Sea Scouting History on the Hamble River

Before 1855 access to the Navy as an officer was restricted to those who paid a fee or to those who could get their fees paid for them. This applied to those sent to a reformatory or to an orphanage.

The Training Ship Mercury was set up to provide free or almost free seagoing training for boys, which it did under its original patron Charles Hoare.

When Charles Hoare died in 1908, a great scholar, C.B. Fry, who also represented England at cricket and athletics, discovered that the establishment would have to close. So annoyed was he by the sheer stupidity of this act that he put everything he was involved in to one side to carry on the good work.

Baden-Powell was a frequent visitor to his friend C.B. Fry, so it is not surprising that Scouting got off to an early start on the Hamble.

Early 1908 saw five patrols of Scouts (40 boys) formed at Mercury under the leadership of the Rev. Bloomfield, as a naval training establishment the activities the Scouts carried out had a definite sea going flavour and were indeed referred to in those early years as Marine Scouts.

Following the first experimental camp in 1907 held on Brownsea Island, Poole Harbour, Dorset, and the second camp in 1908 at Humshaugh Northumberland. A large summer camp was formed in August 1909 at Bucklers Hard near the mouth of the Bueaulieu River in the New Forest, Hampshire, with part of the course for this camp was taken on board the training-ship Mercury on the Hamble River. Two troops were present, each spending a week at each site.

Although early reference was made about Sea Scouts around the country, a Mrs Wade in her book The Story of Scouting referred to the Mercury camp as, "The beginning of a definite Sea Scout branch of the movement." Reynolds' made another reference to this camp in his book The Scout Movement when he says, "This was the beginning of Sea scouts", although he did go on to say that "they (Sea Scouts) did not officially appear in the regulations until 1912".

Seeing these developments, 'BP' voiced a hoped that Scouts would be interested in learning about boat management and seamanship. He stressed the need for young men to prepare themselves for service on their country's ships.

Seeing these developments, 'BP' asked his brother, Warrington, to draw up rules for Sea Scouting on the lines of those adopted at Mercury.

This he did and on 10th July 1910 the Mercury Troop was registered as the first ever Sea Scout Troop.

1908 also saw the formation of a patrol of 8 Scouts within the Hamble village. These were boys who were not part of the Training Ship Mercury but who wanted to be Scouts. As there was no Leader available at this time the boys ran the troop themselves, and as a result the troop did not register until later.

In December 1910 a Mercury Scout by the name of Maurice Driver jumped overboard in an attempt to save another boy by the name of Hewitt who had fallen into the water, unfortunatley Hewitt did not survive.

Maurice had not thought of the danger to himself but on the first alarm, had with the true spirit of the Scout, at once sprang to the assistance of his comrade in distress. For this he was awarded the Bronze Cross, the highest award for gallantry. Frederick Yateman, who also tried to rescue Hewitt was awarded the Scout Association Silver Cross. This is an account taken from Baden Powell's book, entitled Young Knights of the Empire, published in 1917.

With its well known involvement in sailing and yachting Hamble will continue to be linked to Sea Scouting.

The history of Sea Scouts in Hamble is long and interesting, we are always interested to hear from former members, who can add to this information. Please contact Hamble Sea Scouts