THE NINETEEN THIRTIES
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1 Source Material
Unfortunately, very little source material survives regarding the 70th's activities during the 1930s. The relevant Troop Logs and Patrol Logs are no longer in the Troop’s possession and there is only one photograph. However, that photograph has proved invaluable since it shows the whole Group and reveals the influential characters of the decade. That, along with the Troop's Court of Honour Minutes from 1934-1941, has allowed a picture to be pieced together of how the group expanded during that first decade of the fledgling 70th.
Other secondary sources include four Greenock Telegraph articles plus a small pamphlet written in 1992, which provides a short summary on Summer Camps and the Scouts involved during the thirties. This pamphlet was based on the relevant Troop Logs which were still with the Troop at that time. Recovering these logs would clearly provide a much greater insight into the activities and spirit of the early Scout Troop, and it is to be hoped that they might yet resurface. The Greenock Telegraph articles also include 4 photographs which may be of this period, but which are not in the Group's archives. Again, it would be useful to recover these original photographs and identify the individuals present.
Finally, the testimonies of various 70th ‘Old Boys’ have been invaluable in gaining information on individuals, and establishing how troop nights were run during the thirties.
2 In the Beginning - but when?
According to a Greenock Telegraph article, the 70th Group was registered with Scout Headquarters in August 1932, which is why the 60th anniversary of the 70th was celebrated in 1992. However, the 1958 Troop Log Book states that registration was in 1933 (Fig. 1). This Log Book
Figure 1 The Troop Log of 1958
also makes a point of declaring 1958 as the 25th anniversary of the group. The 21st anniversary of the Troop was marked by a service of thanksgiving and dedication on 10th October 1954, which also makes the start date 1933. Moreover, the Court of Honour Minutes for the 9th September 1954 stated that an old troop log for the year 1933 had the founding date as the 1st July 1933. However, to confuse matters further, the 40th anniversary was marked by a Scouts Own and thanksgiving on Sunday 17th December 1972 which makes the start date 1932 (or nearly 1933!). Alan Hardie, who was one of the founder members, is of the opinion that the troop started in 1932. However, the best evidence for the troop starting in 1932 is the 1932 annual report on Greenock Scouting presented by the D.C. at the time, Hector Russell. A summary of this was reported in the Greenock Telegraph of 27th September 1932 and states that a troop 'connected with Finnart Church' has been started.
To sum up, it is possible that the Troop began meeting informally in 1932, and that the first formal Troop meeting took place in 1933 once viable numbers had been obtained. Alternatively, the group did indeed start in 1932, but that the official registration of the group was not completed until 1933.
Regardless of the actual start date, it is known that the Reverend A. R. R. Reid (Fig. 2) of Finnart Church asked Mr. Sam Faulds (junior) to start up a Scout Group based in Finnart Church in 1932. There is no documentary evidence to indicate what inspired the Rev. Reid to start up a Scout Group but various factors may have been proposed in the link above to more detailed information.
Figure 2 The Rev Reid
Mr. Sam Faulds was the first Scout Master and Group Scout Master of the 70th Scout Group and was responsible for building the Troop up such that three Patrols were quickly established within the first year. He also organised the first Summer Camp in 1933 which was a joint camp with the the 6th Renfrewshire Scouts, then followed that up with another summer camp in 1934 which was organised and run solely by the 70th. Sam was well liked by his Scouts and the Troop presented him with a Wedding present in 1935. Once he was married, Sam resigned from the Troop although under bizarre circumstances (see the link to additional information).
3 Founder Members
As there are no available records covering the first two years of the Troop's existence, the identification of founder members is highly speculative. Moreover, what does it mean to be a founder member? Does it mean being at the first meeting, joining within the first month, or within the first six months? Unless the early records turn up, it is currently impossible to say who attended the very first Troop meeting, other than Sam Faulds. However, the recollections of Alan Hardie have been extremely important in identifying members in the Troop during its first year. Alan believes that there were ten Scouts to begin with, and that they included Eoin Steel, Wilson Hill, Jim Telfer, Ian Barr, Ian Blake and himself (Fig. 3).
Figure 3 Identified founder members of the 70th Troop (Jim Telfer, Wilson Hill, Alan Hardie and Eoin Steel. No images of Ian Barr or Ian Blake currently available.
