This page is under construction (June 2026)
A list of Edgware Scout Groups
| Group | Opened | Formerly Known As | Status | Scarf | Area | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Edgware | 1908 | November | The Herons | 2000 merged with 6E | Emerald green | Off Camrose Avenue |
| 2nd Edgware | 1929 | 9th October | St Margaret’s | Active | Black with red | Off Station Road |
| 3rd Edgware (Camford School) | 1931 | ” | ||||
| 4th Edgware | 1932 | St Lawrence’s | 1993 | Black with amber | Honeypot Lane | |
| 5th Edgware (John Keble) | 1933 | 1st July | Active | Blue with white | John Keble Church, Deans Lane | |
| 6th Edgware | 1933 | 16th October | South Whitchurch, then 1st Queensbury All Saints | 2000 merged with 1E | Maroon | Off Camrose Avenue |
| 7th Edgware (St James’) | 1935 | February | 1936 | Royal blue with gold | St James Presbyterian Church, Hale Lane | |
| 8th Edgware | 1937 | November/December | 2012 (absorbed into 2E) | Royal blue | Off Montrose Avenue | |
| 9th Edgware (Camrose Baptist) | 1937 | November/December | Gold with green | Camrose Baptist Church, Camrose Avenue | ||
| 10th Edgware (St Anthony’s RC) | 1938 | Autumn | 1943/44 | Gold with white | Edgware High Street | |
| 11th Edgware | 1938 | November* | *15/01/39 official opening | 1989 | Red with light blue | Edgware United Synagogue, off Edgware Way | 2009 | Active |
| 12th Edgware | 1941 | August | Black with red triangle | Kingsbury | ||
| 13th Edgware | 1942 | October | Emerald & scarlet | Off Stonegrove | ||
| 14th Edgware (Air Scouts) | 1944 | |||||
| 15th Edgware | 1947 | January | St Andrew’s | 2003 | Royal blue with white, then black with green | Broadfields Estate |
| 16th Edgware | 1958 | Active | Lime green | Stanmore Synagogue | ||
| 3rd Edgware | 1969 | 3rd February | Active | Green with orange | Edgware and Hendon Reform Synagogue, Stonegrove | |
| 1st/6th Edgware | 2000 | 1st May | Active | Maroon with green | Off Camrose Avenue | |
| 1st Brockley Hill | 1928 | Yellow | Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital | |||
This is also available to read as a PDF here.
Early Scouting in Edgware
Just a year after Baden-Powell begun the Scout Movement, Scouting has been run in Edgware. At this time the area was still very much a village centred around the High Street (A5), surrounded by fields and country lanes. By November 1908 the “Edgware Boy Scouts” had been formed by Captain Williams and were meeting in Truth Hall (in St. Margaret’s churchyard). They became the 1st Edgware Scout Group and in 1912, keen to be an open group without ties to a church, moved to St Lawrence’s church hall through a contact there. The earliest records The Scout Association hold of 1st Edgware are the census returns from 1919, which lists 14 Cubs, 24 Scouts, one Rover and 4 warranted Officers. These volunteer leaders were all were all well-known local people; J.J. Honey was the local Headmaster, Reverend Robinson was of St. Lawrence’s Church, Bernard Hooper was the founder of Edgware Gym Club and Charles Holness was the gym instructor.
The rural nature of Edgware was changed by the arrival, in 1924, of the Underground railway from Hampstead. It had far greater impact on the area than had the arrival of steam more than fifty years earlier. Property developers (including one Herbert Soulsby, the grandfather of a future member of the 2nd Edgware) moved in, and new housing began springing up on a number of sites in the vicinity. Thus the population of Edgware increased dramatically to provide the area with the raw material for new Scout Groups to emerge.
Edgware and District Scouts
Harrow Scout District (which 1st Edgware were a part of from the early 1920s) envisaged this suburban transformation, creating a northern sub-District in 1929 for 1st Edgware, 1st Stanmore, 1st Harrow Weald and 1st Brockley Hill. In those days there was very little transport from Edgware to Harrow, so to go to a District Scouters’ meeting was a considerable journey. After a trial year, it was agreed those Groups (now with its fifth member, 2nd Edgware) should create their own District. Thus, ‘Edgware and District’ was born in October 1930, which would consist of Groups across Edgware, Stanmore, Harrow Weald, and very soon Kingsbury and Queensbury too. The first District Scoutmaster was Dr ‘Kim’ Durward, an anaesthetist at the RNOH who has been instrumental in founding the hospital group there.
