Chapter Two
Following the move from Chesham Bois, Captain Michael George Hogg relocated both his preparatory school and Scout troop to Shortenills. On 13 September 1927, the troop was officially re-registered as 1st Chalfont St Giles, beginning a new chapter in the history of Scouting in Chalfont St Giles.
A new beginning
After leaving Chesham Bois, Captain Michael George Hogg MC (Military Cross) moved his preparatory school and Scout troop to Shortenills, Chalfont St Giles. The troop’s identity changed with the move.
On 13 September 1927, the Scout Association re-registered the troop as 1st Chalfont St Giles, late 3rd Chesham Bois. This wording preserved the troop’s earlier Chesham Bois origins while marking the start of a new chapter in Chalfont St Giles.
This was the original 1st Chalfont St Giles Scout Troop. It appears to have continued for a number of years before later District records suggest that the original troop was no longer active, after which the former 2nd Chalfont St Giles became the modern 1st Chalfont St Giles.
The Founder
The driving force behind the original troop was Captain Michael George Hogg MC (Military Cross), a decorated Royal Artillery officer, schoolmaster and Scoutmaster.
After establishing Chesham Bois Preparatory School in 1925, he formed the Scout troop that became 3rd Chesham Bois. When he purchased Shortenills in 1926, both the school and troop moved with him, leading to the re-registration of the troop as 1st Chalfont St Giles in September 1927.
During the Second World War he later served with the Pioneer Corps before returning to education and archery, eventually captaining the England international archery team and serving as Chairman of the Royal Toxophilite Society.
Captain M. G. Hogg in later life
Although best remembered locally as the founder of 3rd Chesham Bois and the original 1st Chalfont St Giles Scout Troop, Hogg later achieved national recognition in archery. He captained the England international archery team and served as Chairman of the Royal Toxophilite Society.
Primary Evidence
The records below provide the documentary link between the original troop registered as 3rd Chesham Bois in 1925 and the continuation of the troop as 1st Chalfont St Giles from September 1927 onwards.
13 September 1927 Registration Record
The official Scout Association registration record showing the re-registration of 1st Chalfont St Giles, late 3rd Chesham Bois, with headquarters recorded at Shortenills, Chalfont St Giles.
1928 Annual Re-Registration Record
The annual re-registration record confirming 1st Chalfont St Giles continued at Shortenills.
Shortenills was more than just Captain Hogg’s home. It became the base for his school and for the Scout troop he had brought from Chesham Bois. For the boys, the move meant that Scouting was now rooted in Chalfont St Giles.
The estate gave the troop access to space, countryside and outdoor activity, fitting naturally with Captain Hogg’s educational approach and the wider aims of Scouting at the time.
The early troop was closely linked to Captain Hogg’s preparatory school. This makes it different from the later community-based Scout Group that developed in Chalfont St Giles.
Captain Michael George Hogg MC was the driving force behind the troop’s move and re-registration. A decorated Royal Garrison Artillery officer, schoolmaster and Scoutmaster, he connected the early Chesham Bois story with the later Chalfont St Giles story.
The original 1st Chalfont St Giles was a school-based troop centred on Shortenills. Later records show that Scouting in the village evolved through additional troops and changes of numbering, eventually leading to the Scout Group that exists today.
This means the Group’s history has two linked strands: the original school troop brought from Chesham Bois, and the later community Scout Group that carried the 1st Chalfont St Giles name forward.
Life at Shortenills
A Buckinghamshire Scout report published in 1930 provides a rare glimpse into life at the Shortenills troop. The school was divided into three Scout patrols and an inter-patrol championship had been introduced to encourage competition, leadership and teamwork.
The patrols competed in football, cricket, golf, archery, rifle shooting, running, relay races, jumping and even blindfold knot-tying competitions. Training was organised under the supervision of patrol leaders, reflecting the patrol system that lay at the heart of Scouting.
During the summer term many of the boys slept under canvas in the school grounds, giving them experience of outdoor living and camping without leaving the Shortenills estate.
Newspaper reports from the mid-1930s show that sport and teamwork remained central to life at Shortenills. Captain Hogg frequently emphasised the importance of health, games and team spirit, values that closely mirrored the aims of Scouting.
The Buckinghamshire Scout Handbook recorded that the troop at Shortenills consisted of three patrols competing throughout the year in sporting and Scouting activities. It also noted that many boys slept under canvas during the summer term.
Understanding the records
One of the most interesting discoveries in the archive is that the earliest troop called 1st Chalfont St Giles was not necessarily the direct continuous predecessor of today’s Group.
The records show that Captain Hogg’s troop was re-registered as 1st Chalfont St Giles in 1927. However, later District records suggest that this original troop no longer seemed to exist, and that the 2nd Chalfont St Giles later became the 1st Chalfont St Giles.
Significantly, a Buckinghamshire Scout report published in 1930 contains separate entries for both the Shortenills troop and 2nd Chalfont St Giles. This confirms that the two troops existed alongside one another for at least part of their history.
Rather than weakening the Group’s history, this makes it richer. It shows that Scouting in Chalfont St Giles grew through more than one early troop, with names, leadership and headquarters changing over time.
Timeline
Captain Hogg purchased Shortenills in Chalfont St Giles and prepared to move his school from Chesham Bois.
On 13 September 1927, the troop was officially re-registered as 1st Chalfont St Giles, late 3rd Chesham Bois.
The annual re-registration record confirms that 1st Chalfont St Giles continued to operate from Shortenills.
A Buckinghamshire Scout report records that the Shortenills troop was divided into three patrols and competed in sports, archery, rifle shooting, knot-tying and other activities.
Scouting continued to develop in Chalfont St Giles through a number of troops and leaders. The next chapter explores the rise of 2nd Chalfont St Giles and how it eventually became the modern 1st Chalfont St Giles Scout Group.
The story of Scouting in Chalfont St Giles did not end with the original Shortenills troop. A later community troop, originally known as 2nd Chalfont St Giles, carried Scouting forward and eventually became the 1st Chalfont St Giles Scout Group known today.
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