1st Quarry Bank Scouts
Group Contact Info
Group Contact Name: Richard Jinks
Email: 1stQuarryBank@dudleydistrict.org.uk
Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/1stqb
Address:
Bobs Coppice Walk
Quarry Bank
DY5 2DX
Section Info
Squirrels: Friday 5.30 — 6.30pm
Beavers: Monday 6.30 — 7.45pm
Cubs: Tuesday 6.30 — 8.00pm
Scouts: Thursday 6.45 — 8:45pm
Necker
Venue Hire
Facilities:
Barebones Kitchen, Toilet and Small Grounds.
Venue costs:
Please Email info@1stqb.org.uk to enquire.
History
Open Group
Building: Lease Hold
Historic Milestones
1918 – 16/3/1918 – Lye (P.M) Scout Group Formed – Meeting at Love Lane Primitive Methodist Church, Lye. Green Necker with Yellow Border. Registration 7892
1922 – 22/6/1922 – 1st Quarry Bank Scout Group Formed and Registered with Scout Association.
– Group was Controlled by Christ Church – Quarry Bank Parish
– Group Met at the Sunday School Building in Victoria Road
– Scout Master: F. N Pardoe of 13 Hill Street, Quarry Bank
– Assistant Scout Master: F. J Flavell of Saltwells Inn
– 50 Scouts in Troop
– Cyril Coulter was a scout in 1922; he remembers joining in with the building on Kinver Scout Camp and the Group as a whole was actively involved with its inception.
1923 – 19/3/1923 – 1st Quarry Bank Cub Pack Formed. Registration 5934.
– 30 Cubs in Pack
– Cub Master: Miss W Cartwright
– Assistant Cub Master: Miss G Dunn
1928 – Group moved premises to Maughan Street
– Group Scout Master: Harry Hawkeswood (1923-1940) of “Field House” High Street, Quarry Bank)
– Cub Master: Enoch Billingham of 24 Garrett Street, Harts Hill, Brierley Hill
– 30 Scouts
– 34 Wolf Cubs
– 3 Rover Scouts
1942 – Enoch Billingham becomes Group Scout Master
1948 – Joined Brierley Hill Local Association
– Scout Master: R H Jasper
– 13 Cubs
– 25 Scouts
1952 – Rover Scout Section Closes.
1958 – 11/9/1958 – Enoch Billingham Resigns as Group Scout Master
1962 – Group Becomes Dormant – Until 1964 when the scout Section reopened.
1965 – Cubs Starts up Again
1966 – H.R. Keeling becomes Group Scout Master for 1 year
1970 – Group Started Transition to become a Sea Scout Group
– Group Scout Leader: Roy Alexander
– Cub Scout Leader: Mrs M Cooper
– Assistant Cub Scout Leader: J. M Tyler
– Assistant Cub Scout Leader: J Freeman
– Assistant Cub Scout Leader: Miss S A Bottomley
1972 – Maughan Street Hut was Burnt Down so the group moved to a premises on West Street
1973 – 6/3/1973 – Group Officially changed its Title to 1st Quarry Bank Sea Scout Group
– Group Scout Leader: William Fredrick Quinton
– Scout Leader: K Maslin
– Assistant Scout Leader: R. W. Bayliss
– Was part of Dudley South West District
1974 – 10/5/1974 – Scout Group registered with the Charity Commission with number: 503288.
1976 – Bobs Coppice Walk – Ground Prepared for Cedar wood Building to be used with Lye P.M as proposed by Dudley Council.
1977 – Group started transition into the new Cedarwood Hut
1978 – May – Dudley Council Built 2 new huts for use on Bobs Coppice Walk; both subsequently burnt down.
1978 – Some Members leave to join with Kingswinford Scouts to create Kewford Eagles Football Club in Wall Heath. The ‘Kew’ used to represent Q; and Ford in Kingswinford.
1979 – Love Lane Primitive Methodist Church, Lye Demolished – Lye (P.M) have no premises to meet.
– Ray Bayliss Resigned
– March – Mr Stuart Harrison took over as Group Scout Leader
– Scouts Moved Back into the Headquarters
1980 – Official Opening 13/12/1980 – Brick building which is in use today built on the Bobs Coppice Walk Land – Still Standing Today. Built by Michael Holloway and Bob Hadley with help from Group Committee.
