SCOUTS AND LEADERS (1954-59)

located beside Cartsdyke railway station. However, the business was bought over in 1957, and this led to Ian and his family being posted to Trinidad in 1959 for a 3-year work contract.

During the 1950s, Ian was an elder in Finnart Church and it is possible that Victor Clark approached him to take over the Troop when it became known that Brian Hodgson was resigning. However, it is not known whether Victor and Ian actually knew each other from their time as Scouts in the 1930s. There was a 4 year age gap between them and it is possible that Ian had left the troop before Victor joined. Therefore, it is equally possible that Ian took the initiative when it became known that a new Scout Master was needed. Regardless, there was a smooth transition period during September 1954 which involved Brian, Ian and Victor. As a result, troop numbers remained stable. Indeed, by November 1954, there were 40 Scouts in the troop, prompting Ian to announce that no further recruits would be accepted. Having said that, it is noticeable that a substantial number of older Scouts resigned towards the end of 1954 and that numbers were probably maintained due to the influx of Cubs from the two Wolf Cub Packs that were in existence at that point . It is also noticeable that the average age of the Troop was relatively low during the first few years of Ian being in charge. Indeed, it is significant that several Scouts were promoted to PL and Second at relatively young ages and remained as PLs and Seconds for 3-4 years.

Ian was fortunate to be supported by a string of JASMs and ASMs who had come through the troop such as David Slater, Bob Miller, Jim Harvey, Sandy Whiteford, Alastair Shearer, John Nisbet and Ken Johnston. It is interesting to note that Ian made a point of asking for the permission of the COH before appointing any junior Assistant Scoutmasters (JASMs). The Court also had to be in agreement with the appointment of Troop Leaders, who were important to the smooth running of the troop. During Ian’s time as SM, the troop leaders were Ian McFarlane (1954-55), Sandy Whiteford (1955-57), John Nisbet (1957-59) and Kenneth Conway (1959-1960).

 During Ian’s period as SM, there was a marked increase in the number of Easter and Summer Camps, many of which took place at new venues that were further afield from previous haunts. For example, during Ian Blake's tenure, summer camps were held at Inveraray (1955), Pitlochry (1957), Benderloch (1958), West Loch Tarbert (1959). It seems highly likely that a summer camp was also held in 1956. However, the troop log covering 1956 is missing and so it is not known where that might have taken place. Apart from Pitlochry, these venues were new campsites which the troop had not visited before. Moreover,  the Troop would return to those sites in future years – the exception being Inveraray which appears to have been a ‘one off’ despite it being one of the most successful camps in terms of weather. Photographic evidence for the Inveraray and Pitlochry camps is present on the website, as well as written accounts that survive from the camps to Pitlochry, Benderloch and West Loch Tarbert. A number of different campsites were used in West Loch Tarbert over the years, but the first camp was probably inspired by the fact that Ian had family connections with the area, and the family always spent their holidays there. An interesting episode occurred during the 1959 summer camp at West Loch Tarbert. Several of the Scouts had taken bikes and it was common to provide a ‘backie’ to another Scout when visiting Tarbert. On one particular day, a policeman stopped two of the PLs who were providing 'backies' and scolded them, warning them that he would inform their Scoutmaster if he spotted them again. Ten minutes later, Ian appeared riding Martin’s bike with Martin on the back. However, it wasn’t made clear whether this was spotted by the policeman or not.

One of the most impressive aspects of Ian's tenure as Scout Master was the fact that he started organising summer camps as soon as he was in charge, despite having no previous Scouting experience as a Leader. This was made possible by the fact that he could rely on the camping expertise of 'well seasoned' Scouts, such as Douglas Brown, Bob Miller and Sandy Whiteford. Bob Miller was particularly influential as he had been to the Blair Atholl Jamborette and returned home brimming with new ideas of camping techniques. As a result, the summer camps from 1955-1959 set a standard of camping that was to last for the next 40 years with the emphasis on patrol camping and cooking using wood fires. Ian was also particularly keen on the patrols making their own camp gadgets from natural materials - another aspect that lived on long after the Blake era. In terms of camp activities, there was a strong emphasis on pioneering projects. For example, in 1957 the Scouts constructed a road up to an isolated cottage and also erected what was possibly the highest flagpole ever seen at a 70th Summer Camp. At other camps, a skylon flagpole was erected, a tree house was built at Pitlochry, and a raft was built to navigate Loch Fyne. Day hikes were another feature at summer camp. For example, the troop hiked from their campsite to Killiecrankie along the old A9, which was much quieter in those days. Much of that road still exists and it would be just about feasible to follow that route today. Even so, the volume and speed of traffic makes it a far riskier venture than in the 1950s. A standard feature of every summer camp was the church parade on Sunday and the subsequent service. Photographic transparencies were taken at some of the summer camps, but these have not been tracked down and may not have survived.

