We provide fun, challenge and adventure to over 1400 young people in North Lancashire – #SkillsForLife
We provide fun, challenge and adventure to over 1400 young people in North Lancashire – #SkillsForLife

Morecambe Association Formed

Morecambe Guardian 10 October 1930:

NEW LOCAL SCOUTS ASSOCIATION.

STRONG DRIVE TO DEVELOP MOVEMENT.

PUBLIC MEETING.

INFLUENTIAL COMMITTEE APPOINTED.

Morecambe has several groups and troops of Boy Scouts but it has no association, and with the purpose of forming a local branch of the Boy Scouts Association, a meeting was held in the Town Hall on Tuesday evening. The Mayor of Morecambe (Councillor J. W. Carleton) presided.

Among those present were: Mr. T. W. Helme (District Commissioner), Mr. R. Wright (Assistant Commissioner), both of the South Lonsdale Division, Capt. Michaelson, R.N. (Assistant County Commissioner), the Rev. J. S. Griffiths (Vicar of St. Barnabas), the Rev. J. Egerton Ward (Vicar of St. Laurence).

Capt. Michaelson said that the object of an association was primarily to look after the scouts and scouting in the area where it was formed. Its duty was to foster scouting by helping the scouting groups and to get new groups. An association could also do a great deal to make scout groups useful and he did not mean just to parade in uniform. Another duty of the Association was to find men who were suitable for scouters. There was a great shortage of scouters and although there was a large number of boys wanting to join the scouts, there were not the men to act as scouters.

SUFFICIENTLY LARGE.

The Mayor, in proposing the formation of an association known as the “Morecambe, Heysham and District Association,” said that, in his opinion Morecambe and Heysham was sufficiently large to foster a flourishing association. Some weeks ago he had the pleasure of attending the Scout rally at Blackpool and he had been very much impressed by what he had seen there.

Mr. W. Peel (Scoutmaster of the 1st Sandylands) seconded, and said that such an association had been wanted for a long time and if the people in Morecambe and Heysham would help they, in the Scouting movement would carry it through.

The following officials were elected: President of the Association, Dr. J. Watterson, J.P., C.C.; Chairman, Mr. J. Sly; Vice-president, Mr. H. C. Gorton; Secretary, Mr. S. Evenden; Treasurer, Mr. Harold Parker; Auditor, Mr. H. Gee; Vice-presidents, Councillors Carleton, J. S. Cordingley and A. W. Gorton; Messrs J. Fawcett, F. Clayton, H. Wild, E. Barrow, C. Hardy, J. Sly, the Rev. Egerton Ward, H. Gorton, G. Kirkby, Harold Parker, J. Holdsworth, Harold Bell; Badge Secretary, Mr. Percy Hughes, jnr, District Club (sic) Master, Mr. F. H. S. Marshall (Lancaster); Executive, Mrs. Wolfenden, Messrs. H. Wild, F. Clayton, Rev. Egerton Ward, Rev. Griffiths, H. Gorton, J. Holdsworth, E. Barrow, C. Hardy.

A GOOD AUGURY

The Mayor caused laughter by saying that it augured well for the Association when they could get so many Vice-presidents at a guinea a time that people got tired of putting their hands up to vote for them.

Mr. T. W. Helme said that they had special regulations for the safety of the sea scouts.

The groups in the district are:- The 1st Morecambe Group (28 Scouts, 16 Cubs), Group Scoutmaster, Mr. G. Whittle, S.M., Mr. W. Harmsworth; 1st Sandylands (seven Rovers, 13 Scouts, 11 cubs), G.S.M., Mr. W. Peel, A.S.M., Mr. S. Peel, cub Master, Miss Marion Peel*; Morecambe sea scouts (20 Scouts), S.M. Mr. S. Gaunt, A.S.M. Mr. Harold Robinson and Mr. J. Taverner; the 6th Morecambe, S.M. Mr. Izatt, A.S.M. Mr. J. Webster; the 4th Morecambe, G.S.M. Mr. S. Makin, A.S.M. Mr. F. Driver.

*Marion Peel was born 11 June 1911 locally. She married Stanley Gordon Hughes (b. 1 Feb. 1913) in 1940 at St. John’s Church. Tragically he died 12 Nov 1942 whilst serving as an Electrical Artificer 3rd Class on HMS Hecla, a destroyer depot ship, when it was torpedoed off the coast of Morocco on 11 November 1942.

Morecambe Guardian 07 December 1940:
Weddings
HUGHES—PEEL
An old boy of Morecambe Grammar School, and at present an artificer in the Royal Navy, Mr. Stanley Gordon Hughes, youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. P. Hughes of “Harmony,” 74, Norton Road, Morecambe, was married on Monday at St. John’s Church to Miss Marion Peel, only daughter of Mrs., and the late Mr. A Peel, of 41, Lordsome Road. The Rev. E. Greenhalgh officiated.
(continues)

The bride, who was formerly a cubmaster in Morecambe, was given away by her brother, Mr. Stanley Peel.
Mr. Percy F. Hughes brother of the bridegroom was the best man, and Messrs. William J. Hughes brother of the bridegroom and Norman Peel brother of the bride were the groomsmen.

Lancashire Evening Post 31 July 1943:
N.W. MEN MISSING
MORECAMBE PETTY OFFICER
Chief Petty Officer Stanley Gordon Hughes (29), married, reported missing in North Africa, in December, 1942, has been officially presumed dead. He was a native of Morecambe and comes from a long line of seamen. His father, Mr. Percy Hughes, was chief engineer at Heysham Harbour, where the son served his apprenticeship to electrical engineering with the L.M.S. railway.

Marion married John Dean Taverner b. 8 July 1909 in Leeds (see above) in 1948. Marion died locally in 1981; John in 1982.

HMS Hecla left Freetown in West Africa as part of Convoy CF.7A on the 4 November 1942 and was photographed by Tom Davis. the ships writer on HMS Active.
Lonsdale District Scouts