Gang Show 2007

Show Items 2007

Programme Items

Lord Mayor (2007)

It gives me great pleasure to support this year's Chester Gang Show. I am delighted that the show is taking place as a wonderful opportunity for the young people of the district's Scouting Movement to showcase their talents.

Bob and I would like to pass on our congratulations to all the participants and volunteers for all the hard work and dedication in producing such a marvellous show with something for everyone.

We hope you all have a marvellous evening and we send our best wishes to everyone involved.

Sandra Rudd

• Lord Mayor

Duke Of Westminister (2007)

My family has been associated with the Scout Movement in Chester for many years and I have been honoured to continue that association as your President, a position I have held since 1979. It has been a pleasure to be able to support some activities here on the Eaton Estate, including sponsored walks, hikes, gatherings and events.

The Scout Movement has been going strong for one hundred years operating as a positive force throughout the world, providing challenging and life changing experiences and bringing young people together in a positive way, but above all it teaches those same young people team work and a sense of fun. This same spirit is perpetuated in the phenomenon of the "Gang Show".

I am sorry not to be with you tonight but I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all those taking part in this production in many varying ways. Thank you for your hard work and dedication in making this performance possible. I am sure it will be a huge success and I wish you all a most enjoyable evening.

• Duke Of Westminister

From The Acting District Commissioner (2007)

Message from Eddie Johnson, County Commissioner and Acting District Commissioner for Chester and District

Welcome to Chester Gang Show 2007

2007 is a great year for Chester Gang Show to return to the stage after a three year break. This year we celebrate 100 years of Scouting and the Show dates coincide with the birthdays on 22nd February of our Founder, Lord Baden Powell and his wife, Olave. BP would have been 150 on the 22nd February 2007 and his wife 120.

Gang Shows don't just happen. Hundreds of hours of work are put in by volunteers to make sure that the Show is a great success and enjoyed by both the cast, production team, back stage crew and audience alike. Gang Shows are fun and provide an opportunity for young people to take the stage in just one aspect of the Scouting programme.

In our Centenary year, Scouting is in the limelight and the publicity which results from the World Scout Jamboree and other numerous events and activities will encourage many more young people to join the great game of Scouting. It is expected that not only will young people want to join but many adults, who enjoyed Scouting or Guiding, will return to put something back in payment lor the fun they had when they were in their youth. Sit back and enjoy the Show and afterwards consider how, if you are not already a member, you may become part of the largest youth movement in the world.

• From The Acting District Commissioner

Best Wishes From Gyles Brandreth (2007)

Here's to another night of Gang Show glory! I know it will be a memorable one. I took part in my first Gang Show exactly half a century ago when I was in the cubs. It seems like yesterday! Here's to all your yesterdays - and to all the Scouting movement has achieved over this past century - and here's, too, to all your tomorrows. Long may Scouting in Chester continue to thrive.

As you know, the Scouting movement was founded by Robert Baden-Powell (1857-1941). He said many wise things, but there is a quotation of his that I keep on my desk. On 4 July 1911, in a letter to a friend, he wrote: 'I know my weak points and am only thankful that I have managed to get along in spite of them! I think that's the policy for this world: Be glad of what you have got, and not miserable about what you would like to have had, and not over-anxious about what the future will bring.'

Well, tonight: be glad of what you've got. It's the best!

Gyles Brandreth

• Best Wishes From Gyles Brandreth

Not The Producer's Letter (2007)

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls: I am proud to announce that Chester Gang Show is back with avengeancc. After two years of miserably lying at the back of the minds of Gang members and audiences alike, it has burst back into the limelight of Chester's Scouting movement. Just as we are celebrating this glorious comeback we must also mourn the last chapter in an age old tradition, for this is the last time that the show will be held in our doomed Gateway Theatre; (big a-----ah!).

Now rehearsals, rehearsals, rehearsals; this year we have had the most amazing (if not a little whacky) array of characters and sketches, from Robin Hood to Beauty and the Beasts, Belle and Bugsy Malone, to Scott Tracey and the Thunderbirds. Obviously, we can't forget those old favourites Crest of a Wave, Great, Great Game and Red, White and Blue.

