Chapter Three
2nd Chalfont St Giles Scout Group
The Troop That Became Today’s 1st
Unlike the original Shortenills troop, no registration record for 2nd Chalfont St Giles has yet been found. Its story has therefore been pieced together from surviving newspaper reports. Those reports reveal a lively village Scout Group, formed in 1928, active in camps, competitions, village events and community service, and eventually renamed 1st Chalfont St Giles in 1934.
Feb 1928
Troop committee formed
June 1928
First camp at Ashwells Farm
1929
Scouts attend World Jamboree
Oct 1929
Scout Hut opened
May 1930
Bailey-Gibson competition
Nov 1934
2nd becomes 1st Chalfont St Giles
A lost troop rediscovered
Reconstructing the story from newspapers
The Scout Heritage collection has provided important registration records for 3rd Chesham Bois and the original 1st Chalfont St Giles troop at Shortenills. However, no equivalent registration document has yet been found for 2nd Chalfont St Giles.
Instead, the history of the 2nd Group survives through local newspaper reports. These articles show that the troop was formed in early 1928, quickly became active in village life, built its own Scout Hut, sent boys to the 1929 World Jamboree, and took part in district competitions and camps.
Most importantly, later Scout notes reveal that when the earlier Chalfont St Giles Group disappeared from the records, the group known as 2nd Chalfont St Giles became the new 1st Chalfont St Giles. This makes the 2nd Group the direct organisational ancestor of the Scout Group that exists today.
The beginning
A new village troop
The earliest known reference appears in January 1928, when a public notice announced a meeting at the Memorial Hall, Chalfont St Giles, “with a view to the formation of a troop committee for Chalfont St Giles.” The chair was to be taken by W. S. Lakeman, the District Commissioner.
By April 1928, the troop was already raising money for its camp equipment fund. A concert organised by Assistant Scoutmaster F. Reed was held at the Memorial Hall, showing that the group already had local support and adult leadership.
In June 1928, the Buckinghamshire Examiner described the newly formed group as “making admirable progress.” Patrol leaders had been appointed, the boys had helped at the Vache Empire Day fête, and they had already held their first camp at Ashwells Farm.
Early leaders and Scouts
The early newspaper reports name several people connected with the troop, including Scoutmaster Styles, Assistant Scoutmaster F. Reed, and patrol leaders B. Glaze, D. Mitchell and J. Wellings.
A community-based Scout Group
The 2nd Chalfont St Giles troop appears to have been very different from Captain Hogg’s earlier Shortenills troop. While the original 1st Chalfont St Giles was closely linked to a private preparatory school, the 2nd Group was rooted in the village itself.
Its meetings, concerts, socials, fundraising events and public appearances were reported alongside other village organisations such as the Parish Council, British Legion, schools, church groups and local sports clubs. This makes it the first clearly community-based Scout Group in the Chalfont St Giles story.
🎪 Fundraising and socials
From its earliest months, the troop raised money through concerts, socials and whist drives. These events helped fund camp equipment, annual camps and charitable “good turns.”
🏕️ Camps and outdoor life
The troop’s first camp was at Ashwells Farm in 1928. Later newspaper reports record camps at Bognor and Weymouth, showing that camping quickly became central to the Group’s identity.
🌍 World Jamboree
Four Scouts represented Chalfont St Giles at the 1929 World Jamboree in Birkenhead.
🏕️ A Scout Hut of their own
Within two years of being formed, the troop had secured its own headquarters in the village.
A permanent home
The 1929 Scout Hut
One of the most important discoveries is the report of a dedicated Scout Hut in 1929. The Buckinghamshire Examiner recorded that a plot of land at Chalfont St Giles, “between the church and the allotments,” had been given to the 2nd Chalfont St Giles Boy Scouts by Rev. C. A. G. Moore.
A hut had already been erected on the site and was due to be formally opened on 21 October 1929 by Sir Walter Carlile, the County Commissioner for Buckinghamshire Scouts.
This was a major milestone. It shows that within less than two years of its formation, the 2nd Group had become established enough to have its own headquarters in the village.
Where was the hut?
The report places the hut “between the church and the allotments.” This appears to locate the early Scout headquarters close to the centre of village life, rather than at Shortenills.
- Land donor: Rev. C. A. G. Moore
- Opened by: Sir Walter Carlile
- Opening date: 21 October 1929
The 1929 World Jamboree
In August 1929, the village was represented at the World Jamboree at Birkenhead by four members of 2nd Chalfont St Giles. The newspaper named them as Patrol Leader W. Knott, Second W. Osborn, Second G. Bolton and Scout H. Wellings.
