90th Anniversary of the Oldest Founder Group of the 8th Hornchurch Scout Group
The 90th Anniversary of the registration of the 3rd Hornchurch Scout Group was on the 29th June 2021. The 3rd Hornchurch was one of the three founding Scout Groups which now form the 8th Hornchurch Scout Group as we know it and hence we have reached (and passed) our 90th Anniversary.
8th Hornchurch Scout Group Timeline
- 29th June 1931 – 3rd Hornchurch (St. George) Scout Group registered
- 14th November 1935 – 3rd Hornchurch Scout Group changed their registration to the 2nd Hornchurch Scout Group and moved from St. Andrews Church to St. Georges Church
- 16th June 1936 – 8th Hornchurch Scout Group registered
- 15th May 1947 – 5th Hornchurch (St. Andrews) Scout Group registered
- November 1958 – 8th Hornchurch’s Scout Hut (Barn?) in the Dell was destroyed by fire
- Early in 1960 – a proposal was put forward to disband both the 5th and the 8th and reform as one Group
- 9th November 1960 – official amalgamation of the 5th and 8th Hornchurch Scout Groups
- 1961 – the 8th Hornchurch approach St. Andrews Church to use the land next to St. Matthews Church for their new HQ
- 8th June 1963 – 2nd Hornchurch merge with the 8th Hornchurch
- March 1965 – agreement reached with the Church for a 25-year lease
- 1967 – 8th Hornchurch Venture Scout Unit starts
- 1st May 1968 – Dragon Cub Pack formed, and the St. Georges Cub Pack renamed Apollo Cub Pack
- 29th November 1969 – Stone laying at the new St. Andrews Church Hall and official opening of the new 8th Hornchurch Scout Group HQ
- 1970 – Neptune and Jupiter Cub Packs and St. Andrews Scout Troop move to the HQ
- September 1970 – Mercury Cub Pack move into the new St. Andrews Church Hall
- September 1975 – Neptune Cub Pack sadly closes due to lack of leaders and boys
- November 1986 – opening of the St. Georges Beaver Colony (originally called the Olave Beaver Colony)
- January 1987 – opening of the St. Andrews Beaver Colony
- June 1991 – opening of the St. Matthews Beaver Colony
- 1988 / 1989 – St. Georges Scout Troop relocates to the HQ
- 2002 – Comet Venture Unit closes and the Gladiators Explorer Unit opens (under the auspices of Hornchurch District)
- 4th November 2019 – St. Matthews Scout Troop is opened – our most recent section
- This takes the 8th Hornchurch Scout Group to ten sections being
- St. Andrews Beaver Colony
- St. Georges Beaver Colony
- St. Matthews Beaver Colony
- Apollo Cub Pack
- Dragon Cub Pack
- Jupiter Cub Pack
- Mercury Cub Pack
- St. Andrews Scout Troop
- St. Georges Scout Troop
- St. Matthews Scout Troop
- Current youth membership of 292, and including Young Leaders and all adult volunteers total membership of 391.
The first of the Groups to be registered on the 29th June, 1931 was the 3rd Hornchurch known as St. George, the Group held their meetings in Kenilworth Mission Hall under the sponsorship of St Andrews Church.
On the 14th November 1935 a priest had been appointed to Kenilworth Hall and it officially became a church, at the same time the 3rd Hornchurch Scout Group changed their registration to the 2nd Hornchurch and sponsorship passed to St Georges Church.
The scarf was plain blue with a red cross on a white square at the point.
The 8th Hornchurch Group were registered on 16th June 1936. They met in a large wooden hut known as the Barn in the Dell.
They were an open Group, meaning they were not sponsored by the church or any other organisation. The scarf was plain grey.
The 5th Hornchurch were registered on 15th May 1947 and called St. Andrews Group, they were associated with St Andrews Church, their scarf was blue with white border and a blue bulls head on a white background at the point was introduced in the mid-50s.