By 1934 the District had doubled to ten Groups, a total which went on to peak at 24 Groups through 1960 – 63. In terms of Edgware-named Groups, between 1929 – 1939 10 new Groups opened, eight of which were sponsored by a Church, one by a synagogue and one by a school. This plateaued in the 1940s with four more Groups, including a short-lived Air Scout Group. The last arrivals came in 1958 and 1969; 16th Edgware being the highest numbered Group. With closures over the years, it is worth noting there were only ever 11 Edgware Groups running concurrently (which is nonetheless an impressive feat).
The District ran various and frequent gatherings and competitions, ranging from Swimming Galas and Sports Days, to concerts and fetes. The St George’s Day parades were usually either at the Ritz Cinema in Edgware or the Gaumont Cinema in Burnt Oak. With over 1,000 Scouts filling auditoriums, they often caught the attention of the local press.
In 1944 ‘Guv’ J.G. Stone took on the role as DC, followed by ‘Timber’ A.A. Wood in 1956. In 1963 plans were set up to replace the old London County Council with the Greater London Council, which swallowed most of the old county of Middlesex. The Scout Association decided that Scout Districts and Counties should be adjusted to conform with the new local government boundaries. This meant that Edgware and District had to disappear because it was split in the middle by the Edgware Road with one half in the borough of Barnet and the other half in the borough of Harrow. In 1964, with ‘Timber’ A.A. Wood’s death, ADC Arthur Pitcher stepped up to serve as DC for the last year. On May 9th the District’s ‘Gigantic Fair’ was held at Tyler Crofts School in Kingsbury. The late DC’s foreword described the District as covering 20 square miles with a membership of over 1,600.
“In the arena this afternoon one will be able to see Edgware and District Scouts in action. Many of the activities you will see are typical of what you would find in a normal troop yearly programme.
Pioneering takes the form of bridge building, camp gateways and flagstaff erecting, axemanship, cooking, tent pitching, fire lighting, games, life-line throwing … An arena full of youth movement and colour, excitement and boyish laughter, all enjoying the GAME OF SCOUTING that was devised by Lord Baden-Powell nearly 60 years ago.”
From 1st April 1965, the District was split three ways:
- Groups in Brent moved to the new Kingsbury & Kenton District (1963 – 2002)
- Groups in Barnet moved to the new Hendon & Edgware District (1965 – 2008)
- Groups in Harrow moved to the new Stanmore District (1965 – 2021)
A news article reporting unsuccessful efforts to save the Edgware District asks what will happen to the cups and trophies from District events. The Harrow Flag for the annual Camping Competition lived on in Stanmore District for some time, with 6th Edgware last recorded to possess it. As the last winner of ‘The Flitch’, we at 2nd Edgware were lucky to keep hold of the item, which is looked after in our archives. You can read a digitalised copy of the Flitch here. The author would be interested to know what happened to the other items.
Further history of Edgware and District can be explored at the bottom of this page.
1931 District census
1st Edgware with the Harrow Flag (1932)
St George’s Day parade 1957, at Burnt Oak Cinema
Edgware and District flag
District Sports Day, early 1960s
Camping Competition certificate 1962
Pear Wood
Pear Wood, off Wood Lane in Stanmore, was the District campsite for many years. Dating the campsites origin is an ongoing task, however our best guess comes from this June 1939 District Bulletin: “arrangements have been made with the Steward of the Camping Club’s Camp Site at Grimm’s Dyke, Harrow Weald for the exclusive use of one of their fields for the Edgware and District Boy Scout Association on the last week-end in each month”. Grim’s Dyke crosses through Pear Wood, so it is possible this text refers to the site. It also coincides with the demise of the camping site at Bentley Priory (a six minute drive away), as foreshadowed in the subsequent article: “the old site that the R.A.F. have so kindly allowed us to use for several years past will not be available this year.” With the onset of the Second World War, it seems (TBC) the RAF would not be leasing Bentley Priory again for some time.