The 1929 Jamboree was one of the defining moments of early world Scouting, bringing together Scouts from many countries. The presence of four boys from 2nd Chalfont St Giles shows that the troop was already confidently connected to the wider Scout movement.
👦 W. Knott
Patrol Leader W. Knott represented the troop at the 1929 World Jamboree. He later appears again in the records as William Knott, whose funeral in 1931 was attended by Scouts and Cubs from 2nd Chalfont St Giles.
⚜️ W. Osborn
Second W. Osborn was one of the four Scouts named in the newspaper report as travelling to Birkenhead for the World Jamboree.
⚜️ G. Bolton
Second G. Bolton was also part of the troop’s Jamboree contingent, showing the involvement of several patrol-level leaders.
⚜️ H. Wellings
Scout H. Wellings completed the named group of four boys who represented 2nd Chalfont St Giles at the 1929 World Jamboree.
District Scouting
The Bailey-Gibson Flag Competition
In May 1930, 2nd Chalfont St Giles took part in the annual Bailey-Gibson Flag Competition at Butler’s Court, Beaconsfield. Around 80 Scouts and Rovers from the South-East Chiltern District spent the weekend under canvas.
The competition tested practical Scout skills including camp layout, cooking, bread baking, knot tying, campfire entertainment, gadget construction, first aid and signalling. 2nd Chalfont St Giles finished with 190 points, behind Gerrards Cross, Seer Green and Gold Hill, but ahead of Wooburn Green.
The report also notes that the 1st Chalfont Colony troop, the previous year’s winners, was unable to defend its title due to an outbreak of measles. This confirms that several Scout troops were operating in and around the Chalfonts during this period.
1930 competition result
1st Gerrards Cross — 214 points
1st Seer Green — 208 points
1st Gold Hill — 202 points
2nd Chalfont St Giles — 190 points
1st Wooburn Green — 180 points
Community service
A Group rooted in village life
The newspaper reports show that 2nd Chalfont St Giles was not simply a troop that met privately. It was visibly part of village life.
In September 1930, the Group’s Scouts and Cubs took part in the annual Chalfont Hospital Parade, alongside the British Legion, Oddfellows, fire brigade, bands and local societies. This confirms that by 1930 the Group included both Scouts and Cubs.
In October 1931, Scouts and Cubs from 2nd Chalfont St Giles formed a Guard of Honour at the funeral of William Knott and his mother, following a motoring accident. William was a member of the Group, and eight Scouts carried the coffin of their late comrade. The reports named Scoutmaster Stiles and Cubmistress Stiles among those present.
The Group also raised money for charitable causes. In December 1931, a social held in the Scout Hut raised money for a Christmas “good turn” to waifs and strays.
Growth in the early 1930s
By the early 1930s, 2nd Chalfont St Giles had grown beyond a single Scout troop. Newspaper reports mention Scouts, Cubs, a Scout Hut, a Cub “lair,” and plans for a Rover Crew. This suggests a developing Group structure similar to the modern idea of a Scout Group with several sections.
A 1933 report noted that the Cubs were “happily settled” in their new lair, which was an extension of the Scout Hut. The Scout troop had helped with the work, labouring “night after night in the cold and wet.” The same report stated that the Group would shortly be completed by the formation of a Rover Crew under Major Lowndes.
🐺 Cubs
Cubs were active by 1930 and had their own “lair” in an extension of the Scout Hut by 1933.
⚜️ Scouts
The Scout troop camped, competed, fundraised and helped build the Hut extension for the Cubs.
🔥 Rovers
By 1933 the Group was preparing to form a Rover Crew under the leadership of Major Lowndes.
👥 The Stiles family
Scoutmaster Stiles and Cubmistress Stiles appear in the 1931 funeral report, suggesting a family commitment to leading the Group.
Summer camps
Bognor and Weymouth
Camping was a major part of the Group’s early life. In 1928 the boys held their first camp at Ashwells Farm. In 1929, the troop was due to camp at Bognor from 17 to 31 August.
By 1933 and 1934, reports show the Group camping at Weymouth. The 1933 camp included steamer trips, local visits, watching warships at practice, fishing and a well-attended campfire concert. A local farmer was so pleased with the troop that a newly born calf was to be named after them.
The 1934 Weymouth camp was smaller, with seven boys attending, but the report is especially touching. The Scoutmaster wrote that, thanks to the generosity of a friend of the troop who provided transport, they were able to take two boys from a poorer troop as guests free of charge.
