PDF Document – The History of the Andrews

The history of the International and National Scout Movement is well documented by professional bodies but the development of Scouting at a local level is often neglected and rarely gets into print. The Andrews at Crewe is, as we believe, a very special Group and its main landmarks provide an interesting story which hopefully when read will encourage  future generations of members  to move forward with a sense of pride and a desire to uphold some well tried and tested traditions.

Before launching into this chronological catalogue of landmarks, it is worth mentioning how it has been compiled:

In 1970 it was decided to try and gather together all available photographs, logs and record books which were scattered (some in our Headquarters, many at the homes of individuals) and to display them in the form of an exhibition which would be open to the local community. We hoped that this would not only attract past members but also raise the profile of the Group and encourage more families to get involved in local Scouting.

The event was a great success and many who attended recounted their own memories of times spent in the local Scout organisation. As a result, even more records and photographs were acquired, together with souvenirs and memorabilia.  It is this information, which provides the basis of this document at least up until 1970

From 1970 onwards an attempt has been made to keep the records in a manageable state but the increased availability of cameras and  other  recording  devices  has  resulted in an oversupply of data and consequently  there has had to be a thinning out process and the creation of separate files covering camps, expeditions and other competitive events. By doing this, it is hoped that future generations will be able to compare their own experiences with those of their predecessors by having an easy reference system.

The system adopted for the documentation of the major events is based on a geographic division of the U.K. into 12 areas.  Within each section are filed records of campsites used by the Andrew`s over the years together with an outline of the camp program balance sheets and in some cases menus. These are in alphabetic and date order..

The History of the Group was compiled by our Group President – Roy Bradley