In 1956 Kenton Local Association kindly invited the District to share the running of Pear Wood. In its first year shared, there were a total of 817 camper nights (Edgware) recorded.
Back to Pear Wood – one former Scout who regularly camped there recalls ‘facilities were few – there was a standpipe on the border of the Scout and Guide fields, and a small hut with no electricity, gas or water laid on. Latrines had to be dug. But despite it being only a short distance from the A41 it was wonderfully isolated and you could be a hundred miles away from Edgware.’ Before water was supplied in 1960, campers had a long haul to and from Wood Farm for water. Volunteers laid 800 feet of pipe, dug with picks and shovels. In 1962/3 the Charles Marmoy Memorial Hut was erected, in memory of their former GSM who died in x.
line-height: 1.5;”>
The site was the location for the annual camping competition, with Scouts competing for the Harrow Flag – named after it was presented to the District when they broke away from the Harrow administration in 1930.
After Edgware District was absorbed in 1965, Pear Wood continued to be used for many years, lastly ending up as the District Campsite of Pinner & Headstone. Today footpaths to connect it into the larger Stanmore Country Park. Although it is still listed online as available for camping, the author suspects local groups use it more for day events and hikes now.
Scouts camping at Pear Wood, 1961
July 1961 Cubs Open Day, singing around the fire
A map of the site, courtesy of Harrow Scouts
Scouting in Edgware today
With a national decline in Scouting around the 1990s, a number of Groups in Edgware began to close. With a reduction in Groups, the new Districts aforementioned eventually merged with neighbours to create larger Districts. At the time of writing (2025) there are six Edgware Groups (by name) still active; three in Harrow District and three in Barnet District (or seven Groups if you consider the 1st/6th merged).
In consideration to other areas, Edgware remains a strong place for Scouting. And with UK Scouting bouncing back with significant growth and an increase in housing developments in the area, we could start to see a parallels to Edgware 100 years ago. Perhaps it will be time to re-open some of those former groups…
Hendon & Edgware Beaver Sports trophy 1991-2006
Edgware Groups at the Remembrance Sunday service (2023)
A map of Scouting in Edgware, matching the table at the top of the page
+
District badges
The District badges that Edgware groups were spread across in 1965 and their meanings:
Kenton & Kingsbury: The Middlesex coat of arms refers to the fact these Boroughs were once part of the County, whilst Tower Bridge in the background nods to the new Greater London County.
Hendon & Edgware: The Knights of St John of Jerusalem used to own land in Hendon, hundreds of years ago. The lamb and flag was their badge. The lamb stands on a hill, as a reminder that Hendon was originally a village built on a hill, and in Anglo Saxon times was called Heandune – meaning “high hill” or “high down.” The airscrews, from the crest of the Borough of Hendon, and the wings refer to the former borough’s links with aviation.
Stanmore: The Stanmore Obelisk, erected at the top of Brockley Hill in 1750, commemorates a battle in which the British tribes united to defeat the Roman Legions during Julius Caesar’s second invasion.
+
Group histories
1st Edgware
You can read a full account of their history at Hounslow Libraries.
2nd Edgware
That’s us! You can explore our Group History over here.
3rd Edgware (Camford School)
In 1931 a third Group began, attached to Camford School. The school itself (for boys of 7 to 16 years) was addressed at 22 Edgwarebury Lane, with a girls school of the same name was a two minute walk away at 294 Hale Lane. Both have since long been demolished.
Early records reveal for a time the Group met at the 2nd Edgware Scout Hut, and that George Rust was Scoutmaster at the Group.
The earliest District census we have is from 1943 and lists the Group as ‘dormant’; by 1944 it is not listed at all.
This Group is of no relation to the current 3rd Edgware, who are listed further below.
4th Edgware
The 4th Edgware were registered in 1932, attached to St Lawrence’s Church on Whitchurch Lane. In their early years, the Group gained the name of ‘Diggers’ from the Group Colours which commemorate the work of the Rev. Digby.
