Hello Middlesbrough and District,

London calling again with the age-old Good Wishes for a smashing success with your new show. I know you’ll be going from strength to strength and my chief regret is that I won’t be able to be out front to applaud all your efforts and enjoy your success.

We (the Red Scarf boys) grow in family from month to month and each week brings me letters from new Gangs which are springing up everywhere. It’s always good to hear from them and I know they, too, will be wanting to join me in these few words of greetings to our Gang Brothers up your way.

What a debt we all owe to SCOUTING. Without it we would not have met, we wouldn’t have been able to enjoy these shows of ours and I am sure our lives would have been poorer had we not learned about this Game and shared the great times together that B.P. formed for us. So it’s to Scouting our chief loyalty lies and whatever else we do, boys, let’s remember that it is to our Scouting we owe it all and into our Scouting we must put back everything we possibly can.

God bless, have a smashing show, and don’t forget to write and let me know how it all went.

As always,

RALPH.

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Progress Report on Scouting in Middlesbrough

For Scouting was always intended to be principally an outdoor movement; this purpose is as strong and necessary today as it was in the early days of Scouting. It is perhaps even more necessary today in view of changing social habits, particularly the incursion into our homes of the “one-eyed monster,” with its temptation to sit back in comfort and be amused (?) and entertained (??) with no more effort than it takes to flick a switch.

Living out of doors for a spell, being able to improvise and to fend for one’s self, have an important part in the development of self-confidence and reliance, With the development of Raven Gill it has been possible to do far more in this direction than hitherto and this progress is partly reflected in the increased number of Queen’s Scout badges awarded locally.

The site continues to be increasingly used, not only by boys from Middlesbrough, but from neighbouring areas, too. Last year several hundred Scouts attended outdoor badge courses there. Improvements are still being made, construction of a chapel is well under way, another hut is going up – and a resident warden is now installed.

In Middlesbrough itself, Scouting follows its regular pattern. Now, however, the association has a new president, Sir Ellis Hunter. He succeeded Mr H. D. Levick, a staunch and generous supporter of the Movement for very many years, whose death a few months ago caused everyone connected with Scouting and Guiding locally great sorrow.

We also have a new honorary secretary in Mr. (formerly Police Superintendent) “Ted” Raine.

This week’s ” Gang Show ” will give another fillip to the association’s finances, and that means also its efforts to keep Scouting as attractive, purposeful and widely accessible as

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Did you know ?

In the world today there are over eight and a half million members of the movement in over 100 countries

In the U.K. alone there are over half a million members of the Movement.

Almost 7,000 Scouters have been awarded the long Service Decoration in recognition of at least IS years’ continuous faithful service to Scouting

In the U.K. nearly 60,000 men and women voluntarily give up much of their spare time acong as Scouters and Commissioners without payment

It has been estimated that at least 50,000,000 people in the world today have come under the influence of Scouting.

Over 24 V C s and more than a thousand other gallantry awards were made by his late ~ajesty King George Vl to Scouts during the last war.

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How it all began

“The story of the ‘Gang Show,’ its birth and growth, is extremely interesting. It offers a splendid example of how small beginnings, carried out with intelligence, foresight and ability, and in this case with hearty co-operation of all concerned, can lead to great achievements. . . .”

So wrote an official chronicler of the London “Gang Show” some years ago. In fact, it was in 1929, in one of London’s smallest Scout districts, that Ralph Reader conceived the idea of producing a Scout revue. He succeeded in inspiring his fellow Scouts with his own infectious enthusiasm; he wrote the words and the music, signing himself simply “A Holborn Rover,” and produced the show.

From the outset the venture prospered and each succeeding revue became more and more ambitious. In 1932, London’s Scouts were in need of money for their camping grounds at Downe—so Ralph collected a company of Scouts from various parts of London and gave his first performance at the Scala Theatre. The result was that the “Gang Show” became one of the most successful entertainments in the West End.

By 1936 it was running for no less than 14 days—and in that year no less than £2,000 worth of applications for seats had to be returned. In November 1937 ” The Gang ” was included in the Royal Command Performance at the Palladium—an honour repeated in November 1957 when the London “Gang Show” celebrated its Silver Jubilee.

“Gang Shows” spread to the Provinces; cities like Newcastle, Stoke and Glasgow followed London’s lead and now in towns and cities up and down the country, the local Scout revue—usually based largely on the London shows—has become an annual event.

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