Scoutina

Timaru Herald, Volume CL, Issue 22043, 16 August 1941, Page 7

Scoutina

SCOUTS IN WARTIME Outstanding Qualities of Manhood Remarkable Heroism By A. P. Luscombe Whyte The self-possession shown by Boy Scouts in times of great danger is amazing. Their training seems to fit them for any emergency job. One Sbiith London “blitz” caught four Scouts as they were rescuing a paralysed man from a bombed house. They laid the man on his back and shielded him with their bodies as the bombs screamed down and burst a ffew yards away. A few hours later these same doys were at work supplying hot drinks to 400 people in a church crypt, all from one small electric stove. The next day they forced their way, choking and blinded witn tears, into a bombed ammonia factory so as to turn off the plant. This is typical of their versatility. In many much-bombed hospitals about the country hundreds of Boy Scouts are doing gallant and often terrible work. They stand up to the bombing and to the horrible experiences forced upbn them like men. At one London hospital a troop of Boy Scouts had been on duty every night since the outbreak of war. The months of Inactivity provided them with no work, but they stuck at the job. Then, without warning, one night bombs rained down all over the district. The regular full-time porters had to be posted to watch for incendiaries. SO from 2.30 to 7 a.m„ amidst falling bombs, the boys worked without ceasing, unloading the ambulances and carrying the stretchers across the open courtyard to the wards. Fiilly-qiialifled First Aid Wardens After their wonderful show, the hospital authorities asked that as many boys as possible should report every night, and put a sleeping ward at their disposal. Several later blitzes saw the older Scouts stretcher-bearing, and the under-slxteens filling bottles and bowls, tabulating clothes, and helping in the casualty wards. Other responsible tasks were given them. Operating telephone switchboards, undressing new casualties assisting in blood transfusions, and the stitching of wounds, even helping in the operating theatres. No deep shelters, or country retreats fbr’ these boys! They have chosen sbmfe of the hardest and least pleasant war-time jobs—tasks which few men could do without a shudder.

Not all the Boy Scouts’ work is exciting, or calls for heroism. Much of it is sheer routine, hard work, and resourcefulness. For Instance, for nearly 12 dull months of the war a London troop maintained a night guard at the big local shelter. No raids came. But when the first bombs brought a stream of people to the shelter they found it open, clean, and in perfect order. And within an hour, a canteen, staffed by Scouts, was serving out hot drinks a,nd “snack” meals to the shelterers. it was the first shelter canteen in London and one which has never failed. Since then, scores of canteens and mobile motor canteens have been staffed by Scouts, some of them bought with money collected by Scouts.

Independent Action Acting as “freelances,” individual boys have taken on many different types of “good deed” war-time jobs. One b°y earned the affectionate nickname in the Tube shelters of “Big Chief Blanket Pin.” The job he had thought involved touring the tube shelters with a haversack of blanket pins and folding and pinning the children’s blankets “Scout fashion.” Another lad decided to help weary shelterers by doing a similar tour with a bicycle pump, and inflating air cushions and rubber mattresses.

