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2nd Rushden St. Mary's Cubs
The First 50 Years |
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Wolf Cubs existed between 1916 and 1966. Leaders were called Cubmasters (C.M.) and Assistant Leaders were Assistant Cubmasters (A.C.M.)
These were based on the Jungle Book stories and the boys gave a two finger salute. When the boys had gained two stars on their cap they had both eyes open.
3 for for Growing Up 3 for Discovering 3 for Thinking 3 for Sharing. These have to be passed for each arrow. Cub Scouts give a three finger salute 1926 In 1926 a member of St. Mary’s Scout Troop brought along a boy who wanted to join but he was too young. The scout said a cub pack was needed and the leader said he would have to run it himself. On the following Sunday 6 boys from the Sunday School were picked – R. Tunn, S. Harris, A. Ball, E Odell, H. Dunmore and J. Jacques. On the 3rd Monday in September the first meeting was held in a room at the back of South End School when it was explained what cubs did and what the uniform was . On the 1st Monday in October Reg Hall came to help but at only 17 was too young to be Akela so he became an A.C.M. acting Akela. The subscription was fixed at 1d a week and the uniform was a navy jersey and sky scarf. Scout HQ provided all the information on how to run a pack and by the end of November numbers had risen to 15. 1936 This year marked the 10th birthday. Two Parents’ evenings were held, one in January and one in March. A Coronation Day Parade was held in Rushden and the group, including 23 cubs, took part. They were awarded 1st prize for the smartest turn-out. The Parents’ Committee gave the cubs a new totem pole which was presented by the Reverend Stoney in the Rectory Paddock. 10th October was the day of the 10th Birthday Party and the Parents’ Committee provided a grand tea with an iced cake. Mr. R. Cave provided the pack flag and presented it. 1946 The 20th Birthday. The Parents’ Committee gave the pack and troop a New Year’s Tea on 17th January. A St. George’s day parade was held in the morning of 29th April. 5 boys went up into the troop. The Parents’ Committee gave the boys a Sausage and Mash Supper to celebrate Victory over Japan. 32 boys attended. On 13th July the Chief Scout visited Northampton. 21 cubs and 4 leaders left Rushden at 12.40pm arriving in Northampton at 1.50pm. The Chief Scout arrived at 3.00pm and all had a good view of him. 16th September marked a very important milestone. The numbers had increased so much that the group was split into two packs. 1956 The 30th Birthday. A County Rally was held on 2nd June in the grounds of Rushden Hall, this was the first time a Rally had been held in Rushden. 46 St. Mary’s cubs went and there was a total of some 1,000 cubs altogether. On 9th June 48 boys went on the outing to Gilwell Park where, after a damp start, it turned out to be a lovely day. The Carol Service was held on 17th December in St. Peter’s. 30 cubs and 3 leaders went. There were 7 Leaping Wolves and 24 new boys during the year. 1966 The 40th Birthday. In January the District held an outing to the pantomime at the Ritz. 33 St. Mary’s cubs saw ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’. 32 cubs went to the St. George’s Day Parade held at the Ritz in April. On 25th June the cubs went on the District Outing to London. On arriving they were split into 3 groups, one went to the Science Museum, one to the Tower of London and one to Madame Tussaud’s. From 15th to 17th July a week-end camp was held at Stanwick for boys aged 9 ½ and over. 11 boys went but unfortunately the weather was not good. Being the Golden Jubilee of the Cub Movement a special party was held on 4th December at the Queen Street Schools for all the cubs in the district. 28 St. Mary’s cubs went and Akela was awarded the Silver Acorn. The Carol Service was held at Thrapston. 16 new boys joined during the year. 1976 The 50th Birthday. A Parents’ Night was held in January with 34 boys but few parents. The April St. George’s Day Parade was held at the Baptist Church. At the Golden Jubilee anniversary on 26th September a service was held at St. Mary’s Church with the Rector, Rev. M. Wilson, taking the service. This was followed by a party in the Queen Street Schools attended by parents, friends, old cubs, members of the old committee and the County Commissioner. 41 Proficiency Badges were gained during the year and 28 new boys joined.
From September 1926 to September 1976 987 boys joined the pack and of these 442 went into the troop. 52 Left the town and had transfer forms to join other packs and 493 left the pack because they were over the age. The Stanley Haigh Memorial Shield was presented to the District in 1938 by Mr. I Haigh. The pack won it 11 times up to 1976 and were runners up on 6 occasions. 111 boys gained the Leaping Wolf award between 1952 and 1965 and this meant a total of about 400 badges. To gain this award the cub had to have nine months service, his first and second Stars and 3 proficiency badges, one of which had to be a special badge such as a First Aider, Guide, House Orderly or Cyclist. This award came into being in 1952 and was taken out with the advanced stage in 1966. |
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