It is also known that D. Black, Ronald Grant, and Lawrence Harvey joined the Troop within its first year as they were present at the Troop's first Summer Camp in 1933 (Fig 4).
Figure 3 Other founder members of the 70th Troop (Ronald Grant and Lawrence Harvey). No image of D. Black currently available
The available records show that Alan Hardie, Eoin Steel and D. Black were P.L.s at the 1933 summer camp. This indicates that the Troop had recruited sufficient Scouts to form three patrols, suggesting that the Troop contained 15-18 Scouts within its first year. Therefore, it is plausible that another 6-9 Scouts had joined within the first year, apart from those already identified. There is no clear evidence allowing the identification of these Scouts. However, it is possible that the Scouts promoted in 1934 and 1935 were those who had been longest in the Troop and had progressed the furthest. If that is the case, then other possible candidates for Founder Members include Archie Stalker and Duncan McKenzie (Fig. 4). Finally, Alistair McGregor was a long-term member of the Scout Troop who was of a similar age to those joining in the first year of the Troop's existance. He, too, may have joined at that time.
Figure 4 Other possible founder members of the 70th Troop (Archie Stalker, Duncan McKenzie and Alistair McGregor).
4. Scout Masters of the Thirties
Sam Faulds was responsible for starting up the group and was the Group's first S.M. and G.S.M. Because of the lack of records during the first two years of the Troop, it is impossible to tell what other leaders might have been present during that period. However, by 1934, two young A.S.M.s had appeared on the scene, both of whom were to prove crucial to the growth and success of the fledgling troop. Their names were Ian Hardie and Ian Dunlop. When Sam Faulds left the troop in 1935, the two Ians took over the reins for the next four years, and formed a partnership that lsted until the outbreak of the Second World War. Both characters were inspirational with loads of drive and enthusiasm. The growth of the troop over these years is clear evidence of that.
Figure 5 S.M. and G.S.M. Ian Dunlop
Ian Dunlop (Fig. 5) was studying divinity at Glasgow University when he joined the 70th as a leader. His father was a mathematics teacher (nicknamed 'Cheesie Dunlop') at Greenock Academy, and the family lived at 96 Eldon Street. Ian was probably 18 when he joined the group as an A.S.M. in 1934, but it is not known how he became connected with the 70th. Possibly the family were connected with the church. When Sam Faulds departed, Ian became Scout Master, then Group Scout Master, gaining his warrant at the new District Scout HQ in Robertson Street in June 1936. He held this position until war service required him to move to Lochgilphead in 1939. Ian was an excellent organiser and an efficient administrator in the Scout District, and it appears that he was the principal organiser of the 1936 and 1937 summer camps. He was also at the summer camps of 1934 and 1935. The records suggest that Ian may have been the senior partner of the two Ians, and the one chiefly responsible for determining Troop policies during the thirties. This fits in with his role as G.S.M.
Ian Hardie bears a striking resemblance to Christopher Reeves in the Superman films. He was born in October 1915 and lived at 23 Union Street where the Dunrod dairy used to be. He was Alan Hardie's older brother and was studying divinity at Glasgow University when the Troop started up. Ian was originally in the 4th Greenock (45th Renfrewshire) and was encouraged to join the Troop as a leader by Ian Dunlop who was taking the same divinity course. Therefore, he must have joined the troop in the early part of 1934 when he was 18. He attended the Troop's summer camp of 1934 as an A.S.M. Ian was fit and athletic and played for the first XV rugby team at Greenock Academy. Not only that, he had been dux of Greenock Academy in 1933. When Sam Faulds departed in June 1935, Ian remained as A.S.M. until January 1936 when he 'officially' became Scout Master, gaining his warrant in June of that year. It is possible that there was a minimum age of 21 before becoming eligible as an S.M., explaining why Ian had to wait several months before being appointed. He attended all four summer camps between 1934-1937 and finally resigned on 3rd March 1939, when he was presented with an engraved fountain pen from the Scouts. Ian eventually became a Professor of Divinity in Canada.
Figure 5 S.M. Ian Harvie
As a postscript, the variorum section of the Greenock Telegraph, 4th May 1938, stated that 'two officers in a Boy Scout Troop in the west end of Greenock are studying for the ministry'. Neither the officers nor the Boy Scout Troop were identified, but it pretty clear that the snippet referred to Ian Dunlop, Ian Hardie and the 70th Troop.