There were also annual week-long Easter camps which were held more locally at Invereck (1955), Roseneath (1957) and Blairmore (1958 & 1959). An Easter Camp probably took place during 1956, but the records do not cover that period. The troop had already camped at Invereck in 1954, but the Easter camps at Roseneath and Blairmore may well have been the the Troop’s first visit to those campsites. There is relatively little detailed information regarding Easter Camps, although there are log reports covering the 1955 and 1958 Easter camps. From these, it is apparent that Ian only attended Easter camps for a long weekend – presumably due to work commitments - and that he relied on his ASM’s, PLs and TL to run the remaining days in camp. It is also clear that Easter Camps were run in a similar fashion to Summer camps with patrols camping and cooking for themselves over wood fires. One of the written accounts of an Easter camp revealed that Ian may have been keen on telling ghost stories in camp.

Ian would almost certainly have organized weekend camps and hikes, but most of thse were not recorded in the logbooks. Nevertheless, it is known that Ian organized hikes up the Cut, as well as along  the “Right of Way” – a well established hike route that was probably used by the 70th from its inception. These hikes provided opportunities to pass various Tenderfoot and Second Class tests such as fire and cooking, as well as play wide games. It seems highly likely that Ian organized these and other hikes each year.

Unfortunately, the log books are rather ‘quiet’ on the various District Competitions entered by the 70th during Ian’s time, but the Troop certainly participated in the Shannon Cup each year and actually proved victorious in 1956, whilst coming second in 1957.

As was customary for the time, Ian insisted on 70th Scouts attending Scout Parades, Scout Owns and Church Services as part of their commitment to the ‘Duty to God’ aspect of the Scout Promise. As well as Scouts Owns at camp, there were two Scouts Owns held in Finnart Church each year on a Sunday evening. At one of these, Ian used visual aids to describe the symbolism behind the Scout badge. He did this by explaining the significance of each component of the badge, then pinning an image of that component onto a board until the complete badge was formed.  The Wolf Cubs and Rover Scouts also attended these Scouts Owns and the group would march to and from the service behind the colours. During the service itself, Scouts and Scouters played an active role in terms of readings, prayers and addresses. The Troop also joined the Guides in the annual Armistice Parade and Service to Finnart Church. There is photographic evidence of the Cubs and Scouts forming up for a parade after a service at Finnart Church in June 1955, with Ian visible in one of the photographs. In addition to these events, the troop participated in District Parades and Services - the most important being the annual parade commemorating Founder’s Day. Some parades required only representatives from the Troop, and Ian would ask for volunteers to attend. These included a County Jubilee parade held in Paisley during 1957 and a Commonwealth Youth service also held in 1957.

Another annual duty for all Scouts was Bob-a-Job week during the Easter holidays. In 1957, Ian stated that each Scout should aim for a total of £1 (corresponding to 20 jobs). That would be equivalent to £2.50 in 2021. Other fund raising efforts included jumble sales, either to raise funds for the 70th or to support other organisations such as cancer research. An innovation for 1959 was the sale of Christmas cards. This coincided with Ian’s initiative in starting up a parents’ committee during October 1959 to help coordinate Xmas card sales. The work of that committee would subsequently grow and diversify in the years to come. Ian also encouraged the Scouts to volunteer for public service projects such as can collections for Dr Barnardo’s homes, leaflet deliveries for the UN refugee fund, and leaflet deliveries relating to tuberculosis (TB).