They met in the old church hall known as the Old Boys School Room, opposite the Church.
The three Groups acted independently of each other. They did come together for various activities, one of which is remembered, was a District Camp in 1957 in Harrow Lodge Park to celebrate 50 years of Scouting.
1958 was to see the start of events which were to bring the Groups together.
In November of that year the 8th Hornchurch Barn in the Dell was destroyed by fire. For a time they met in Langtons School Hall. The 5th offered the opportunity to join them and meet together, until new accommodation could be found.
In the meantime the Group had approached the local council with a request to re-build the Barn in the Dell from Scout funds.
This request was rejected, their reasoning, it is thought, was that a building constructed on an open site would be open to vandalism and require very high insurance, if indeed an insurance company could be found that would accept the liability. Especially as vandalism was suspected as the cause of the original fire.
Early in 1960 it was proposed to disband both the 5th and the 8th Scout Groups who were still meeting together and reform as one Group.
In an effort to retain the identity of both Groups it was suggested that the new Group should be the 8th Hornchurch (St Andrews) Scout Group but a combined scarf consisting of the blue and white scarf of the old 5th with a grey square and bulls head at the point, grey was the colour of the old 8th.
The new title and scarf were approved and the official amalgamation was the 9th November 1960.
It is interesting to note from the minutes of a Scouters meeting at the time, that enquiries had been made to obtain costs for the new badge (the grey square with the bull’s head). First response was three shillings and sixpence (17½p) each. This it was noted, was considered rather expensive.
The scarf is often commented upon when participating with other Groups. It is unique in two ways, first being the only one known at present to Scouting to carry the additional badge representing another Group.
And secondly, there is the history of the bull’s head on St Andrews Church. Local history books say it is thought to represent the trademark of the Leather and Tanning Industry which many years ago was the main source of local employment and for which the area was well known.
At the end of 1960 the Group approached the local Council with a view to finding a suitable plot of land to build their own Headquarters.
Also, at this time St Matthews Church in Chelmsford Drive being the sister Church to St Andrews had no Youth Activities Groups and as a number of Cubs and Leaders came from that area it was arranged for Neptune Cub Pack to transfer their meetings from the Old Boys School Room.
Early in 1961 the council informed the Group there was no suitable site for a Headquarters.
The Group then approached the Church requesting the possible use of the Land at the side of St Matthews on a proposed long-term lease of 25 years.
Another project under discussion at the time had no direct connection with the Scout Group, but eventually by quirk of fate produced a happy coincidence. This project was the new Church Hall at St Andrews.
In the meantime, the plans for the new Headquarters at St. Matthews had received an agreeable response from the Church. Progress was slow with the Group acting as go between for Council and Church.
At this point we should mention Treasurer Dennis Thorne and his continuous fund raising and annual fetes at the Old Cricket Ground, without which the Headquarters would probably not have been possible.
During the early sixties 2nd Hornchurch (St Georges) had sought the help of the 8th as they had lost uniformed Scouters. By 1963 all the assistant Scouters were from the 8th. They then lost their warranted Scout Leader and no new warranted Leader was available.
As the 8th were virtually running the Group it was suggested that 2nd Hornchurch (St Georges) merge with the 8th under their Group Scout Master. This was finalised on June 8th, 1963.
March 1965 saw a final agreement with the Church on a 25-year lease for the Headquarters on its present site. Plans with the Council were also in their finals stages when a further complication arose.
The Greater London Council (‘GLC’) expanded, and Hornchurch changed from the Urban District Council, to part of Greater London, this meant a complete review of grants with a new Council.
In June 1965 a detailed planning application was again made, this time to the GLC. Two months later By-Law permission was granted.
In the first quarter of 1967 Neptune Cub Pack moved to St Matthews.