5. The Growth of the Troop
The most significant influx of new recruits probably took place during 1934-1935 with a sizeable number of 10-year-olds joining, all of whom were in the same class at school. The most likely personalities to have joined that year were Archie Brown, Sandy Campbell, Victor Clark, Jim Crawford, Harold Hastie, Alistair McGregor, James McNeil, Ian Munro, John Park, Nicol Smith, Dennis Woodward, and Billy Inglis (Figs. 6 & 7). Other classmates joined later such that nineteen of that particular age group ended up in the 70th Scouts at one time or another. As a result, this cohort tended to dominate the Troop throughout the thirties. To begin with, it meant that the troop was dominated by younger Scouts. Nevertheless, summer camps were organised from the beginning, and there was evidence of good camping and programme skills. By the autumn of 1935, there had been three summer camps and Sam's final year with the 70th (1934-35) saw the Troop winning the County Flag and Shannon Cup, as well as the Victory trophy and Scout championship at the Scout Swimming Gala. The Troop also provided first aid cover for the lighting of the beacons at the King's Silver Jubilee celebrations in May 1935.
Figure 6 Archie Brown, Sandy Campbell, Victor Clark, Jim Crawford and Harold Hastie
Figure 7 Alistair McGregor, Ian Munro, Nicol Smith, Dennis Woodward and Billy Inglis.
In June 1936, the Troop boasted three Kings Scouts, three All-round Cords and 35 proficiency badges. Nevertheless, a number of innovations were introduced by Ian Dunlop to increase standards and to further encourage training - innovations which survived through to the modern era. A monthly patrol competition was introduced and inspections were to held at each meeting. P.L.s would henceforth be responsible for all training and instruction, which presumably released the leaders to concentrate on assessing Scouts. It was decided that each Patrol Leader would train their own Scouts and that each patrol would have separate rooms for that training. This was the start of 'Patrol Corners' which would typically last half hour at each Troop meeting. To assist the P.L.s in training their Scouts, P.L.s and S.P.L.s would meet two nights each month under the leadership of the Scout Master. An examination board would also be instituted, but it is not explained what that involved. A further carrot for Scouts to reach high standards was the instigation of the G.S.M.s cup donated by Ian Dunlop. This was contested on an annual basis and ran for many years.
During the second half of the 1930s, the Troop could be choosy about who was accepted into the Troop and all potential recruits had to be interviewed by the Court of Honour to see if they would pass muster. The Court was also not slow in removing Scouts from the Troop roll if their attendance was not up to scratch. For example, two Scouts were struck off for non-attendance in November 1935.
By January 1936, the size of the group (including all Officers, Rovers, Boy Scouts and Wolf Cubs) had reached a record total of 52 members. The Troop was at maximum capacity and in October 1936, there was the first intake of Cubs from the Group's new Wolf Cub Pack, which had been started the previous year.
By the Spring of 1937, a fourth patrol was introduced, implying that the Troop must have had at least 24 Scouts, and possibly more. This would have been a major squeeze in the church hall available. Numbers must have kept on rising for the group photo of September 1937 (Fig. 8) shows 31 Scouts as well as 12 Wolf Cubs, 4 Leaders, and 2 Rovers*. The photograph was taken after a parade to Finnart Church and does not include those boys who could not attend that particular day. For example, it is known that at least one Scout was missing that day due to a family brereavement. This means that there were at least 32 Scouts, which would have meant each patrol having at least 8 Scouts each - more than enough for one P.L. to control! The hall must also have been bursting at the seams.
Figure 8 The 70th Scout Group in September 1937. George Brown was absent due to a family bereavement. This photograph proved to be a great favourite amongst the Scouts and their parents, and copies were purchased by most families. All the individuals present have been identified, and the photograph is the oldest 70th photo now known to exist. The photo was taken by Billy Ritchie's father in the garden of Robert Aulds photographic business.