I would like to speak on behalf of all the younger members of the Gang and say, "Thank you to all the adults who made this wonder once again possible", and an especially large one to Richard (the Producer), tor holding the whole thing together and being the heart and soul of the show.

Joe Taylor 40th Chester

• Not The Producer's Letter

Scouting: Our 100th Anniversary (2007)

This year we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first experimental camp at Brownsea Island Dorset on the first of August 1907. This was not a Scout camp as we came to know it; no uniforms, BP hats or other familiar accoutrements, just a group of 20 boys selected from a cross section of society and put together to join in an eight day project of camping, fire-lighting, outdoor cooking, plus many other pursuits which are now well integrated into the Scouting psyche. This event is now regarded as the founding moment of Scouting, but on delving deeper, it was in reality (to coin a phrase) just the end of the beginning. Events associated with the character and military career of Robert Baden-Powell during the previous 30 years had by, accident or design laid the foundations for that defining moment in Poole Harbour.

On February 22nd February 1857, Robert Stephenson Smythe Powell was born to the Rev. Baden Powell, Professor of geometry at Oxford University and his wife Henrietta Grace. The family name was enhanced to Baden-Powell in 1869 after the death of his father (it was said) in pursuit of his mother's desire to 'consolidate' her upper-middle class aspirations. Robert, her youngest son was accepted at Charterhouse, where, though not excelling in book subjects, the nearby woods provided ample opportunities for tracking and nature study. The school ethos of playing the game, loyalty to the team etc. later appeared as part of his philosophy for Scouting. However, having failed to make it to Oxford, he was commissioned in 1876 into the 13th Hussars at Lucknow in India, soon being involved in a number of minor imperial wars; thereby becoming part of what was known as "The Great Game" of imperial strategy and defence. After a campaign in Matabeleland in 1896 he was promoted to command the 5th Dragoon Guards in India where along with polo and similar pursuits, he turned his skills in military scouting (tracking and reading signs of the enemy) into training schemes for men and boys. When the Second Boer War broke out in October 1899, BP found himself in command of the small South African town of Mafeking. The success of resisting the longest siege of the war from October 1899 to May 1900 raised BP to the status of a hero of the empire under threat. It was his characteristic cheerfulness and resilience under such dire circumstances that provided the underlying formula for success in Scouting for Boys. Boys in Mafeking had played an important part in its defence as a cadet force of those aged 9 and over, led by a 13 year old Sergeant Major Warner Goodyear. They had their own khaki uniform and were trained as lookouts, orderlies and message carriers; shades of things to come! When BP returned home some months after the relief of Mafeking he found, much to his surprise, that his Aids to Scouting for NCOs and Men was being used to train boys in schools and clubs. He was invited by Sir William Smith who had founded the Boys Brigade in October 1883, to inspect their parade. Although impressed, BP suggested that recruitment would increase if a more adventurous and practical programme were to be set up. Sir William pursued this and asked BP to make some suggestions; his thoughts turned to his experiences in South Africa.

In 1906 Ernest Thomas Seton had sent BP a copy of his book entitled The Birch Bark Roll of the Woodcraft Indians. Seton, a British Born Canadian living in the USA, subsequently met BP and they shared ideas about youth training programmes. By 1907 BP had re-written his Aids to Scouting to suit a youth readership and the draft was entitled Boy Patrols. The next step (which is where we started) was to Brownsea Island, aided by Donald Baden Powell, Percy W Everett, George Walter Green, Kenneth Mclaren, Henry Robson and William Stevens. This venture was such a success that the first 'proper' Scout camp took place at Humshaugh, just South of Hadrian's Wall on 22nd August 1908, attended by 30 boys elected via The Scout magazine. The following year in 1909 a similar camp took place at Beaulea involving boats and water activities.

