An early camp, date unknown, and the topography seems to match that
of Severhills Clough by Merry Bent Farm, Soyland
Weekend Camp: 8th – 10th September 1933
On Friday night we prepare all our equipment at the S.S.
Saturday @ 12 am the equipment are taken on a motor lorry to the camp site which is about 200 yds upstream from Clough Bridge, Soyland being Merry Bent Farm. We follow on later in the afternoon & the equipment is carried to the allotted site.
We work busily all afternoon erecting the eight tents, making the camp kitchen & fixing the latrine. We have tea about 5 pm & then go on a wood collecting expedition down stream, where there is a large wood. We return about 6.45 with a stack of wood & we then have a wash & brush up. P.Ls Brunning & Sutcliffe are cooks.
A.S.M Wilcock & P.L Wood go into Ripponden to meet A.S.M Firth who is bringing a frying pan which we forgot to include in the “equip”. A party of us go to see the floodlighting of the Ryburn Dam & se arrive back at camp about 9.45. As the others have not yet arrive we lit the campfire which L. Lawrence & B. Barker had let die low. Just after 10 we hear the shouts of the other parties returning & so we “fire up”. The Skipper has gone to Belle Vue with the Recabites & will not be back until late, so we start the campfire with the A.S.M’s in charge.
Mugs of steaming cocoa are handed round & there is quite a demand for dry bread. We kick off in rising styles, members of the circle giving various humerous items, A.S.M Firth excelling on the mouth organ.
The Skipper arrives about 11.40 and we turn in after we have offered the Skip cocoa & sung the King.
We are up at six & after some difficulty get the fire going, breakfast is over about 8.30 & the morning is spent by the Scouts in trouting, blackberrying and exploring. Altogether there is sixteen in camp. Dinner is ready at 1 pm & everybody was satisfied with it. The meat was as tender as chicken.
Seconds Law & Bruce who had been trouting arrived back late, but as there was plenty of dinner left they had their share. We had a few visitors in the afternoon & there were various duties to perform.
We struck camp after tea and C. Dyson took most of our gear down in the side car of his motor cycle. This relieved us a lot as there were the tents, dixies, four tables, latrine & various other heavy articles to be carried down.
We walked to Ripponden where we boarded a bus for home. We had a very enjoyable camp although the weather was slightly on the cold side.
The programme included a Sunday morning service at 11 am, the Skipper giving a good address on “Disipline”. A.S.M Wilcock read the scriptures while P.L Wood & Scout M. Schofield took the prayers.
Dennis Gledhill.
Taken from the 24th Halifax Tuel Lane Beaver Patrol Log Book (spelling is as per the original text)
Members: Dennis Gledhill (PL), Harry Waterhouse (2nd), George Robins, Trevor Farrar, William Corker, Robert Capstick & Arnold Brearly.
The other patrols were Wolves, Otters & Hounds.
It is likely that this was the first camp for the 24th, the logbook begins in February 1933, 4 months after the troop was founded and there are no other camps recorded.
An entry for Saturday 26th August 1933 comes close:
A decent turn up for the Saturday afternoon Scouting. We go to Norland stream by way of the Mile Run & work our way upstream. We examine the Elland Rovers (1st) hut, a decent cabin. We try to obtain camping ground by the stream but cannot get permission.
Up by the stream near the moor we see a few of the St George troop in camp. We arrive home about 6.30 feeling tired.