The COH decided to stop recruiting in February 1938. However, it is not clear whether this included Cubs hoping to come up from the Wolf Cub Pack. There are some indications that this might have been the case. Many of the Wolf Cubs present in the 1937 group photo did not join the troop until 1941 or 1942 when they would have been aged about 12 or 13; for example, Alan Jubber, Eric Phillips, Alasdair Maclaine, Bill Smyth, and Stuart Tosh (Fig. 9). In September 1938, Ian Dunlop proposed that a fifth patrol be formed and it was decided to recruit applicants 'if they were of fairly high intellectual standard'. Two new Scouts were accepted in December. One (Jack Davies) was recommended as having 'sufficient gumption to satisfy the requirements' while the other (Ian Mitchell) had been a Scout before and had his Second Class badge.
Figure 9 Wolf Cubs that joined the Troop in 1941 or 1942 (Alan Jubber, Eric Phillips, Alasdair Maclaine, Stuart Tosh and Bill Smyth
High attendance figures continued throughout 1938, and the Troop must have entered 1939 with confidence. Ian Hardie and Ian Dunlop now had several years experience behind them, and they were being supported by a team of A.S.M.s who had been 70th Scouts themselves. However, the prospects of war were casting a shadow over the future. Not even a Scout Troop was immune from that.
6. Leaders during the Thirties
Sam Faulds, Ian Dunlop and Ian Hardie were the prime motivators behind the success of the 70th Troop during the thirties, but there were ably assisted by a number of Rover Scouts. However, there is no information identifying who these might be, apart from two Rover Scouts (A. Browne and J. Dunne) who went on to become A.S.M.s for a short period. No infomation has been obtained on these individuals. There is a slight possibility that the only un-named individual in the Group photograph of 1937 (Fig. 10) might be A. Browne, but Alan Hardie suggested that this might be an A.S.M. called Ian Johnston. Unfortuately, nothing is known about him either.
Figure 10 Unidentified
Although little is known about A. Browne, J. Dunne and Ian Johnston, far more is known about the next trio of A.S.M.s to appear on the scene - Alan Hardie (1937), Eoin Steel (March 1938) and Wilson Hill (Sept. 1938). All three ended up as 70th Troop Leaders, and their appointment as A.S.M.s marked an important milestone in the troop's history since they were the first leaders to have been 70th Scouts themselves. Finally, it would be wrong to forget the Rev. D. H. Stewart. Having taken over the ministry of Finnart Church from the Rev. Reid, he maintained a keen interest in the group's progress for many years. This was most strongly illustrated during the war years.
7. Patrols of the Thirties
The first three patrols to be formed in the 70th Troop were the Curlew, Wolf and Woodpigeon, all of which were formed within the first year. It is not known who chose these names and why (see additional information). One factor may have been the patrol call that Scouts of the time used as a Patrol rallying call (Fig. 11). What is certain is that the Curlew patrol (Fig. 12) is the only one of the three original patrols to survive to the modern Scouting era, and should therefore be recognised as the 'senior patrol' of the group in the same way as the Royal Navy is recognised as the senior service of the armed forces! All past Curlew patrol members should rejoice! With the troop's steady expansion during the thirties, the Fox Patrol was introduced in 1937. This too survived into the modern era and was the only other Patrol from the thirties to do so. There is a bit of a mystery regarding the proposal for a 'fifth patrol' which was made in 1938. There is very little mention of it in the available records. However, there are occasional references to an Owl Patrol which may well have been formed for those members in the Troop who were aged 16 or more in order to allow younger Scouts to gain promotion in the other four patrols (see additional information).
Figure 11 Patrol signs, calls and colours.
Figure 12 The Curlew Patrol at Everton (1942). The Curlew Patrol Flag is clearly visible.
8 Patrol Leaders of the Thirties
There were twelve Patrol Leaders in total during the thirties. The first three were Alan Hardie, Eoin Steel and D(uncan) Black who were promoted in 1932 or 1933. All three remained P.L.s for the next couple of years until 1935 when D. Black resigned and Alan Hardie was promoted to Troop Leader. This opened the way for the promotion of Archie Stalker and Ronald Grant to join Eoin Steel. These three then ruled the roost for the next year and a half until Eoin Steel became Troop Leader in 1936. Wilson Hill was now promoted to P.L., joining Archie Stalker and Ronald Grant. In 1937, they were joined by Lawrence Harvey who was promoted P.L. of the newly formed Fox Patrol. In February 1938, Wilson Hill resigned and Archie Brown was promoted as P.L. Seven months later, the situation changed dramatically when all four P.L.s resigned at the same time, presumably to form a new Patrol (the Owl Patrol) of Senior Scouts with Archie as the Patrol Leader. That allowed the promotion of four relatively young P.L.s, namely Dick Leggett, Harold Hastie, Ian Munro and Jim Crawford (Fig. 13). These four then remained as a team for the next 2-3 years.
