JUBILEE BEACONS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 163, 23 April 1935, Page 8

JUBILEE BEACONS.

GREAT CHAIN OF FIRE. ! At 10 p.m. on May 6 showers of red, green and yellow stars will burst from rockets fired -by Boy Scouts, stationed practically on every hill and promontory in Britain and Northern Ireland. These rockets will mark the lighting of the chain of bonfires which is to be the Scout movement’s contribution to the King’s /Silver Jubilee celebrations. It is the ambition of the Scout authorities to create a .vast network of beacons so situated that, from the site of each, it will be possible to see the flames from the next. In the hillier districts it should be possible to see many beacons tfrom one point. The county associations —more than 100 —• have been given the task of ensuring this ideal. The spots chosen for the bonfires will be marked on specially prepared maps and sent, together with details of local arrangements, to headquarters in London.

It is hoped that by April there _ will be a complete and co-ordinated plain of this “blazing chain,” covering every part of Britain. The old telegraph hills and the more ancient beacon hills will be among the selected sites. The bonfires will be made in the traditional conical shape, of intertwined branches old wood and rags, surmounted by a tar barrell. Each will be about 20ft high. Precautions are being taken against the danger of fire to surrounding property. London and the Home Counties present special dangers. Hampstead Heath, Crystal Palace, Harrow Hill and various points on the north downs are being considered, but it is not yet known whether the local authorities concerned will he willing to sanction fires close to populous areas.