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The early years of the war seriously affected scouting. Leaders were called up and the uncertainty of the future halted progression. Resources were almost unobtainable. Repairs to boats and equipment were achieved by innovation. However, it was during the war years that we moved to our present site in Richmond Road and the Group, as we know it today began to evolve.
In the early forties it became increasingly difficult to work from Brentford End School. For a while, a hut at the Blue School, Old Isleworth was used for meetings. Group funds had accumulated sufficiently to allow the purchase, for £5, of a 40 by 20 asbestos and timber hut. Another troop had disbanded and the hut, situated at the rear of the County Arms Public House in Hall Road, was to be dismantled. Through the Generosity of the Mother Superior and Trustees of Nazareth House, and help and consideration of Kris Cruisers, the Group found land with river frontage in Richmond Road on which to erect the hut The land could not be purchased but a strip could be rented from the roadway to the riverbank for an annual fee of £5. Grants were obtained to provide all services to the hut and it was hoped to extend its length by 10 feet. Heating consisted of a small coke boiler on the starboard side. Above the Wardroom and Galley was the storage area for tents and camping gear, and a haven for mice in later years. The interior was decorated by the boys, and the hut bedecked with flags and bunting for an opening ceremony on October 30th, 1943.
Mr. Ebbage, the Assistant County Commissioner who performed the opening said, “The Group has grown slowly but grown wisely and on a sound foundation, and it was hoped that it would be the home of some of the keenest and most active Sea Scouting on the Thames”. The flagpole is still in use today in our present HQ. Our cash balance at the end of this eventful year was just £14. Parents were asked to assist by providing suitable articles of furniture to equip the HQ and also “Not to allow circumstances of War to interfere with the boy’s attendance on Parade nights”.
By November 1943 our annual balance sheet showed £26 15s 10d in hand. It was hoped to provide a Rover and Senior hut and to enlarge the fleet of boats. An 18’ gig was acquired and the value of a dinghy was increased from £12 to £20 by repair work. A Carnival on Eel Pie Island provided the chance to win for 3d, a bottle of whisky, savings certificates or a model battleship. Our Group strength was 47 and a cheque for £2 7s Od was sent to the Baden-Powell Memorial Fund; 1s (5p) for each member.
The Group carried on steadily into 1944 despite a certain amount of evacuation. Thirty boys were now in H.M. Forces. Apart from keeping the HQ in good repair, it was considered wise “Not to do too much work on it until the risk of damage by enemy action had lessened “. The total cost of the HQ amounting to £223 11s 4d had now been paid. A full-sized mariner’s compass, a Morse signaling set and a magnetic blackboard were acquired on “Most favorable terms”.
By 1945 big plans were being made for future Sea Scouting on the Thames. It was hoped to adapt an old boathouse on the site but eventually it was demolished. A threatened sale of the land for industrial use had fallen through but there were fears of loss of tenancy when the War ended. Sheet steel plates salvaged from air raid shelters were considered useful for strengthening the riverbanks. The ex Home Guard signaling outfit used for Morse training was “The finest equipment of its kind possessed by any Thameside Group”. However, “All was not well with the Troop. Some of the trouble appeared to have coincided with the advent of Sea Rangers. Although it was appreciated that boys and girls must learn to get on together, there seemed to have lately been rather too much fooling about which distracted from the serious business of Sea Scouting”. Luckily, the prevailing craze of ice-skating was also providing some of the boys with a counter attraction.
The War had ended but it was a very difficult task for the leaders and boys to settle down again. An early return of the boys who had been evacuated was hoped for, to assist plans to build up the Group and improve the HQ. Since the HQ site and hut had opened our numbers had doubled to 21 Cubs, 49 Juniors and 15 Seniors. A camper-craft competition had been won by our Group, “Which was most unusual for Sea Scouts. Regatta results had not been so pleasing”.
Concern over the tenancy of the site continued and an offer was to be made to purchase the HQ site for £500. The landowners were asked to, “State terms and conditions upon which they would be willing to sell the land”. The challenge of post war years lay ahead and the leaders and young men returning from active service had changed as a result of hostilities. It was a time to plan and a time to remember, for not all of our boys came back.
We remember those lost in active service:
Ken Blake
Ray Eastbury
Fred Salter
Tenancy of the site was still in doubt. At first the Council wanted to buy it and offer a long-term tenancy. However, as they didn’t intend to do this for some time the Group approached the owners for a renewal of the lease. The agents acting for Nazareth House notified the Group of an intention to build a school on the site and that to grant the lease on the land was not possible. They also held the right to terminate the Group’s occupation of the site at reasonable notice. The Group decided to seek a new site “Ashore or afloat”.
Scouting continued and ex ARP equipment was purchased. Jam jar collections were organised to raise funds. On April 12th 1947, an “Old Scouts Section” was formed.
In 1948 negotiations were renewed with the agents acting for Nazareth House. Kris Cruisers had used part of the site as a timber store, and if we became sole occupiers then the rates would be increased. We would also be liable for Land Development Tax if we put up a permanent building but not if it were classed as a temporary structure.
The Rovers in the meantime were trying to accumulate funds to build a den for their own use. They adopted the phrases “It can’t be done but here it is” and “The impossible will be done at once, the miracle will take a little longer”.
A notable event in 1949 was when the Danish Viking Ship “Hugin” passed HQ on its journey from Greenwich to Richmond. The Group fired rockets during their Regatta and Fete as a greeting. The Scouts staged a realistic shipwreck. Television was shown on the site to raise money and a ladies ankle competition was held.
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