During the Sea Scout period you might also like to know that we had our own marching band! A local guy (think his name was Gerald) a retired Grenadier Bandsman approached us because he believed our parades lacked a band. Some of us volunteered and next thing a load of marching snare drums, bass drum and bugles turned up. We use to practice at the hut in the week, sometimes marching practice at Flood St Car Parks in Dudley and then we use to lead all the district parades – usually Remembrance day from the hut up New St, High St to the church and then I think it was the big St Georges Day parade in Dudley when all the groups use to turn up and we marched to the Top Church.
– Cubs back meeting at the headquarters
– Plaque in memory on Enoch Billingham erected and presented by Members of ‘Old scouts and Friends Association of Quarry Bank’ Still in the office today.
1981 – 1/4/1981 – Amalgamation with Lye (P.M) Scout Group – Group name officially changed to 1st Quarry Bank and Lye P.M Sea Scouts.
– Ground plans/lease change as of September, Council to pay for the changeover.
1982 – 3/4/1982 – New Group Colours presented to Scouts by ‘Old Scouts Association’
– 13/4/1982 – Flag Dedicated at Quarry Bank Christ Church
– Scout Hut Land on Bobs Coppice Walk fenced in with Wooden Fence and Gate.
1983 – 14/12/1983 – Cub Leaders – Mary Cooper and Pat Barker Resign.
– New Cubs Leaders: Miss Janet Stanton, Mr M Hughes, Mr Brian Jones
1984 – 13/9/1984 – 1st Quarry Bank Beavers Established (2 Years prior to the UK Association officially accepting it)
– Ahmeek: Jill Bridges
– Brown Beaver: Mary Jones
– Grey Beaver: Ivy Cooper
– Janet Perks (Stanton) Resigned
– Mr M Hughes becomes Cub Leader
1985 – Scout Leader Mr Paul Fereday Resigns
– January – New Scout Leader: Mr Kevin Perks
– Kevin Perks Resigns as Venture Leader
– New Venture Leader: Mr Clive Cooper
– Mrs Ivy Cooper Resigns from Beavers and moved to Lytham
1986 – Changed back to 1st Quarry Bank Scouts – Name not officially Changed but all records now refer to this as the group name. This is when Brett Jones changed us from Sea Scouts back to land scouts.
We also had our own mini bus for a while. It was an old Bedford CF ex MEB Electricity van with a bad paint job (Scouts with brushes!). We use to fill it down both sides with loose chairs from out of the hut then we all piled in and the kit filled up the middle! It use to sit at the top of the drive on Bob’s Coppice Walk until it was needed but eventually got too expensive and I guess dangerous to keep running.
During the Sea Scout years the hut was very nautical. The walls were marked up Port, Starboard etc. with a nautical flag pole with the flag raised at each meeting with the use of a bosun’s whistle.
Most of the camps took place at Kinver but we also use to spend alot of time at a remote isolated Welsh cottage just outside of Barmouth. Water from the stream only, no electricity, bottled gas lighting, take your pick of trees from the surrounding forest to cut down and burn and 3 miles from the main road through forestry commission land. We use to spend a week there in the summer holidays and then odd weekends.
1999 – Group Overview
– Group Scout Leader: Trevor Pearson
– Scout Leader: Tim Scott
– Cub Scout Leader: Fran Sedgley
– Honorary Scouter: Stuart Harrison
– 10 Beavers
– 20 Cubs
– 4 Scouts
– 3 Ventures
2006 – Dudley Central District Merged with Dudley North and Dudley West; became known as Dudley District. Currently Compromises of 17 Groups in the Dudley Area.
2007 – Awarded £3100 by Dudley Council to pay for Gas Heaters. Also included Outside Guttering, Insulation for the roof and plasterboard for the main room.
2008 – Steel Fence erected outside to replace the old wooden one.
2009 – Flooring Replaced in Main Room. Paid for by Dudley Council – £3500
2011 – 9/9/2011 – Following a change in the Law, the group becomes an Exempt Charity and no longer needs a charity number but is registered with HMRC on: XT11344.
2016 – Present Day – Cubs Celebrate 100 Years of Cub Scouts in the UK
2022 – 100 Years of Quarry Bank Scouts
2023 – 100 Years of Quarry Bank Cubs
2084 – 100 Years of Quarry Bank Beavers