Figure 13 The four new Patrol Leaders promoted in September 1938 (Dick Leggett, Harold Hastie, Ian Munro and Jim Crawford).
There are various observations that can be made from the above 'story'. First of all, most of the individuals concerned were P.L.s (or T.L.s) for a significant number of years; D. Black (2 years), Alan Hardie (3.5 years), Eoin Steel (4.5 years), Archie Stalker (3.5 years), Ronald Grant (3 years), Dick Leggett (2 years), Harold Hastie (3 years), Ian Munro (3 years) and Jim Crawford (3 years). Moreover, there were significant periods when the same set of P.L.s were in charge, for example 1933-1935, Jun. 1935 - Nov. 1936, and Sept 1938 - Sept. 1940. It is likely that this continuity of leadership was a great advantage to the troop as it grew and developed through the thirties. Most of the P.L.s had plenty of time to gain the necessary experience and leadership skills that would be so beneficial, not only to the Scouts in their patrols, but also to the leadership team of Ian Dunlop and Ian Hardie.
As far as the original patrols were concerned, the Wolf Patrol only had three different PLs over a seven year period (Eoin Steel, Archie Stalker, and Harold Hastie). The Woodpigeon Patrol had three PLs over a six year period (Alan Hardie, Ronald Grant and Dick Leggett, while the Curlew Patrol had five P.L.s over an eight year period (D. Black, Eoin Steel, Wilson Hill, Archie Brown and Ian Munro).
It is also noticeable that many of the P.L.s were promoted at a young age. This is understandable at the beginning when the 70th was dominated by young Scouts, with the promotions of Alan Hardie and Ronald Grant aged 15, Archie Stalker and D. Black aged 14 and Eoin Steel aged about 13 and a half! With such long serving P.L.s, there must have been a down side since it blocked the chances of others becoming promoted. For example, after Ronald Grant's promotion in June 1935, there were only three further promotions to P.L. in the three year period up to September 1938. The three concerned (Wilson Hill, Lawrence Harvey, and Al Brown) are estimated to have been 16 or 17 when they gained promotion.
The presumed introduction of a Senior Patrol in September 1938 must have been partly justifed in allowing a generation of younger Scouts to get promoted. For example, it is estimated that Dick Leggett was aged 16, while James Crawford, Harold Hastie and Ian Munro were aged 15. As a result these individuals had the opportunity themselves to serve as P.L.s over a substantial period and to play an important role in seeing the 70th through a very difficult period at the beginning of the war.
9 Second Patrol Leaders (Seconds or S.P.L.s) of the Thirties
It is highly likely that Ronald Grant was one of the original Seconds promoted during the first year of the Troop. The other two might have been Duncan MacKenzie (1) and Archie Stalker. One can be more confident of identifying the Seconds during the period June 1935 to June 1939. Most eventually moved on to become P.L.s, and have already been identified. However, the following were not promoted beyond S.P.L. - Duncan McKenzie (2), G. Lawson, Alistair McGregor, Dennis Woodward, Nicol Smith, and Ian Curtis (Fig. 14). Further details are provided in additional information.
Figure 14 Examples of Scouts who were promoted to Second Patrol Leader but not Patrol Leader (Dennis Woodward, Nicol Smith and Ian Curtis,
10. Troop Leaders of the Thirties
IIn order to reach the dizzy heights of Troop Leader, one not only had to be fully committed to Scouting and progress through the various badges and awards, you also had to be a highly responsible and trustworthy individual that was respected and trusted by Scouts and Leaders alike. Therefore, any Scout reaching this rank was an outstanding individual and had a significant input to the running of the troop. The known Troop leaders were Alan Hardie (1935-36), Eoin Steel (1936-37), Wilson Hill (1937-38), Archie Stalker (1938), and Dick Leggett (1938-40). Of these, three went on to become A.S.M.s.
