and became warrant officers. Clive Pegg took charge of the Band.
We participated in the Battalion Gala, John Maddams became Battalion Executive Minutes Secretary and Competitions Secretary, and later Secretary of the Junior Sections & Anchor Boys Committee.
We met 1st Sawston in a Wide Game at Wandlebury and had a Saturday Special with sausages and a video. Robert Hall and Jason Kitchener formed a music group called THE RACE AGAINST TIME
In 1985 we provided 5 of the panels for the People of God Frieze around the gallery frontage in the church. Captain Turner obtained his Bronze Award at Life Saving.
Camp 85 was at Bembridge Isle of Wight where on the Sunday afternoon a heavy storm demolished our camp site all but the marquee and most of us spent some nights in Bembridge Village Hall until the Seniors had rebuilt the camp. There in the marquee at the end of the week we held our “Hurricane Hilarity” Concert.
David Yule led a Sponsored bike ride to and from Hadstock to raise money to buy special teaching equipment for the Peter Kirk School for Children with Special Needs, and our carpentry group - Matthew Rowlandson , Lee Kitchener and Jason Thomson made for them a bowling alley with skittles. Juniors raised £175 for missionary work in Brazil.
In 1986 Robert Hall, Brian Gibbs, and David Bates took part in a snowy night walk. Jason Thomson accompanied Captain Turner and Bob Clayden on a weekend in icy Derbyshire and Easter campers had to return home a day early to avoid being snowed in for a fortnight.
5 members took part in the Annual Waltham Walk.
We expanded our Bible class to take in Scouts and Guides, and some of our members joined the Youth Fellowship.
Camp ’86 was at Gorleston in a Methodist Church Hall and memorable for the great Water Fight with water cannons and water rifles, sailing model boats on the pond, and a cricket match that went on so long we thought of calling for candles as the batsmen could no longer see the ball until it hit.
Our Display in the grounds of Castle Street School included a “Gun Run Race”
We contributed to the Saffron Walden Time Capsule Project The capsule is to be dug up in 2286. We provided buglers for Remembrance Sunday the first of many years of doing so.
We played 1st Sawston at Cricket at Newport Grammar School and won. Our match with the church team we lost by 8 runs and both sides fielded 13 players.
During that year we published several editions of our own magazine “Bugler” and presented 3 new awards for battalion competitions. We exhibited at the Town Hall Leisure Activities Exhibition, and organised a successful Town Tidy Community event. We had a Clowns Float in the Carnival, and we fund raised for S.W.A.G ( now Medics) and for the new local Nursery School.
For 6 months we “took in” the 1st Saffron Walden Girl’s Brigade with our boys until they could regroup with a new Captain.
During 1987 Target Trails were popular. We paraded to the Parish
Church for Mothering Sunday. We hosted the Battalion Five A Side Football competition at the Lord Butler Leisure Centre. Jason Kitchener obtained his Presidents Badge and Staff Sgt rank.
Camp was held at East Runton including a canoeing course, some wind-surfing, swimming at Gresham school, a 20 mile Senior Challenge , and pony trekking . During that week of the wettest summer for 18 years a waterlogged day was spent at Yarmouth but much enjoyed and a windy walk to Sheringham ended with playing crazy golf on a cliff top in heavy rain with a gale blowing.
Our Church Youth worker Phil Milburn and Jason Kitchener played out “Albert & Daisy” at a campfire we shared at 1st Wormley’s Camp site near Overstrand, where we learned a Russian love song and dance. Mr Madds fell off his hired bike into a thorn bush while organising the Camp Run. Three boys went to Feldon at Christmas for a holiday activities course.
The Year 1988 brought the united display at the County High School with the now reformed Girls Brigade from Castle Street Methodist Church.
£150 was raised for Brigade Aid for a Clean Water project. Most of this was given unwittingly by the church congregation. The Company Section boys created a well on the platform and then explained to the congregation how the money was to be used.
They were supposed to stand at the doors with buckets to receive a retiring collection, but when the offering was announced they got up and passed the buckets along the pews collecting £130 in loose change which they poured into their well while the hapless minister stood waiting to receive the collection bags. What a hi-jack!.
We took part in the Eastern Area Baptists Scene ’88 event at Bury St Edmunds, parading through the street in a March of Witness of 3000 Christians with 3 of our officers carrying the Essex Banner some of which, women of our church had embroidered.
