There is little evidence of the groups activity during the Second World War except for a report which appeared in the East Grinstead Museum Newsletter No 45 of June 1998, written by Keith Brown who joined the troop in 1941 and details his membership.

Transcript of East Grinstead Museum Society Newsletter 45  June 1998

It was in May 1937, as part of the coronation celebrations on Mount Noddy, that I saw the gymnastic display by the First East Grinstead scout troop and knew that it was for me. Alas, I had to wait four years before I could join at the age of 11. There were no cubs at that time.

Dr Spencer Lewis Walker, M.D., L.R.C.P., M.R.C.S. arrived in East Grinstead in 1910 and established his general practice in Woodstock, London Road. He soon became scoutmaster in the newly formed First East Grinstead troop. During the following four years he encouraged the boys to build and fly gliders in the fields of Hurst-an-Clays and also wireless transmitters and receivers.

After service as an officer in the Royal Army Medical Corps in the 1914-18 war he returned to the town and continued his work with the scouts. In the next 20 years the troop went from strength to strength. He was instrumental in building the Scout Hall in Moat Road and purchased land at Nutley to establish a private campsite with swimming pool.

Apart from normal scouting activities, boys were trained in woodturning, woodcarving, boxing, swimming and physical training, with gymnastics to the fore. Indeed the troop gave demonstrations all over the United Kingdom. The troop, led by 'Doc', had a pedigree second to none and was the inheritance of any boy in East Grinstead.

But 1939 was to change many things. The war was well and truly on when I was invested as a tenderfoot. Troop night on a Monday always started with raising the union flag followed by inspection. Dirty knees? Dirty fingernails? Uniform? Uniform was uniform and despite the war there was no shortage of it. We did the things all scouts are renowned for, knots and rope work, tracking, signaling, first aid, etc. in addition in the summer we had wide games', going out over Hackenden and Stone Quarry.

Next