Camp life
The newspaper reports describe a Group that valued outdoor adventure, practical skills, friendship and service to others.
Ashwells Farm • Bognor • Weymouth • Campfires • Steamer Trips • Scout Skills
The turning point
From 2nd to 1st Chalfont St Giles
The clearest evidence for the change from 2nd Chalfont St Giles to 1st Chalfont St Giles comes from late 1934 and early 1935.
In September 1934, the Group was still being reported as 2nd Chalfont St Giles when its summer camp at Weymouth was described in the South-East Chilterns Scout Notes.
Two months later, in November 1934, the District annual report explained the change. It recorded a fall in numbers, mainly due to the closure of the Chalfont St Giles Group, and then added that, with the disappearance of that Group, the Group known as 2nd had now become 1st Chalfont St Giles.
By February 1935, the change had clearly taken effect. The same Scout Notes column referred to the Group as “1st (lately 2nd) Chalfont St Giles” and reported that they had celebrated their promotion with a social evening attended by parents, friends and Scouts from Chesham Bois.
This evidence shows that today’s 1st Chalfont St Giles Scout Group appears to descend organisationally from the former 2nd Chalfont St Giles, while also inheriting the name first used by Captain Hogg’s original Shortenills troop.
Timeline
The rise of 2nd Chalfont St Giles
Jan 1928
Troop committee meeting announced
A public notice announces a meeting at the Memorial Hall to form a troop committee for Chalfont St Giles, chaired by District Commissioner W. S. Lakeman.
Apr 1928
Fundraising for camp equipment
Assistant Scoutmaster F. Reed organises a concert at the Memorial Hall to raise money for the 2nd Chalfont St Giles Scouts Camp Equipment Fund.
Jun 1928
The troop makes “admirable progress”
The Buckinghamshire Examiner reports that the group has recently started and is making good progress. Patrol leaders are appointed and the boys hold their first camp at Ashwells Farm.
Early patrol leaders included B. Glaze, D. Mitchell and J. Wellings.
Aug 1929
World Jamboree representatives
Four members of the troop travel to the World Jamboree at Birkenhead: W. Knott, W. Osborn, G. Bolton and H. Wellings.
Oct 1929
Scout Hut opened
A plot of land between the church and allotments is given by Rev. C. A. G. Moore, and a Scout Hut is formally opened by Sir Walter Carlile.
May 1930
Bailey-Gibson Flag Competition
2nd Chalfont St Giles competes in the district rally and competition at Butler’s Court, Beaconsfield, finishing fourth with 190 points.
Sept 1930
Hospital Parade
The Group’s Scouts and Cubs take part in the Chalfont Hospital Parade, confirming the existence of both sections by this date.
Oct 1931
Funeral of William Knott
Scouts and Cubs form a Guard of Honour at the funeral of William Knott and his mother. Scoutmaster Stiles and Cubmistress Stiles are both named in the report.
1933
The Group expands
The Cubs are reported to be settled in their new “lair,” an extension of the Scout Hut, and a Rover Crew is planned under Major Lowndes.
1933
Weymouth camp
The Group camps at Weymouth, enjoying steamer trips, fishing, local visits and a campfire concert.
1934
Still known as 2nd Chalfont St Giles
In September 1934, newspaper Scout Notes still refer to the Group as 2nd Chalfont St Giles during its Weymouth summer camp.
Nov 1934
2nd becomes 1st
The District report states that, with the disappearance of the Chalfont St Giles Group, the Group known as 2nd had now become 1st Chalfont St Giles.
Feb 1935
“1st, lately 2nd”
A newspaper report refers to the Group as “1st (lately 2nd) Chalfont St Giles” and says they celebrated their promotion with a social evening.
Why this matters
The missing link in the Group’s history
The discovery of 2nd Chalfont St Giles changes the way the Group’s early history should be understood.
The name 1st Chalfont St Giles first appears in 1927, when Captain Hogg’s former 3rd Chesham Bois troop was re-registered at Shortenills. However, the direct organisational line leading to today’s Group appears to run through the village-based 2nd Chalfont St Giles troop formed in 1928.
The modern Group therefore has two connected roots: the pioneering school troop founded by Captain Hogg, and the community Scout Group that grew in the village, built its own hut, served the local community and eventually inherited the 1st Chalfont St Giles name.
The next chapter
After the former 2nd Chalfont St Giles became the new 1st Chalfont St Giles, the Group entered a new phase. The next chapter follows the development of the modern Group under the 1st Chalfont St Giles name.
Continue to the next chapter →