Our Band took part in the Stansted Carnival. We beat 1st Bishop’s Stortford at cricket and organised a Car Treasure Hunt. A team of three participated in the Waltham Walk.
We camped on a windy cliff at Swanage in Dorset, with a successful Senior Challenge at Poole.
Two sorties were made into the English Channel for mackerel fishing. Jenny Bates organised a hilarious Camp Concert. Kate Thomson published the Camp Magazine for us with an illustrated cover produced by Cpl. Matthew Rowlandson.
The Future which is now the Past.
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John Man organised a Presentation of a carriage clock to Mike in appreciation of all his service to us when he began his sabbatical year during which he sought, obtained, and trained for a new job
In July The Officers Meeting having heard that Mike had resigned, had met and wondered if this was the time to close down. Staff Sgt Jason Kitchener arrived late from his work, hearing this, said loudly and passionately “You cannot! You must not!”.
That clinched the meeting, they then sought a figure head who would not interfere with the Section O in C’s, and finally they asked the ex-Treasurer, Lieut John Maddams, who stood in as Captain for a year with orders to “hold the Company together” and David Revell was appointed as O in C Company Section. Neither knew for how long they might be needed.
Mike clearly expected to return for he asked the two of them to concentrate on keeping the Company afloat, and not to worry about having a Display or a Camp, taking part in Battalion executive matters or Battalion events. Keep things simple. Keep the Company together.
Knowing no other way to run a BB Company than he had showed them, they totally ignored his advice and entered everything and added some new things too.
Yvonne Morton took on the task of Treasurer which she has continued now for over 20 years.
We organised a visit to the Science Museum in London. Several people responded to a “Skills to Share Appeal” and so we were able to organise classes in Cooking, IT Computer use, First Aid, Wayfaring, Hand Printing and Art.
Not knowing what the Company’s future was going to be the officers felt they must develop training for NCO’s and Seniors with the view of encouraging them to staff the company in the future.
Building on the good foundation of previous years the year produced 6 Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme Bronze medal holders and 5 more were added to the scheme. 4 Presidents Badges were achieved.
Two boys began Queens Badge courses. Six boys went to Feldon on Holiday Activity Courses. We organised our own Leadership Training Course with teenagers from other battalion companies. Four NCO’s went to BB Feldon Training Centre for a Leadership Training week- end course.
All three sections entered all the Battalion competitions and won so many that we won the two top awards, the P G White Trophy and the right for a year to parade the Battalion Queen’s Colour. We also organised our own 10 Mile Run as the Council one had been discontinued. We organised it between the Church Youth Organisations with the help of parents and staff.
Because another plan broke down with just a couple of weeks notice before Christmas, we wrote and along with the Junior Church members we produced “The Key to Christmas”. We organised our Display on church premises with a hobbies exhibition downstairs.
We camped at Great Bentley Methodist Church hall in Essex with visits to Walton, Frinton, Colchester, Clacton, and Brightlingsea. We staffed it with 3 officers and the NCO’s, who did splendidly. John Man, the son of a Chinese Restaurant owner and Dawn Pearce organised the meals.
David drove the minibus and John took some boys around by train. Late one night the officers were all at Colchester General until well gone midnight with a boy with a mangled thumb while the NCO’s maintained on-site duties.
We made two gigantic sand castles. We celebrated Adrian Ralph’s 16th birthday, and ended the week with a party, concert and dance. Simon Pickhaver won the Greg Moss Trophy for the Camp run around the largest village green in England. We all learnt a lot.
Towards the end of the year Mike returned as Band Master and we bought the 2 bell lyras. Christopher Hughes joined the Church after baptism, and several of our teenagers went forward in Christian commitment at the Billy Graham Crusade Rally.
In the Autumn Mike Turner returned as Captain and John transferred to the Junior Section where a need for help had arisen to assist Lieut Michael Hughes as Janet Claxton had left to return to Zaire on missionary service and Jean Sale was about to leave to do a 4 year Open University course.
Lee Kitchener was appointed Staff Sgt and Corp. Andrew Dyer was appointed to lead the Target Award Group. So our second decade began.
During 1990 the Band now made up of members of BB and GB entered the BB National Marching Band Competition and the first of three annual camps at Woolacombe in Devon was held.
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Published by the Church Archivist who was an officer from 1980 - 1997 and is currently registered with Brigade as a Helper No 00260198 who has assisted in other ways since 1997, including at Camp until 2007, and is a Life Member of the London BB Steadfast Association.. LHPM. 2008