1ST CROWNHILL SCOUT GROUP HISTORY 1914-1980

The exact date of the formation of the 1 st Crownhill Scout Group is unknown. However, the group is mentioned as being new in the minutes of the Plymouth & District Boy Scouts Local Association (P.D.B.S.L.A.) meeting of the 20 th February 1914 held at the headquarters of the 7 th Plymouth. The 7 th headquarters then being situated in Regent Street.

The first Scoutmaster (SM) was W Biggs and at this meeting he was listed as acting. This suggests that he had just started a trial period as SM before being allowed to hold a Warrant. He was appointed Scoutmaster on 11 th May 1914. At the 16 th June Meeting of the P.D.B.S.L.A. he was listed in those present as Scoutmaster – a further indication that he had been accepted by the movement.

There were no further reference to 1 st Crownhill until 1915 at the meeting of the 13 th May. This was then followed by a further gap of nearly 3 years before the trail was again picked up. The trail again went quiet until 1927 when a Scout Troop was re-started in Crownhill wearing the same green and Purple scarf of 1 st Crownhill. The meeting place being in the Church Hall, the former chapel in Budshead road where Parsons Funeral Directors are now situated. Its name this time was the 4 th St.Budeaux (Holy Trinity). It was started by the vicar of St Budeaux Church the Rev. R.J.R. Skipper, who was the first Scoutmaster, with William Perry as his assistant. The troop at this time was 12 strong.

Just before Christmas 1927 William Perry's wife Lillian started the Wolf Cub pack with 14 boys. Up until this time Scout Troops and Cub Packs had been registered independently, but in 1928 the Group system was started and everyone had to be re-registered. In the P.D.B.S.L.A minutes for 1928, William Perry was now the Group Scoutmaster as well as running the Troop with the help of Mr E.J. Young. Lillian Perry was still the Cubmaster. This was essentially the 1 st Crownhill trading under a different name.

In 1937, nineteen year old Wallace Congdon took out a Assistant Scout Master's Warrant, in order to help with the Scout Troop. He had been with the group since joining as a Scout in 1930. At this time the Troop was meeting in a barn, belonging to the St Aubyn Estate, behind Whitleigh Avenue. William gained his Wood Badge and in early 1939 took over as Scout Master.

At the outbreak of War in September 1939 most of the men were called away on active service, leaving no-one to run the Troop. It was decided to suspend the running of the Scouts temporarily. The Wolf Cubs had done the same thing a few years previous.

In early 1940 Miss Dorothy Spiller a local Sunday School Teacher re-started the Wolf Cub Pack under the name of 1 st Crownhill were they continued to meet in the Holy Trinity Hall, wearing the same Green & Purple Scarf. In 1949 Ernie Smith took over running of the Wolf Cubs, a position he held for nearly 20 years, until he became Group Scout Leader. The Scout Troop was started again in the 1940s by Bob Huck who stayed until the early 1950s when Ron Spurrell took over. During the 1950s and 60s there were nine more SMs and ASMs, including Ron Spurrell, Dave Salter, Tony Kelway, John Pett, Roger Bossom and Richard Berry. In the early 1950s a Senior Scout Section was started by Stan Walter, who later became GSM. It became the Venture Scout Unit in 1968 as a result of general re-organisation of all sections.

In the 1950s Wilf Pengelly's two sons joined the Cubs and started a long association with the Group, with Wilf being Chairman on numerous occasions over a period of nearly forty years.

The parcel of land that our headquarters is situated was obtained in 1956 along with outline planning permission for the Headquarters. This was achieved as part of Wilf Pengelly's vision.

In the 60's Mr Edwin Berry joined the group as Chairman and spearheaded the effort to build the new Headquarters. He consulted architects, had plans drawn up (twice), obtained the full planning permission and procured grants for 75% of the cost (£4,500 in total ).

Whilst this was going on the group became aware of the 15 th Plymouth's lack of headquarters. The 15 th Plymouth were an old city group who originally met at the YMCA, Old town street and after the war moved out to Box Hill House at Pennycross. After they left the YMCA, the Troop held it's meetings in Chaucer Way School whilst looking for it's own headquarters.

As Crownhill had now started the build of their headquarters, after much heart searching it was decided to amalgamate 1 st Crownhill with the 15 th Plymouth. It was at this point the Tartan scarf of the 15 th Plymouth became adopted by the two groups. A great party complete with fireworks was held at Blindmans Wood the City Scout Headquarters to launch the amalgamation. This was one of the biggest milestones in the Group's history. The combined group continued to meet at Chaucer Way School until the new headquarters was completed in 1969.

Due to the increase in numbers and the waiting list a second Cub Pack was opened in 1970. In order to distinguish between the packs they were called Stewart & Endeavour.

In 1976 a second Troop opened with the help of some Venture Scouts. Wednesday Troop was known as Stewart and Friday as Endeavour.

This brief history has been extracted and condensed from the 1 st Crownhill Scout Group Log Book Part One (1914-1980) by Stephen Bull and Peter Coniam published October 1994.

It is hoped to add the history from 1980 present at a later date.