A number of special events  occurred during Ian’s ‘reign’, the first being a celebration social evening held in October 1954 to mark the 21st anniversary of the Troop. Ian acted as Chairman for the event which involved parents, Scouts and Scouters, as well as guests Victor Clark, the Rev Stewart and the District Commissioner JJ Swan. The programme included a supper, a game of 20 questions, a signalling display, an investiture and a campfire (presumably indoors). Other social events included whist drives for parents and friends (which also served as a fund raising event) and the annual Xmas Scout dance for the older Scouts. A rather unique District event was a Scout Display at the Rankin Park in May 1957, during which the 70th displayed camp gadgets that the Scouts had prepared in advance – a reflection of one of Ian’s Scouting priorities at summer camp. The gadgets were transported in Ian’s car from Finnart Church to Rankin Park on the Friday night before the event and was described in the logbook as something akin to ‘a moonlight flitting’. Some of the older Scouts camped in the Park overnight as guards, while the rest of the troop participated in a District Parade to the park the following day.

Friday night meetings are the bread and butter of Scouting and the log books provide ample evidence of Ian’s influence. In terms of Scoutcraft, Ian promoted training and testing sessions such that Scouts could progress through their Tenderfoot and Second Class Badges. He also introduced a new procedure at Patrol Corners where a Scouter would visit  each patrol and give instruction on various badges. On one occasion, Ian passed Cameron Lyall on cooking, which involved making porridge, and scrambled egg on toast. Ian judged the egg as excellent, but was not so complimentary about the porridge. Ian also interviewed any boy who had completed his Tenderfoot badge to ensure that he both knew and understood the Scout Law and Promise before investing him as a Scout. In addition to badge work, Ian ran instruction sessions for the whole troop on useful Scouting skills such as how to make a sleeping bag,  a leather sheath for a knife, or a Turk’s Head woggle. Stunts were another way in which Scouting skills could be promoted. At one meeting, Ian challenged the patrols to tie a square lashing and a diagonal lashing. The Troop Scribe wrote, “After these shock tactics, the Scouters allowed us to go home”.

Games were integral to any Troop meeting and were thoroughly enjoyed, especially if they were competitive and ‘violent’ – an aspect that is reflected in both troop and patrol logs. Some games were played almost every Friday night meeting. British Bulldog was one of these and could prove unnerving to anyone visiting the troop. For example, in January 1957, the Scouts were ‘piling onto’ one of the bigger Scouts that had been captured and brought to the floor when the minister walked in. Ian immediately stopped the game and started Port and Starboard instead. The ‘pile on’ perhaps needs to be explained. Once a bigger Scout was brought to the floor by those brave enough to tackle him, the younger Scouts, who would normally be keeping their distance at this stage of the game (if they were sensible), would take that as a signal to pile in on top of the captured victim. This, of course, made it well nigh impossible to lift the victim off the floor, but was considered great fun. On one occasion,  Ian commented, “This is a game where you try to lift the boys up, not sit on them.”

   Occasionally, a ‘new’ game was introduced, although it is not always clear whether the game was completely new or had not been played for some time. One example occurred in November 1956 when Ian got the troop to line up in two teams at opposite walls of the hall, then number off. He then threw a shoe in the centre of the hall and called a number. The corresponding numbers from each side then tried to get the shoe back to their wall. Ian introduced a variation on this theme in January 1957, in which the combatants had to place one bottle on top of another before they could grab the shoe and return to their team. In March 1958, Ian introduced another game where the troop stood in a circle around a Scouter who swung a gym shoe tied to a piece of sisal. The Scouts had to jump over this and were out the game if they failed. This was later called ‘Swing the Sandshoe’ and proved highly popular for many years to come. Whether it was an entirely new game in 1958 cannot be proven one way or the other, but it was certainly the first time that it was mentioned in the available records. Wide Games were played outdoors when the weather was good. Usually this involved heading up the Lyle Hill to a suitable field. One wide game involved each patrol defending an atomic station from an attack by spies (other patrols) whilst attempting to capture opposition stations. During the game, each Scout wore a piece  of wool round his arm and if that was broken, the Scout lost a life. However, if the victim went to Ian and correctly answered a question on Scouting, he would be resuscitated by receiving another piece of wool. It is not known whether this was the first time that ‘wool lives’ were introduced to the Troop, but the idea certainly persisted well beyond the Blake era.