Their first Headquarters (and all their equipment) was destroyed by fire. After a stint at St Lawrence’s Small Hall, in the 1950s they obtained a Hut on Honeypot Lane in Stanmore. After many vicissitudes in these early years, the Group found a path forwards to operate for over 60 years.
The Charity Commission website removed the Group from their listings on 5th October 1993, reasoning they ceased to exist.
5th Edgware
The 5th Edgware (John Keble) opened on 1st July 1933, sponsored by the Church on Deans Lane. They continue to operate there today.
The Group were originally part of the London Diocesan Boy Scouts Association, before transferring to Edgware And District in 1939. A District article from 1951 describes the Group “has always been sound and healthy and has had many excellent and good Cubs and Scouts pass through their hands into the world with noteworthy results”. The same article mentions their scarves as ‘light blue’, meaning their current blue with white came later.
6th Edgware
There is a detailed history of the 6th Edgware which you can read on their website here.
7th Edgware
Edgware’s shortest-lived Scout Group. On 5th February 1935, the first seven members of the Cub Pack were enrolled. The Group were sponsored by St James Presbyterian Church (265 Hale Lane, today home to Edgware Adath Yisroel Congregation Synagogue) and met at their church hall on Tuesdays at 7pm.
Their next mention in the District Bulletin is in November 1936, announcing their closure. With the resignation of Cubmaster Ivy Mount, the church governing body took the opportunity to run Boys Brigade and Life Boys instead.
8th Edgware
In November/December 1937, 8th Edgware Scouts opened, meeting at the Methodist Church Hall on Garrett Road. Their founding members include Scoutmaster D.M. Taylor, Cubmaster Miss Thom and Assistant Cubmaster R. Cooke.
By the time the Group closed in 2012, they were meeting at St Alphage Church on Montrose Avenue. Their remaining members joined 2nd Edgware Scouts.
9th Edgware
At the same time in 1937, the 9th opened at Camrose Baptist Church, under W.H. Spreadbury as Group Scout Master. Our earliest District census in 1943 does not list the Group.
10th Edgware
The 10th registered in Autumn 1938 as St Anthony’s. They met adjacent to Edgware Motor Co’s premises on the High Street (A5).
In the 1943 census they have 49 members in the Group. The following year they are listed as ‘disbanded for duration war’ whilst their Scoutmaster served in the forces. The same footnote appears in 1945 and 46, before the Group ceases to be mentioned. The 10th were part of a trend of Groups across the country closing during the Second World War, simply due to their leaders being called up for military service.
11th Edgware
The 11th Edgware were registered in November 1938. They started with 18 Cubs and 18 Scouts, under the sponsorship of Edgware United Synagogue (formerly Edgware District Synagogue of Mowbray Road). They were the first Synagogue-sponsored Group in Edgware, following the growth of the areas Jewish population.
Their first Group Scoutmaster was Mr S. A. Domb – a position he also held at the 33rd Stepney Scouts. The 11th Edgware held their official opening on the 15th January 1939 in the Synagogue Hall. Here, the Rev Amias made his Promise and was invested as Chaplain of the Group. By 1958 the Group was so large, housing two cub packs and two scout troops, that a second breakaway group was started at Stanmore Synagogue – the 16th Edgware.
In August 2009, a newspaper article announces the Group was re-opening in September after a 20 year gap, an operation headed by Andrew Donn. In this reopening, the Group added a red stripe to their previously plain light blue scarves.
12th Edgware (Queensbury Methodist)
August 1941 welcomed the 12th Edgware, who met at Queensbury Methodist Church on Beverley Drive. Their black scarf (with a red triangle) was a prominent choice when they opened. With the context of the Second World War, it also meant no clothing coupons were required and the Group earned the nickname “The Black-Out Boys”. Despite the difficulties opening in wartime, sections met regularly. Camping was done in hike tents (two to a tent) as new equipment was hard to come by. The Group closed sometime after the 1964 census.
One notable member of the Group was singer-songwriter George Michaels, under the guidance of scout leader Jack London.