During 1908, troops started spontaneously, some in YMCA premises and others within the Boys Brigade. In order to avoid chaos, in September 1908, BP sent letters to adults whose names were already on file, in an effort to set-up an orderly regime. Local registration of troops and Patrols was initiated, one of the first being at the YMCA (now demolished) in Whetstone Street in Birkenhead where a commemorative plaque was erected. Two travelling inspectors, one for the north and the other for the south, were also appointed. By 1909 the Scouts had their first national HQ in Victoria Street, London. Girls also wanted to become part of the movement as soon as it began. Agnes Baden-Powell, the sister of Robert Baden-Powell became the first president of the Girl Guides when it was formed in 1910, being succeeded in 1917 by Olave Baden-Powell, BP's wife, also born on the 22nd of February!

Towards the end of 1909 BP was knighted (KCB) by King Edward VII, who persuaded him to retire from his post as a Lieutenant-General in the army to devote himself to Scouting full time. In 1911 King George V reviewed a large Scout rally at Windsor and supported the granting of a Royal Charter in 1912.

Within two years, the First World War broke out and many adult leaders went to war, never to return. Those under 18 applied themselves to all manner of voluntary work as first aid orderlies, on coast guard duty and even moving ammunition behind the lines in France. Others like Jack Cornwell VC were killed in action, in his case as a 16 year old naval rating at Jutland on HMS Chester. A memorial to him is in Chester Cathedral. In December 1916 Wolf Cub packs were set up to cater for young boys who were desperate to join the action and Rudyard Kipling was persuaded to allow his Jungle Book to be used as a supporting narrative. After the war, an adult training programme was set up and the first Wood Badge Course took place in 1919 at Gilwell (just newly opened) and Rover Scouts were established. In 1920 the first World Jamboree was held in London, to be followed by another in 1924 at Ermelunden (Denmark) and then the 21st anniversary Jamboree at Arrowe Park Birkenhead; many others followed. In his autobiography Lessons from the 'Varsity of Life (1933) BP recommended acting as excellent training for a Scout: "It teaches self confidence, focuses the mind and gives lessons in Kim-like impersonation; it may also, as in Scouting for Boys, teach wit, character and history". Not only at school, but also during his time in the army and in the colonial service, the 'waggish BP' became well-known for his talents as a mimic and creator of stage-sets and costumes.

With the passage of time, the movement grew and spread worldwide then in 1939, Scouts applied themselves to helping the War effort again. Robert Baden-Powell died in 1941 at Paxtu in Kenya, having been acclaimed as Chief Scout of the World in 1920, gazetted GCVO (baronet) in the New Years Honours list 1923, created GCVO (baron) in 1929 and awarded the Order of Merit in 1937. He was succeeded as Chief Scout by Lord Somers (his Deputy in the UK) who died aged only 57 in 1944; then by Lord Rowallen on 22nd February 1945. The subsequent Chief Scouts were: Sir Charles Maclean (appointed in 1959), Sir William Gladstone (1972), Maj.-General Michael Walsh (1982), W. Garth Morrison (1988), George Purdy (1996) and now Peter Duncan (appointed in 2004).

After the war, there was a significant reorganisation of the Scout sections. A revised proficiency badge scheme came into force and a new plan for Rover Scouts was introduced. These changes were followed in October 1946 by the creation of a Senior Scout Section. Although sounding radical, these innovations did not drastically alter the image of Scouts; the uniform remained essentially the same and each edition of The Scout still carried those beautifully detailed line drawings by John Sweet of gadgets to make and use at camp.

In 1967 The Advance Party Report heralded a minor revolution with the replacement of Senior Scouts by Venture Scouts, (which have themselves been superseded by Explorers and Network sections), and the disbanding of Rover Scouts. In October of that year, new uniform was brought in, consigning shorts and the iconic BP hat to history. Nevertheless, life went on! It is extraordinary that a movement started 100 years ago to cater for an entirely different society; one in which it was considered vital to provide opportunities for activity and outdoor pursuits to improve the general health of youth riven by poverty, is still flourishing today. It seems so perverse that challenges similar to those faced in 1907 still exist and need to be overcome, many now being byproducts of affluence. It's a funny old world!