Building of the Headquarters under John Horrell started with the Scouters and a few parents digging the foundation and laying the base. A builder was engaged to construct the main building shell, the rest of the work was done mainly by the Scouters with occasional help from the parents. One of the parents did the wiring, the new S.L. Mick Hasler did the plumbing, he also organised the working parties.
Building of the new St Andrews Church Hall was also under way, the Old Boys School Room was to be pulled down as the site was being prepared for sale, this gave the Group another problem of somewhere to store equipment.
The year of 1968 was to witness more changes to the Group.
On the Scouting front things were good, St Georges Cub Pack was full and had a long waiting list.
In an effort not to lose the boys waiting to join St Georges Cub Pack a completely new pack was formed.
In keeping with the other Packs in the Group, their names are all Star Constellations, it was decided to name them “Dragon Pack” and the St. Georges Pack which had been meeting on Monday nights would be Apollo.
November 29th, 1969 was a cold day, snow had fallen over night, and it was still snowing, not a good day to conduct any official functions. However, two important events were to happen that day. The two events which had started quite independently of each other now by happy coincidence culminated on the same day.
In the morning there was the stone laying at the new St Andrews Church Hall. This stone is in the annexe connecting the Church to the main Hall on the left-hand side as you enter, from the Church yard.
All the dignitaries present then drove to St Matthews for lunch, this was followed by the official opening by Mr. J Sweet of the new Scout Headquarters.
In the evening a social was held at the Headquarters to which all past and present leaders and adult volunteers were invited. Mr and Mrs Hasler presented the Group with a clock which is mounted over the doors into the Hall.
In 1970 Neptune and Jupiter Cub Packs and St Andrews Scout Troop all moved into the Headquarters.
September of that year saw the Mercury Cub Pack move into the new St. Andrews Church Hall.
In September 1975 Neptune Cub Pack finally closed due to lack of leaders and boys.
In November 1986 the Group opened its first Beaver Colony, originally called the Olave Beaver Colony but renamed the St. Georges Beaver Colony when the second Colony which had been opened, shut quite soon afterwards due to lack of members.
This was followed in January 1987 when the St. Andrews Beaver Colony was started and then in June 1991 when the third and latest Beaver Colony (St. Matthews) was started.
In 1988 / 1989 the St. Georges Scout Troop moved from St. Georges Church Hall to the HQ in order to have more space and be able to more readily use the equipment stored at the HQ.
2002 saw the Comet Venture Unit (along with all Venture Units) closed to make way for Explorer Scouts (14-18 age range) and Network Scouts (18-25 age range).
8th Hornchurch hosted the Hornchurch District provided provision of the Gladiator and Dragon Explorer Units at the HQ from 2002 until late 2019 when a third Scout Troop (St. Matthews) opened and the only night we could fit them in clashed with the Explorers who moved to 1st Upminster’s HQ.
Does anyone know when the Barn (at the HQ grounds) was first built?
Well that brings us up to 2022 – here’s to the next 90 years!
They did not grow old - VE Day recalled
Many countrywide events were scheduled to commemorate the 70th anniversary of VE day, 8th May 1945, the ending of WWII in Europe. Among many in Hornchurch whose names appear on St. Andrew’s War Memorial I have singled out a few who were personally known to me who lost their lives in that conflict.
I regret that some of the stories about these young men are incomplete, but the passage of over 70 years had made contact with relatives virtually impossible. In addition as I spent the last 4 years of WWII in the Royal Navy I was away as events at home unfolded.
Russell Spencer,
2nd Hornchurch Scouts.
