History

Scouting is usually considered to have started on 1 August 1907 with a camp run by Robert Baden-Powell on Brownsea Island. Thereafter Baden-Powell began promoting Scouting in Britain. Due to its rapid growth, it took some time for central organisations to be established, and the earliest groups were only registered in 1908 some time after their first meeting. Some groups first met under the banner of another organisation, including the Boys Brigade, churches or schools, and only officially became Scout groups later. This often makes it difficult to establish which groups started first. [Reference: The First Troops] The 1^st Westbourne is not included.

It believed that the 1^st Westbourne Scout Group was set up in 1909 by Major A G Wade. However, no documentary proof has been found to confirm this. Correspondence with the Scout Association records section produced the following statement:

"Unfortunately we can’t provide a definitive date prior to the 1920 registration paper that we hold. There was a Captain A.J. Wade who held a warrant as Scout Master on 22 February 1910 and his address was The Barracks, Chichester but I don’t think he was connected with the 1st Westbourne."

"However the Scout Master listed in 1920, E.H. Weller-Poley obtained his warrant on 22 February 1910 and was living at West Broyle, Chichester at the time. It is quite possible that his warrant was for the 1st Westbourne as no warrant was issued for someone living in Westbourne."
[Reference: SM Poley]