Brockham Scouts

A Brief History of Brockham Scouts

The first troop was formed in 1941 with a master from Brockham School
as the Scoutmaster, Mr F R Kersley, who lived in The Borough. At that
time the troop was attached to the Reigate Local Boy Scout Association,
not Dorking as it is now.

Mr Kersley did not remain the leader for long and a number of others took
on the role, Mr Norman Balchin who lived on the Green, a Mr Jarrett who
resided in Glenfield Road who at one time assisted by a Mr Jones.

In 1944 the troop was without a Scoutmaster. So two of the members
(myself) and another patrol leader, Peter Peacock from Glenfield Road
obtained permission to run the troop. There were no Wolf Cubs at
that time although a little later a Cub Pack was formed. A Miss Greta
Webber was the Akela. Both Peter and myself received a lot help
and encouragement from a good friend the local butcher Mr Charles
Humphrey who also let us convert one of his lofts as a Den for the Senior
Scouts, he was also our Treasurer.

At this time Peter kept the Leigh Troop, (the 23rd Dorking) going after
its leadership failed. They met in a building opposite The Plough public
house on Leigh Green which was also an ARP post.

The names of Ted Warren and Shaun O'Donogue, come to mind as very
supportive boys at that time among many.

During my time in the RAF and Peters time in The Life Guards, the
Scouts had mixed fortunes with a certain leader who was banned
from the village meeting places and for some time the Scouts met in
Betchworth.

The Troop did not receive any help at that time from the then Vicar the
Rev. Herbert William Booth who did much to try to disband it. With
the coming of Mr William (Bill) Holloway who lived in Nutwood Avenue
and the Rev. West, after the war, the fortunes changed and the Group
became prosperous, but without much help from the village. An example
of this was that Bill Holloway had managed to purchase a hut previously
used by the army at Brockham Park, where he worked for Beechams

Research Laboratories

He had obtained a promise of materials free of charge, essential for its
erection, from Mr Hall of Hall & Co. who lived in Brockham House. We
were given a plot of land on the site of the allotments then situated at the
rear of Wheelwrights Cottage in Wheelers Lane, by the Dorking Urban
District Council.

The apathy of the parents committee at that time resulted in the hut being
sold and the Group not having its own HQ. The foundations were in
place, all that was required was some labour.

After the war there was a Senior Scout section and the District Rover
Scout Crew with such characters as Claude Tickner, George Etheridge,
Jack Meadows Gerald Webber, Alf the postman and with many others
from Dorking they formed a concert party and gave many performances
in aid of charity all over the County. At that time they were grateful to Miss
Hayward of Way House and her staff for their hospitality for rehearsals.

Reproduced with the kind permission of Tony Hines