BOY SCOUTS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16743, 26 December 1914, Page 12

BOY SCOUTS.

(By VEDETTE.) Tho Boy Scouts in the Homo Land j are having a very busy time. Thousands of them are employed watching bridges. railway lines, reservoirs and public j buildings. Hundreds are employed in j assisting the Coast Guards, .and now | Sir Robert Baden-Powell lias called upon the Scouts of Scarborough to watch the coast line, as there is sure to be another German raid. In New Zea-j land hundreds of boys have .been em-i ployed in assisting tho Defence Depart- ! ment by acting as messengers, finding out the addresses of persons required, or locating tho homes of officers so that they might be quickly warned or sum-, moned. Many hundreds more have assisted tho civil authorities in various ways. Many, too, have on their own initiative collected funds and material for the war, for patriotic funds or tor the relief of the Belgian and British poor. The Loud6n Council has decided to recognise all these workers at Home and abroad by issuing free a special war badge to all officers and Boy Scouts who have served or will serve during the war twenty-eight days of three hours each voluntary service on behalf i of tho defence authorities, civil or-' ganisation committees or individuals who are working in defence of tho Empire. Six application forms containing space for twenty names each have been received by Colonel Cossgrove, but these will not be sufficient, as Auckland alone will require all the forms sent.. Tho Colcfliel forwai-ded> one copy to j each of the five centres, and will have! duplicates prepared as they are re-! quired. It will be remembered that the matter of providing a war messenger badge was discussed, by the Dominiou Council some three mouths ago, and it was decided that the question thou id be held over till the end of the war.; Colonel Cossgrove requested all Scoutmasters to keep a list of boys who have been or are employed on this national service with datt?3 and duration of service for future use. Those of them who have done tliis will have no diffi- j culty in filling up the application forms when they receivo them, but alas, too many men trust to memory, only to find that it has played .them false when they most require it. Two hundred and fifty Scouts were emploved in Auoic-j land, about one hundred in Wellington, j and over fifty in one troon alone m I Dunedin as messengers to the Def < nee. authorities, but I havo no idea of the j numbers employed on other duties. I Doubtless before the war is over many more will be needed, -and'our boys will j ba ready to'respond to the.call. j As the annual camping season ap- ( proaches • troops everywhere are busy getting ready for the great event, j Judging from reports received . tho camps this year will be more numerous j than formerly. 1 In almost every Boy] Scout district in the Dominion camps will be held and district committees in several places are making groat preparations. Locally I hear that St Michael's troop will camp at Okains Bay from January 5 to January 15 un-, der District Commander Hawdon. Tho ' Avonside troop, under Scoutmaster Andrews, will camp by St John's Road, Belfast, from the 4th to the 15th, and! the New Brighton boys will probably spend a few days in their huts, in the Domain, and trek as far as Kaiapoi to meet the local Scouts and those of Wood3nd, some time in January. Colonel Cossgrove will endeavour to visit all the local camps this year, and will probably spend a few days with the St Michael's troop at Okain's Bay. Mr Judkin, schoolmaster at Waiau, will take up the work among his boys after the holidays, and in tho meantime he will attend one of tho Scout camps to gain some experience in scouting. The Avonßide troop has made a remarkable recovery under Scoutmaster Andrews. A few months ago the roll number was only sixteen, but a few staunch fellows stuck to it and did, their best to recruit, and when their Scoutmaster returned from the military camp from which he was invalided the boys determined to round up every recruit possible, with the result that there are now nearly three troops' of splendid fellows, and all as keen as mustard. Tho troops held a sports gathering a fortnight ago at Linwood, at which Scouts from St Michael's and ' New Brighton attended. Among the visitors were the Chief Commissioner, the District Commander, Mrs Fox and the Misses Creswell (2). In the evening Colonel Cossgrove, accompanied by Commissioner Inglis, Deputy Commissioner Sir _ Cecil Moon, and Colonel Cresswell, inspected the troops in tho Avonside Schoolroom. There was an excellent muster, and the inspecting officer, in a short address, complimented the boys on their smart appearance, and congratulated Scoutmaster Andrews and Assistant. Scoutmaster Fox upon the great progress they had made during tho past few months. Tho battalion has a .lino large band of six bugles and one side drum, which can already play several good marches After the inspection, Colonel Cossgrovo presented badges to the following Scouts, which had been won by examination:—Second class' badges— E. Beynan, F;_ Clark, L. Evans. A. Fraser, A. Macintosh, E. Macintosh, R. Pullar, K. Sim, P. Thompson. E. Thompson. V. Whitcombo, P. Whitehead, F. Whitta, H. Athea, It. Athea, J. Irvine, E. Mathesoii, C. Orange, H. Smith, H. Searel; marksman's badge— Assistant Scoutmaster Fox, Leader Inglis, Leader Pullar; cyclist badge— Leader Whitcombo, E. Beynon, E. Carver, L. Evans, A. Fraser, E. Macintosh, A. Macintosh, K. Sim, A. Thompson, F. Whitta. St Michael's troop has a drum and fifo band, and tho Now Brighton troop has also a good band. These, with the Avonside bugles, will probably give the Christehureh public an exhibition of their playing in the near future. On December 18 Colonel Cossgrove mot a number of young men in the Oxford Terrace Schoolroom and explained to them his scheme, "The Empire Sentinels." All present expressed their willingness to form a ""Watch Tower," and they took copies of the ritual and initiation ceremonies homo to read them up, but decided to postpone the opening till after the holidays. Any young ( man willing to .-join the organisation is requeswd to communicate with Mr Harold Beck, Richmond? Texwwwy Qhristchurch. '