11. 70th King's Scouts in the Thirties
The highest award that Scouts could gain in the Troop during the Thirties was the King's Scout Badge. In order to achieve that, Scouts had to first gain their First Class badge, as well as a set of All Round Cords before they could work towards their King Scout's Badge. At least three Scouts are known to have gained their King's Scout Badge by June 1936. One of these was Alan Hardie. Alan had been in the troop from its earliest days and was Troop Leader by that time. The other two were almost certainly Lawrence Harvey and Wilson Hill (see additional information).
12. Other Scouts of the Thirties
Several unpromoted Scouts merited special mention in the Court of Honour minutes during the thirties on account of their achievements in sporting events and competitions. These included John Menzies, Jim Buchanan, and Ronald Mackay. Jim Buchanan and Ronald MacKay were members of the Troop's winning Victory Trophy team in 1939, and Ronald Mackay won the Novice's Cup at the Swimming Gala in 1938.
Victor Clark is of particular interest. He was born in Greenock in 1924, and is remembered by contemporaries as being a nice chap who had a good model railway in his house! Victor joined the troop in 1934 when he was 10, and attended the 1935 and 1937 summer camps. However, he was not particularly interested in badgework or promotion and remained a Scout until he moved up to Clarkston, Glasgow at the start of the war. In 1942, he was due to join the 2nd Battalion Scots Guards, but a bout of tuberculosis prevented that and he spent three years recuperating. In 1946, he returned to Greenock and was asked to restart the 70th, which had recently amalgamated with the 59th due to a lack of leaders. He duly did so and created one of the strongest groups in post-war Greenock. Victor was a timekeeper in Scotts shipbuilding engineering company, until he moved to Wales.
It is highly probable that other unpromoted Scouts of the thirties deserve a mention, but without the Troop Logs of the period, it is not possible to identify their achievements. A list of all known 70th Wolf Cubs and Boy Scouts during the period 1932-1945, along with biographical information is provided in 70th 'Stats and Facts'.
13. Troop Rolls
In the absence of the Troop Logs, the details of who was in the Troop at different times are extremely sketchy. The best 'snapshot' of who was in the Troop at a particular time comes from the Group photograph taken in September 1937. The photograph identifies 31 Scouts at a time when there were 4 patrols in existence. Another Scout (George Brown) is known to have been absent on that particular day, which makes a total of 32. It is unlikely that any patrol would have had more than 8 Scouts in it, and so there is a strong possibility that the Scouts identified constitute the full roll call for that particular month. It is not known what patrols everyone was in, other than the PLs and SPLs, but the full roll call is as follows.
GSM Ian Dunlop; SM Ian Hardie; ASM A. Brown; Rover Scout Alan Hardie; TL Eoin Steel.
PLs Ronald Grant, Lawrence Harvey, Wilson Hill, and Archie Stalker.
SPLs Archie Brown, Jim Crawford, Harold Hastie, and Alistair McGregor
Scouts Alistair Allan, George Brown, James Buchanan, Sandy Campbell, Victor Clark, Ian Curtis, Peter Dobbin, Ian Fraser, Tennant Harvey, Bill Inglis, George Kinnell, Dick Leggett, Murray McCreery, Alan McFadyen, Ian McFarlane, Ronald McKay, Duncan McKenzie, John Menzies, Ian Munro, Nicol Smith, Hamish Steel, Jim Tosh, and Dennis Woodward.
Tentative troop rolls for other years during the thirties are given in 70th Stats and Facts. These rolls are based on evidence gleaned from The Court of Honour minutes and a large amount of imagination on the part of the author! A list of all known 70th Leaders, Wolf Cubs and Boy Scouts along with short biographies are also given in 70th Stats and Facts, 1932-45.
14. The Court of Honour (COH)
The Court of Honour was a kind of Scouting parliament, Civil Service and Justice Court rolled into one. If it worked well, P.L.s and Leaders discussed all aspects of the Troop as equals and shared responsibility for the successful running of the Troop. All P.L.s and Leaders (termed Officers at the time) were permanent members of the Court, but Troops had the option of deciding whether Patrol Seconds could be members as well. In the 70th, Second were made permanant members in 1935 following the creation of a new Constitution which lasted until 1941 (see additonal information). The COH met once a month, usually after a Troop Meeting. However, the COH occasionally met at other times in other locations.