13th Edgware
In October 1942, the 13th opened. Within a year, they had 15 Cubs and 12 Scouts listed, before temporarily closing in 1944-45. The Group was “reborn” in 1948.
They met at Edgware Congregational Church Hall on Grove Road, just off Stonegrove; the same church of which they were sponsored by. At some point, their Royal Blue scarves changed to Emerald Green and scarlet.
14th Edgware
The 14th Edgware opened in 1944 to run Air Scouts. This specialised section of Scouting launched nationally three years earlier, intended as a means of feeding the newly formed Air Training Corps.
In 1944 they had 36 Air Scouts, with the following years totalling 22, 15, then 8. By 1949 (and possibly 1948) the Group no longer appears on the census, supposedly folding due to low numbers with a post-war decline in Air Scouting.
15th Edgware
This Group’s history dates back to 1941, when (with 60 Cubs on the books) 2nd Edgware opened a second Cub Pack. The ‘B’ Pack drew mostly from the Broadfields area, although whether it was meeting at Rectory Lane or at St Andrew’s at this point is not clear (there is a reference in September to a new St Andrew’s Troop ‘which is to be started’). As this Pack – and then Troop – continued to grow, it was decided to form a new Group at St Andrew’s. This was the Daughter Church to St. Margaret’s (2nd Edgware’s sponsor) built in the middle of the Broadfields Estate.
In early 1947, the 15th Edgware (St. Andrew’s) came into being, under the capable hands of Mr John Rowe, GSM. Within four years they too were running two Cub Packs. In this time their royal blue and black scarves were also changed to black and green.
The Charity Commission website removed the Group on 9th October 2003, reasoning they ceased to exist.
16th Edgware
You can the Group history on their website here.
In addition, we can add the Group’s colours were dedicated on 5th January 1958, at a ceremony attended by the Mayor and Mayoress of Hendon, as well as the DC. The Group initially wore a blue scarf with a white border, before switching to today’s green.
3rd Edgware
In 1969 a new Group opened in Edgware – filling in the first missing number, rather than continuing up to 17. They opened on 3rd February that year, and continue to operate today at Edgware and Hendon Reform Synagogue, on Stonegrove.
1st/6th Edgware
In 2000, the 1st and 6th Edgware merged. More can be found on the 6th history page.
1st Brockley Hill
1st Brockley Hill met at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital and ran Scouting for long-term patients at the hospital. According to a District booklet: “the 1st Brockley Hill were registered in 1925 [or 28?] when a number of Rovers from the immediate neighbourhood, passing through the hospital grounds during a hike, observed the little chaps, and this gave them food for thought. They asked and received permission to visit boys of Cub and Scout age in the various wards on Sunday mornings to organise Scouting activities. This attracted the attention of one of the medical staff, Dr. Durward (Kim)”. Durward was an anaesthetist at the hospital and later District Scoutmaster.
The text continues: “In 1928, Rovers of the old Harrow District Association organised a rota. One of these Rovers became the S.M. and still holds the rank.” Other early names include two future 2nd Edgware leaders; Alfred Martin was Rover Leader and Edith Moss was Cubmaster at 1st Brockley Hill.
“In 1935, the opening of a convalescent home in the grounds permitted some of the boys to do open air work and a camp was held in 1936.” The Group wore yellow scarves and were keen to get involved in many District activities. At present we don’t know when the Group closed.
2nd Brockley Hill
For some time there was a 2nd Brockley Hill Group. Application was made in November 1936, in connection with the Stanmore Cripples’ Training College, which was in conjunction with the RNOH. Dr Durward appears instrumental again, as GSM. The Group was actually a re-registration of the 58th Kensington (Kensington Cripple Boys’ Home, Wright’s Lane) which had closed down.
In the 1943 census, the Group (along with the 3rd Edgware, 9th Edgware and 4th Stanmore) are recorded in the census footnotes as not being included in the total number of Groups. Presumably, the Groups have recently closed. However, in 1947 they re-appear with 8 Scouts enrolled; the same total as 1949. By 1955 they have closed.
+
Records
Edgware And District Harrow Flag Competition 1934 rules
Monthly Bulletin, April 1935
