THE 1St MARSHFIELD BOY SCOUT TROOP, WOLF CUB PACK AND BEAVER COLONY

As outlined in the introduction to the previous section “Girl Guides, Brownies and Rangers”, the Scouting movement was conceived by Lord Robert Baden-Powell near the end of his career as an officer in the British Army. The original “Scouts” were military scouts whose role it was to venture out in small reconnaissance groups to gather information on the strengths, activities, and location of the enemy positions. To help the army scouts become more self—sufficient in the wilderness, Baden-Powell wrote the booklet “Aids to Scouting”. Although it was originally intended as a field guide for the army, many youth groups such as The Boys Brigade were intrigued by the guide and began adopting it for their own use. Baden-Powell saw a need and began work on an idea for a different kind of youth organization for boys. He first tried his new ideas in practice in 1907 when he took twenty—one boys to camp on Brownsea Island off the coast of Southern England. He organized them into patrols and taught them basic self-reliance skills. Scouting was born! Shortly after, in 1908, he published the first of his new six-part book “Scouting for Boys”. This provided the structure and impetus to launch the Boy Scout movement in a big way. The movement was rapidly gaining popularity throughout the British Empire so the King of England retired Baden-Powell from the army and mandated him to lead the scouting movement worldwide on a full- time basis.1

Scout troops were first organized in Canada in 1908 with their first major event being a large rally at the Coronation of King George VI in 1911. In 1910 Lord Baden-Powell visited Canada and appointed Governor General Earl Grey the first Chief Scout of Canada. The Boy Scouts of Canada was incorporated by an Act of Parliament on June 12, 1914. It was only seven years since the infamous camping trip to Brownsea Island and already the Scouting Movement was boasting 100,000 members!

Historical records show scouting starting in Prince Edward Island in 1909 and 1910. On March 8, 1910, agreement was given to introduce Scouting into the YMCA in Charlottetown. Alberton and Summerside started their organizations around the

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same time. The Canadian scouting movement was honoured in 1935 when Lord Baden-Powell, his wife Lady Baden-Powell and their two daughters came to Canada and made a cross-nation tour. They included Prince Edward Island on their tour on July 4—6 and were hosted by His Hon. Lt. Governor George DeBlois. On the second evening, they were entertained by a huge rally of Scouts and Guides at the Exhibition Grounds that included scouting demonstrations and a Scouting Circus.2

THE 15t MARSHFIELD SCOUT TROOP AND WOLF CUB PACK was organized under the initiative of Mr. Hugh Lowry, Pastor of Marshfield Presbyterian Church, and sponsored by the Marshfield Women’s Institute. This sponsorship would prove to be a long and valuable relationship that would span thirty-seven years. Mr. Lowry became the first Scoutmaster with Gordon Stetson as assistant, and Doris (Mrs. Athol) MacBeath became the first Cubmaster with Edith (Mrs. Heath) Foster as assistant. A seven member

1962

Courtesy of Athol MacBeath (Left to right) Edith Foster, Ivan Boswall

and Doris MacBeath.