The minutes from Sept 1934 to Sept 1941 have survived and are written in a very formal style that perhaps matches the period. In those days, schools taught their pupils to write correctly! The following is a nice example of elaborate writing by Ian Hardie for a meeting in September 1935: 'A. Hardie, the new treasurer reported that he had taken charge of the troop finances, and added gratuitously, that there was hope of some pecuniary assistance from the church.'
At times, the writing gives the impression that meetings were stuffy and sombre affairs. This does the Court a disservice and when one looks at the minutes more closely, there are frequent examples of humour and near farce, as well as some good stand-up arguments. Many of these incidents are described elsewhere. Scouts were not slow in voicing their opinion. For example, in October 1934, Alan Hardie expressed his displeasure at the fact that the two ASM's were only attending Troop meetings in uniform once per month, and that the ASM's should be compelled to wear uniform as other Scouts were. The fact that Ian Hardie (Alan’s older brother) was one of those ASMs may have had some bearing on this! Sam Faulds said he would address the issue. However, Alan Hardie asked for an immediate settlement and was requested to leave the Court!
On the 29th November 1935, there was a 'long and acrimonious discussion on the procedure of electing SPLs'. In the end, the PL of the patrol concerned (Eoin Steel) made the decision and chose Jim Crawford as his SPL. The argument may possibly have been about Jim being promoted in preference to older Scouts.
A debate which seemed to last several weeks revolved around the serious issue of Scout woggles! A proposal was made by Wilson Hill in October 1937 that all members of the Troop should wear identical woggles. This was accepted but the issue seemed to rumble on. In February 1938, Wilson stated that the Troop woggles were not being made quickly enough. The issue had still not been resolved by October 1938 and it appears that Ian Dunlop was getting rather tired of the whole matter since he said that 'he had previously washed his hands of the business, but that the cord used for making these could be obtained in a certain multiple chain store named F & W Woolworth and Co. at the price of 2d per yard or thereabouts.'
Of course, it would be wrong to give the impression that the Court spent many hours discussing trivial matters. All the important decisions made in the Troop had to be discussed in the Court. The Court decided who would be accepted into the troop, who would get promoted and who would be given particular responsibilities for organising activities and events. It decided the policy of the Troop in all aspects of Scouting from camping to badge training. It had responsibility for all aspects of Troop finances. For example, in October 1938, it made the decision that an annual subscription would be taken from each member, rather than weekly subscriptions, and set the annual fee at 5/- per person. The court also set up sub-committees to take responsibility for a wide number of things such as summer camps, cellar conversions, football teams, swimming teams, and the purchase or repair of equipment. A fuller description of these topics is given elsewhere.
The office bearers for the COH from 1934 to 1939 are known;
Chairmen; Sam Faulds (1933-1934), Ian Dunlop (1935-Mar 37), Ian Hardie (Mar 37-Mar 39), and Dick Leggett (Mar 39-)
Secretaries: Alan Hardie (1933?-Mar 35), Ian Hardie (May 35-Jun 36), A. Brown (Jun 36-Sep 37), Harold Hastie (Oct 37-)
Treasurers: Alan Hardie (Sep 35 -Nov 36), Archie Stalker (Nov 36-Apr 39), Jim Crawford (Apr 39 –)
Equipment Curator: Lawrence Harvey (Mar 37-Aug 38), Dick Leggett (Sep 38-)
In general, the Chairman was either the S.M. or the G.S.M., but there was a radical break from this tradition when P.L. Dick Leggett was appointed chairman in March 1939. The role of Secretary was held by both Leaders and PLs throughout the thirties, whereas the posts of Treasurer and Equipment Curator were always held by P.L.s.
It is also clear that Ian played had an active leadership role at troop meetings and had good rapport with the Scouts. 'Ian's talk' was a regular occurrence at campfires and singsongs. This took the form of a yarn or Scouting story which always proved popular. In his later visits to the Troop during the war, he got 'stuck in' running games and training Scouts, so it is pretty clear he would have done the same throughout the thirties. Ian was extremely committed to Scouting and played a major role in District administration and events. He was an active Secretary for the District Scout Executive from 1935 until 1938, when he resigned due to pressures of study. He received many plaudits as well as a gift of an inscribed Westminster Chiming clock. He continued to serve on the District Executive until his move to Lochgilphead. After the war, he was a minister serving in London, Lochgilphead then Edinburgh.