8th Hornchurch Scout Group Timeline
• 29th June 1931 – 3rd Hornchurch (St. George) Scout Group registered
• 14th November 1935 – 3rd Hornchurch Scout Group changed their registration to the 2nd Hornchurch Scout Group and moved from St. Andrews Church to St. Georges Church
• 16th June 1936 – 8th Hornchurch Scout Group registered
• 15th May 1947 – 5th Hornchurch (St. Andrews) Scout Group registered
• November 1958 – 8th Hornchurch’s Scout Hut (Barn?) in the Dell was destroyed by fire
• Early in 1960 – a proposal was put forward to disband both the 5th and the 8th and reform as one Group
• 9th November 1960 – official amalgamation of the 5th and 8th Hornchurch Scout Groups
• 1961 – the 8th Hornchurch approach St. Andrews Church to use the land next to St. Matthews Church for their new HQ
• 8th June 1963 – 2nd Hornchurch merge with the 8th Hornchurch
• March 1965 – agreement reached with the Church for a 25-year lease
• 1967 – 8th Hornchurch Venture Scout Unit starts
• 1st May 1968 – Dragon Cub Pack formed, and the St. Georges Cub Pack renamed Apollo Cub Pack
• 29th November 1969 – Stone laying at the new St. Andrews Church Hall and official opening of the new 8th Hornchurch Scout Group HQ
• 1970 – Neptune and Jupiter Cub Packs and St. Andrews Scout Troop move to the HQ
• September 1970 – Mercury Cub Pack move into the new St. Andrews Church Hall
• September 1975 – Neptune Cub Pack sadly closes due to lack of leaders and boys
• November 1986 – opening of the St. Georges Beaver Colony (originally called the Olave Beaver Colony)
• January 1987 – opening of the St. Andrews Beaver Colony
• June 1991 – opening of the St. Matthews Beaver Colony
Cubs District Archery Competition 2021
The District Cubs Archery Competition was held at 2nd Squirrels Heath HQ, Arnaud Lodge on the 9th October. It was split into 3 age groups under 9 under 10 and under 11. There were 3 trophies in each age group for the cubs to win and also keep.
We have never had so many Cubs attend the Archery before. 78 Cubs attended.
The weather was very warm and sunny. While not completing they spent time outside either watching a video or playing on the grass.
Due to the large numbers we had to extend the times for the under 10’s. But with What’s app available to some of the groups the parents were informed.
All the Cubs enjoyed the day. Drinks crisps and sweets were given to the Cubs.
The Jupiter Team
8th Hornchurch Leader Good Service Awards
I would like to congratulate the following leaders with the 8th Hornchurch Scout Group who have recently received the following Good Service Awards:
- Jackie Bruniges – Chief Scout’s Commendation for Good Service
- Jack Bresslaw – Chief Scout’s Commendation for Good Service
- Ian Meadows – Chief Scout’s Commendation for Good Service
- Kevin Dible – Chief Scout’s Commendation for Good Service
- Richard Thorn – Award for Merit
The Chief Scout’s Commendation for Good Service is
Awarded in respect of not less than 5 years good service, which stands out. It should be regarded as the Chief Scout's recognition of the very real contribution made to the Scouts by the individual concerned.
And I am sure you will agree all of our Scouting friends are worthy recipients, and join me in congratulating them on their awards.
The Award for Merit is
Awarded for outstanding service. It implies keen, conscientious, imaginative and dedicated service over a sustained period, of at least 12 years duration
And I know that Richard richly deserves this Award not just for what he does for the 8th Hornchurch but also his significant efforts for Hornchurch District as well.
Please take a few moments to watch the videos of the presentations below.
Congratulations to you all
Andy
Group Scout Leader
8th Hornchurch volunteers receive awards
Congratulations to the following Leaders and Executive Committee members who have just received the following Long Service awards:
• Essie Jamal – Five Year Long Service Award – Executive Committee member and Scout Shop assistant
• Davied Rowe – Five Year Long Service Award – Group Treasurer
• Li Ma – Five Year Long Service Award – Sectional Assistant Mercury Cub Pack
And I was also very pleased to present the following Wood Badges:
• Kevin Dible – Section Leader – St. Andrews Troop
• Lucy Bresslaw – Assistant Section Leader – Beavers & Cubs
Congratulations to each of these volunteers on their awards.
Andy
Group Scout Leader
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