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3rd Shoreham Scouts

A Brief History

The 3rd Shoreham Sea Scout Group was formed in 1919 by William L T Roberts a Cornish seaman who settled in the town at the termination of the First World War. In 1923 he joined the Metropolitan Police, later transferring to the Thames River police. The first recorded Group Scout Leader was Captain C T Keigwin, R.D, R.N.R, F.R.G.S, also a Cornishman, appointed in 1929.

In 1919 the Sea Scouts occupied a small shack situated on the Surry Hard. The shack was originally used by 1st Shoreham Scouts from 1911. During the First World War the number of Scouts dropped and by 1918 the 1st Shoreham Group fell into abeyance. 3rd Shoreham Group took over the building from 1919.

Original shack 1919-1939 Brighton Road adjacent Surry Hard
Surry Hard 1932 https://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/en/image/EPW039497

It was in 1939 that the Group adopted the title ‘Sea Scout Ship Terra Nova’ after R.F. Scott’s Terra Nova Expedition, officially known as the British Antarctic Expedition 1910-1913

In 1939 a new HQ was built from a second hand aircraft designers’ building acquired from the now famous F G Miles the British aircraft designer and manufacturer. This was sited in the Shoreham Urban District Council works yard in Ropetackle.

Ropetackle site in 1949 https://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/en/image/EAW022247
The Ropetackle hut 1939-1980. Note the davit on the left which swung over river wall and the rail viaduct signalling in background.
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Who is who?

The recent re-discovery of the Buckingham Book and the uncaptioned contents has raised many questions about who in the Head family is in the photographs. With over 130 years elapsed since many of the photos were taken and the last of the subjects having passed away by the 1980’s there maybe only a few people who will have met any of them to identify them specifically. A few named photographs exist as references – notably Sir Henry Head, Hester Pinney and Christopher Head. But who are the others?

As you browse the scrapbook and scrutinise the faces do you see similarities that will help identify individuals? Most of the photographs are undated so it is useful to see Bernard Head in many group photos as we know he was born in 1876.

Mystery photograph 1:

Henry Head (far right), eldest son, seems to appear only once in the Buckingham Book in a family group photograph which I assume is mother and brothers. Bernard at the back, but is that Christopher (with the camera) and Francis on the left? And if Hester Head is in mourning then that would date this image within a year of Hugh’s death in November 1890. That would make Bernard 15 years old in this photo.
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Homicide at the Buckingham House?

In 1853 the home of the local Squire Bridger was the scene of a night-time burglary. This was not unexpected after a series of break-ins in previous days. Servants had been put on watch in the darkened manor house and were armed with guns. They had not to wait long before a man entered the property through a window. When confronted and ordered to surrender he bolted for the exit. In the ensuing fracas he was shot in the back and clambered out of the window before dying in the garden outside. The reulting court case is outlined below.

1853 news report (click 5th column) “Burglar Shot” was justifiable homicide verdict at the Buckingham House burglaryI
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The Dungeons of Shoreham

In 1857 there was a bit of to-do about the state of the Dungeons – a narrow high-walled alleyway between Victoria Road and what later became Connaught Avenue. It was the most direct pedestrian twitten (betwixt and between) between New Shoreham and Old Shoreham. It was dark, very boggy and in places was covered over by buildings straddling the alley making it a menacing place and earning the nickname “The Dungeons”. The alley bisected the Swiss Gardens site so had particularly tall sides for the entire length to prevent illegal access to the pleasure gardens on either side. For those patrons inside the Swiss Gardens there were wooden footbridges that bridged the alleyway.

The Dungeons looking East from under the Theatre c1910

The 1857 newspaper report: “We have carefully inspected the footway under the Swiss Gardens, and are of opinion that more head-room is required in that part of the passage immediately under the Swiss Cottage, that the height from the ground should not be less than 6ft. 6.; that the passage should be made a little wider under the cosmormamic views; that the pathway should be levelled and made clean; and the water drained off on the right side, from east to west; that the water-spout should be prevented from dripping in the passage; and that sufficient light be admitted for passengers to discern where they tread, -all of which suggestions Mr. Goodchild has engaged to carry out, under the inspection and to the satisfaction of the Surveyors.”

1914 map showing the alleyway and dungeons (marked in orange) passing under the Swiss Gardens Theatre and footbridge.
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Shoreham Airport Station

Bungalow Town Halt was opened in 1910 to serve the growing community of Shoreham Beach and the holiday camps at the Saltings. Latterly it was to serve the aerodrome immediately to the North, and station signage reflected this. The station was located 30 feet to the East of the rail bridge spanning New Salts Farm Road. It comprised two simple wooden platforms North and South of the tracks and wooden shelter. These were accessed by a steep footpath up the embankment from New Salts Farm Road. The station closed in 1933.

The station reopened as Shoreham Airport station in July 1935, principally to serve the new terminal building of Shoreham Airport. However after only 5 years the station was closed in July 1940.

C1930 looking East
The re-opened station c1939
Shoreham Airport station c1940 looking East
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Toon Ghose – Shoreham Airport Painting

This is the history of a local Shoreham painting with its backstory. The painting is of Toon Ghose flying his De Havilland Chipmunk “Lillibet” over Shoreham Airport in the late 1970’s. This painting has for some time been present on the shorehambysea.com “Paintings” section, numbered B63. It was written with the aim of providing a provenance for the painting:

I remember seeing Toon at Shoreham Airport during the late 1970’s, just before my teenage years, where I was introduced to him by my cousin, Ashley (Ash) Roote. Ash learnt to fly at Shoreham and was a member of Toon’s flying club, where Toon also flew as an instructor. The Flying Club was called Toon Ghose Aviation, or TGA, and I well remember the TGA window stickers that were a ‘must have’ for ‘anybody who was anybody’ at the airport at the time!

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The Clocks of St Mary’s

The church records show that the wooden, diamond shaped clock was first fixed to the south wall of the tower in 1828. However there is earlier evidence of a clockface on St Mary’s tower in the John Butler Sketch of 1786 and a watercolour of 1782. It is recorded that that face was moved and installed higher up in 1862. The East and West faces were added in 1898 – they are differentiated by their slightly convex blue faces. The South face had disappeared between 1898 and 1937 when it and the North face were installed – flat but thicker clockfaces. So it is only post-1937 that all four faces were evident.

1786 Sketch with the church tower with, inset, an enlargement of the shape at the belfry window and detail from a 1782 watercolour
Note the South face diamond shape clock. Watercolour painting by F. Nash (1782-1856) 
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