6th Bramshill (Hawley) Scouts

Hawley - The Beginnings
    Please note a new revised and extended history of the Group will be published on 18th July 2010.

Home History Activities Archives News Links Contacts

The Scouting movement was started by Robert Baden-Powell in 1907 and the first units were formed in 1908. The first troop in Hawley followed the military background of Baden - Powell and was started by Mr Belcher, a sergeant at the R.M.C. in 1909. When he was posted it ceased to exist until they were affiliated to the R.M.C. troop under a Sergeant Dawes. Once again the Army transferred the Scoutmaster but another two patrols were formed when a Sergeant Nolan arrived. In 1920 the 1st Hawley Boy Scouts under the auspices of their Scoutmaster Mr Stevens seemed to be still functioning. They attended a parade at the R.M.C. where they were congratulated on being the smartest troop in the district! In July of that year there was a Grand Rally of the Aldershot Boy Scout Association and they won first place in the tent pegging competition and second place in the bridge building exercise. However accounts of their activities were still sparse and it wasn't until 1923 that they became active once more in Hawley when Canon Glennie, the vicar of the church, wrote "... the Hawley Church troop of Boy Scouts has come to life again". He became the Scoutmaster and twenty boys formed four patrols. They were present at the Aldershot Tattoo in 1928.  The present hut lease was for twenty years and began in June 1977. The 6th Odiham (Hawley) Scouts became the 6th Bramshill (Hawley) Scouts in 1985. Chief Scouts Award The Chief Scouts Award is one of the highest honours made in Scouting. Scout award winners in Hawley over the years include -   Nigel Prosser Oct 1975 Leonard Allan Oct 1975 Gary Tomkins Oct 1975 Robert Allan Jun 1976 Paul Morris Mar 1984 D. Ellis Mar 1984 Andrew Tompkins Mar 1984 Peter Docker Mar 1984 Steven Bishop Mar 1984 Michael Woodfield Dec 1985 Allan Bush May 1986 Christopher Jones Mar 1986 Jonathan Little Jan 1986 S. Pibwortt Mar 1986 Ian Dawson Jun 1993 Richard Hill Jun 1993 Matthew Humphrys Oct 1997 Paul Roberts Sep 1998 Stephen Webb April 2006 Tom Coughtrey Dec 2006

Like every other Scout troop the unit has its ups and downs but regardless of its size it has always been very active.  We maintain an interesting and varied program with a particular emphasis on outdoor pursuits.  Caving and climbing weekends are a regular feature and every year we have taken the opportunity to hold a Summer Camp (even if the 1996 camp did not take place until October!).  We have also been involved in International Scouting with our Scouts taking part in an exchange visit to Czechoslovakia in 1991 with their return visit in 1992. The ‘Survival Skills Camp’ in the Autumn returns the Scouts to their roots and they learn about the bushcraft skills pioneered by BP. We have also been involved in International Scouting with our boys taking part in an exchange visit to Czechoslovakia in 1991 with their return visit in 1992. We are recognised as one of the units taking a particularly active roll in promoting the issues of Fairtrade and we present a report at the County International meeting held annually in November. We are committed to supporting International Scouting and have for a number of years participated in the Xmas Bag Pack at a local supermarket to raise funds for the District’s clean water project in Uganda. We have also lead the way in introducing girls to Scouting.  Our Beaver Colony, Cub Pack and Scout Troop have for a number of years had a significant number of girl Scouts attending the meetings.   Camping In 1995 we forsook the uplands of England and Wales and travelled down to the Ardeche in France for a week camping in the sun.  Without doubt it was one of the best camps we've had.  It was a week packed full of activities and everyone tried their hand at caving, canoeing and the Gorge Walk. In 1997 we endured five days of torrential rain on a greenfield site in north Somerset which even washed away one of the main roads into the area. On the Wednesday the weather took a dramatic turn for the better and it eventually became so hot we had to abandon a day trek in the hills. 1998 started off in a similar vein but we only had to suffer the cold and rain until Monday. Ah the joys of camping in Britain in the summer! 1999 saw us braving the weather in Wales. We camped on Shell Island, which is to the west of Harlech. Without a minibus we decided to use public transport to get there and endured multiple changes of trains as we trekked across England and Wales to our destination.  In 2000 we ventured further afield to Italy.  The formal week long summer camp resumed in 2004 with a Scout unit staying at the Dorset County Camp Site at Buddens Farm, which is situated between Wareham and Dorchester. In Summer 2005 we went to the Essex County campsite at Belchamps and it proved so popular that we started to Winter Camp there in February 2006, a tradition that has continued.

© Copyright 2009 All rights reserved. Our Privacy Policy.