Indoor Campfires also took place during the Blake era. At some of these, Ian accompanied the singing with his banjo and occasionally played a very good solo. The Duty patrol was responsible for devising the campfire programme, but this was subject to Ian’s approval and he was not averse to scoring some items out. As well as campfire songs, there were various troop yells and it is possible that Patrols might have put on patrol stunts.

Ian was a popular Scout Master, and there is one occasion when the troop made a point of celebrating his birthday (twice in the same month). However, he was not afraid to crack down on discipline if that was deemed necessary. For example, he occasionally gave the troop a stern talk on discipline and reminded everyone that miscreants could be brought before the Court of Honour and even thrown out the troop for persistant bad behaviour. He also tightened up on inspections and ensured that points would be lost for untidy uniforms, scruffy scarves, grubby lanyards or squint belts. Good attendance was another of Ian’s priorities and he announced that if a boy was absent for two successive weeks without good reason, he would be asked to hand in his badges and leave the troop. To quote Ian, he was “not carrying any passengers or having any non-attendant members.” Throughout his period as Scout Master, Ian ensured that standards did not drop, and that the troop remained healthy in numbers and attitude.

Ian regularly monitored the troop and patrol log books to ensure that they provided detailed accounts of Troop nights and other Scouting activities. If standards of reporting dropped, he was not slow to provide comments such as ‘A lot more happens than you have put down’ or ‘Bring your log up-to-date now.’ On the other hand, he provided praise when merited. For example, he complimented Ken Conway’s writing up of the troop log during April 1959. The Troop Logs that survived from Ian’s era are now a valuable insight into 70th Scouting during 1954-1959.  

Ian resigned as Scout Master in December 1959, as he was moving to Port of Spain, Trinidad ona three-year business contract. The affection and respect with which he was held were reflected in a farewell social held at the beginning of December that involved parents and Scouts (add link). The night started off with a beetle drive, followed by entertainment provided by the Scouts. Ian was presented with a silver cigarette case engraved with the Scout badge, while a silver bonbon case and box of chocolates were presented to Mrs. Blake (add link). A special song was composed and sung by the Scout choir to the tune of “Uncle Tom Cobley” which included the following chorus.

                       “Our skipper is going to gay Trinidad,

                        We’re sorry he’s going, it’s really quite sad,

                        We wish them good luck in his ventures abroad,

                        Kenneth Johnston, John Doe, Jim Blair, Ronald Lind,

                        And uncle Bob Miller and all, and uncle Bob Miller and all etc”

On Sunday 6th December, Ian led his final parade and Scouts Own with the 70th, then on the 11th December, he handed over the role of Scout Master to Bob Millar. However, the story does not end there. In April 1960, the Scouts posted a recorded tape to Ian in Trinidad. Ian’s replies were then distributed to the Scouts the following month. Another troop tape was then recorded and posted out, which attracted the attention of the Greenock Telegraph. Ian responded in kind and his tape was played to Scouts and parents in September 1960. The troop then sent out further taped messages at Halloween and Xmas. Further communications may well have occurred, because at the end of Ian’s three year stint in Trinidad, he returned to Greenock and visited the troop in May 1963. Billy Phillips (Troop Scribe) wrote “Tonight, JR Blake, our former SM, was here and we were all extra pleased to see him. He said of me ‘the same old Wiffil but bigger’ “. Clearly, Ian commanded strong loyalty from his Scouts and he set a strong foundation for the future. Earlier, it was stated that the troop was at its maximum capacity of 40 Scouts when Ian started as Scout Master. Six months after his resignation, there were still 40 Scouts in the troop.

Ian died at a comparatively young age and a plaque commemorating him was placed in the entrance hall of the current 70th Scout HQ. So far, it is the only commemorative plaque to have been placed there. It is also worth mentioning that Ian’s departure in 1959 severed the last personal link with the original Troop of the 1930s.

Photographs of Ian during his period as Scout Master are present on the website. The photographs relate to Easter camps 1955, 1957 and 1959, Summer camps 1955 & 1957, a church parade in 1955, and Ian’s farewell social held in December 1959.