Not all the Boy Scouts have been on active “blitz” work. Some are too young; some live in districts where few bombs have fallen or where the defence services are full But every Scout manages to find enough work to fill his day. In rural areas hundreds of Scouts have helped on the land. The coveted National Service Pennant was recently awarded for the third time. The winners were a small troop of 28 boys, who not only maintain sole charge of a first aid post every night, act as stretcher-bearers, help demolition squads and feeding centres. They have filled their “spare time” by collecting 50 tons of waste paper, and cultivating an acre of land for food production. Scouts have been working in forestry camps and on farms, and this summer thousands of them well make up for the shortage of farm labour by helping to bring in the harvest. Several troops have done good work in collecting medicinal wild plants to replace those which Britain formerly imported from the Continent. The younger Scouts have been kept busy on door-to-door collection of paper and other “scrap” materials for salvage. In the first year of the war the boys rounded up the tremendous total of 35,000 tons of paper, all of which can be repulped and used again, and which will save several valuable Shipments from abroad. Great little collectors, these boys. Thousands of eggs for local hospitals, furniture of old evacuated couples, books and magazines for the troops, money for canteens, wild fruit for preserving. Anything useful is welcome. New jobs for the Boy Scouts continue to turn up. When Mr Herbert Morrison made his broadcast appeal for fire-watchers in January the Boy Scouts’ Association responded at once with a nation-wide scheme. Patrols of six Or eight boys under a boy patrol leader will act as fire spotters in their own districts and link up with one another so that wide areas are covered. These patrols will be “mobilised” immediately “on alert” sounds. More night work for thousands of boys. Airmen of the Future Another new “job” —though the Scouts will not regard it as such—has been opened up by the recent formation of the new Air Scouts—for boys of from 11 to 16. As may be imagined from its title, this new branch drew thousands of applications with a few hours of its formation. The Air Scouts—who will wear grey shifts and dark blue shorts, stockings and berets will have the opportunity to learn all about the theory of flight, navigation, and mechanics. This will fit them at the age of 16 to join up in the new Air Training Corps with a good preliminary knowledge. The A.T.C. is Itself a sort of preliminary course which aims to give youths of up to 18 a thorough grounding in the complex subjects which a modern pilot, navigator, radio operator or mechanic, needs to know. Already well over 100,000 boys are attending lectures and demonstrations in their spare time, and the authorities hope to reach a total of 200,000. These lads will eventually find themselves in R.A.F. training camps, and here their early grounding in Air Scouts and A.T.C. will shorten their training period by many weeks. And then there are the Sea Scouts. . . . London has seen something of them during the last troubled months. For nearly a year these lads, many of them quartered aboard the old Polar exploration ship, Discovery, moored in the Thames, did only routine work. They were trained in Discovery to use Morse, flags, semaphores. They were equipped with bicycles for carrying urgent messages. And they became an important part of “London’s Navy”—as the collection of pleasure steamers transformed into hospital ships for bomb casualties and of fast

motor cruisers which had become patrol boats was nicknamed by the Londoners. With the coming of bombing these lads have done wonderful service. Signalling from pier to patrol-boat, from patrol-boat to hospital ship. Guarding landing places. Rushing messages. They have braved terrible weather, and worse bombing, especially in the lower reaches of the Thames estuary. Trained to Leadership With all these activities to keep them busy one would hardly credit the Scouts with the time or inclination to study. But study they dq. With the call-up of Scoutmasters for service, thousands of Boy Leaders have had to take over the running of their troops —at a time when this involved the utmost responsibility. So some 25,000 of these Boy Leaders were given the Opportunity to take part in a nation-wide correspondence course, prepared by the association, to help them in running their patrols. Busy as they are, a vast number of the Boy Leaders have taken on this voluntary course. Though Boy Scouts are, of course unpaid and receive no concrete return for their magnificent work, their feats do not go unrecognised. Recently 30 Scouts attended a ceremony in London at which they received official recognition of outstandr ing bravery in air raids. These 30 come from one borough only of London. Six Silver Crosses for “special gallantry” were presented to individual Scouts. Two Silver Crosses were presented to troops as a whole. There was also one Bronze Cross. This is the “Scouts’ Victoria Cross,” the highest honour that any Boy Scout can receive. It was awarded to 17-year-old Frank Davis, for the rescue during a heavy raid of a fellow-mes-. senger. But it was awarded posthumously. For Frank was killed a few minutes after he rescued his friend. ST. PETER S TROOP ACTIVITIES In the presence of parents, committee members, cubs and scouts, the service of dedication of Scout Flags was held at St. Peter’s Church last Wednesday evening. Conducted by the Padre on the recognised procedure, the Troop Flag together with the Troop’s Union Jack was escorted to the Chancel steps by the Patrol Leaders. After the singing of the National Anthem, the Minister dismissed the troop with the charge and blessing. After the service the group held their annual event of fun and games—enjoying the splendid supper provided by the committee. FAIRLIE TROOP Encouraging reports are coming to hand from this group. • Several instructors are making regular visits to the troop for instructional purposes, and during the past few weeks two ambulance badges were gained—Mr Styles being the examiner. Don Page, a King’s Scout with his all-round cords is rapidly preparing tenderfeet for their preliminary tests. Patrol Competitions are a healthy sign of an active troop.