A short History of 1st Thurstaston Scout Group
In 2008, 1st Thurstaston Scout Group celebrated its 75th anniversary.
The Group was started in 1933 in a wooden hut alongside the Common. Two of the founder members were Mr Vic Martin and his father and a lady, who later became Mrs Martin, joined them. They served with the Group until the start of the war when the Group had to close. In February 1948, the Group was reformed and meetings were held on Fridays in the Methodist Church. Two more Leaders, Mr Fred Whitehouse as Scout Master and Mr Wal Effingham as assistant, were enlisted. A Cub Pack was formed with Edwin Roberts as Cub Master and Nancy Martin as assistant. The Group flourished during the 1950s with the formation of a Rover Crew and as well as annual camps, our Scouts attended several of the international jamborees. The Group moved to its current location behind the Village Hall in the ‘60s. The current HQ building was erected in 1964 with a second hut arriving in 1971 to serve as Stores, Activity and Venture Scout rooms. This second hut was relatively old when it was acquired but it served its purpose and was demolished in 1996 to be replaced by a portacabin and a secure steel Container. The latter was for Stores and Equipment while the former housed an Activity Room and the Venture Unit.
Demand continued to grow during the 1960s, so a second Cub Pack was formed in 1969 and a second Scout Troop in 1970. The “New Look in Scouting” arrived in 1967 with changes in uniform, programme and structure. The Rovers and “Senior Scouts” were combined into the Venture Unit. The population boom in Irby led to the formation of a third Cub Pack in 1984 and the introduction of the Beaver Scouts for boys aged 6 to 8 resulted in the opening of our Beaver Colony in 1985. The late ‘80s saw the beginning of a decline in numbers, which caused the closure of the third Cub Pack in 1988 and of Woden Troop in 1990 and the merger of the two Cub Packs in 1999. Further restructuring of the Scout Movement in 2003 saw the introduction of Explorer Scouts to encompass older Scouts and younger Ventures, plus the formation of the Scout Network for the over 18s. The most recent change has seen several girls join the Scout Troop.
Many notable local people have been associated with the Group. Mr J Ratcliffe became involved in the ‘50s and eventually retired in 1969 as Group Scout Leader (GSL). The flagpole at the top of the field was erected in his memory. 1967 saw the arrival of Margaret and Tony Fletcher as Cub Scout Leader and Assistant Cub Scout Leader and both remained involved with the Group in various capacities for the next 40 years - the current Cub Pack is named the Fletcher Pack in their honour. Mr John Richardson became GSL in 1969, a post that he held for 18 years and the Friday night Scout troop was named the Richardson Troop in his honour.
There have been and still are many other people, too numerous to mention here, who have also contributed significantly to the running of the Group.
During 75 years, 1st Thurstaston Scouts have attained many awards and honours in Scouting including several boys gaining the highest award of Queen’s Scout and the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Standard.
The Group was started in 1933 in a wooden hut alongside the Common. Two of the founder members were Mr Vic Martin and his father and a lady, who later became Mrs Martin, joined them. They served with the Group until the start of the war when the Group had to close. In February 1948, the Group was reformed and meetings were held on Fridays in the Methodist Church. Two more Leaders, Mr Fred Whitehouse as Scout Master and Mr Wal Effingham as assistant, were enlisted. A Cub Pack was formed with Edwin Roberts as Cub Master and Nancy Martin as assistant. The Group flourished during the 1950s with the formation of a Rover Crew and as well as annual camps, our Scouts attended several of the international jamborees. The Group moved to its current location behind the Village Hall in the ‘60s. The current HQ building was erected in 1964 with a second hut arriving in 1971 to serve as Stores, Activity and Venture Scout rooms. This second hut was relatively old when it was acquired but it served its purpose and was demolished in 1996 to be replaced by a portacabin and a secure steel Container. The latter was for Stores and Equipment while the former housed an Activity Room and the Venture Unit.
Demand continued to grow during the 1960s, so a second Cub Pack was formed in 1969 and a second Scout Troop in 1970. The “New Look in Scouting” arrived in 1967 with changes in uniform, programme and structure. The Rovers and “Senior Scouts” were combined into the Venture Unit. The population boom in Irby led to the formation of a third Cub Pack in 1984 and the introduction of the Beaver Scouts for boys aged 6 to 8 resulted in the opening of our Beaver Colony in 1985. The late ‘80s saw the beginning of a decline in numbers, which caused the closure of the third Cub Pack in 1988 and of Woden Troop in 1990 and the merger of the two Cub Packs in 1999. Further restructuring of the Scout Movement in 2003 saw the introduction of Explorer Scouts to encompass older Scouts and younger Ventures, plus the formation of the Scout Network for the over 18s. The most recent change has seen several girls join the Scout Troop.
Many notable local people have been associated with the Group. Mr J Ratcliffe became involved in the ‘50s and eventually retired in 1969 as Group Scout Leader (GSL). The flagpole at the top of the field was erected in his memory. 1967 saw the arrival of Margaret and Tony Fletcher as Cub Scout Leader and Assistant Cub Scout Leader and both remained involved with the Group in various capacities for the next 40 years - the current Cub Pack is named the Fletcher Pack in their honour. Mr John Richardson became GSL in 1969, a post that he held for 18 years and the Friday night Scout troop was named the Richardson Troop in his honour.
There have been and still are many other people, too numerous to mention here, who have also contributed significantly to the running of the Group.
During 75 years, 1st Thurstaston Scouts have attained many awards and honours in Scouting including several boys gaining the highest award of Queen’s Scout and the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Standard.