Gerald Roose

References: The Official Histories of Scouting 1961 & 2007; Scouting for Boys (original version reproduced 2007) plus other sources.

• Scouting: Our 100th Anniversary

Gang Show: 75 Years Old & Still Going! (2007)

Gang Shows and Ralph Reader are inseparably linked by the public. Mention either name and someone within earshot inevitably starts intoning "Crest of a Wave" followed by confessions of having been in the Scouts, the Cubs or even in a show, followed by the inevitable question, "Are they still doing it then?" The answer to that is an emphatic "Yes"; which is why we are all gathered here yet again. As ever, something as durable as this needs a serendipitous collection of events and unusually talented characters to 'make it all happen'. At the root of things was the birth of one William Henry Ralph Reader on May 25th 1903 in Crewkerne Somerset. He was born into modest circumstances and was orphaned by the time he was nine years old, being raised by a selection of aunts and uncles in his home town, then in Cardiff and Newhaven (Sussex).

He became a Scout at 14 in Newhaven and used to regularly visit the Brighton Hippodrome, (probably the catalyst to his later thespian triumphs!). Having started work in Newhaven Cement Works, he eventually gravitated to New York where his aunt worked in the theatre, but alas she only had a modest role as a backstage dresser. Undaunted, after a few false starts he landed jobs in Vaudeville and in show chorus lines. After much hard work and travelling around America and Canada he became a very successful choreographer on Broadway, experience which was to serve him well later in his career. So the stage was set for the future.

He took a break from the USA in 1927 and returned to London to work in the West End. Soon after the 1929 Arrowe Park Jamboree, the Rover Scouts in Holborn staged a review called Good Turns which was billed as being written and produced by a "Holborn Rover". After two more shows in 1931-2, such was their reputation that it was proposed by Admiral E M Phillpotts (County Commissioner for London) that the "Holborn Rover" and his revue stage manager, should put on a more ambitious show in the West End under the auspices of the London County Council. As a result of that suggestion, Gang Show was established. A programme was quickly compiled and on Empire Day (May 24th) 1932, 120 volunteers turned-up for the first rehearsal. In October 1932 the show titled The Gang's All Here appeared at the Scala Theatre, off Tottenham Court Road. The result was quite unlike anything seen before; it was professional, original and made a profit of £150, much to everyone's surprise.

The exercise was repeated in 1933 and again in 1934 when "Crest of a Wave" concluded the first Act. By this time Gang Show was fully established and all seats were sold well ahead of the first night. "The Holborn Rover" was of course Ralph Reader, who having reluctantly declared himself in 1935, nearly lost his professional career as many of his colleagues were reluctant to be associated with someone working with amateurs. Nevertheless, many famous professionals started their career in the RAF Gang Shows including Peter Sellers, Dick Emery, Tony Hancock and Harry Worth, to mention just a few. BP was an enthusiastic supporter of Gang Shows and wrote, 'you have made a big success, may we have more?' not surprising in view of his well know penchant for acting.

In 1936, Ralph produced a musical Scout Pageant at the Albert Hall which was followed by more Gang Shows until, while in rehearsal in 1939, the outbreak of war caused the cancellation of the show. Ralph was commissioned into the RAF as an intelligence officer, producing Gang Shows in the services as (has been said) a cover for his other activities.

After the war, the London Gang show appeared again in December 1950 with a new production each year; girls being brought into the London Show in 1968 and into our first show here at the Gateway Theatre in 1969. In 1959 Ralph was awarded the CBE, in addition to his MBE (Military Division) which he had received in 1943. Finally in 1974 Ralph retired, after writing and producing the last London Gang Show at the Gaumont Theatre Kilburn.

The London Gang Show was a show performed by amateurs (as opposed to an amateur show), which had been invited to be part of three Royal Command Performances at the London Palladium. Other Gang Shows have flourished, and still do, all over the UK and throughout the World, a lasting testimony to the quality of the institution and to the genius of Ralph Reader. Sadly, Ralph died in May 1982. There are many plaques and artefacts to his memory, the greatest perhaps being that shows like the one here in Chester still survive to provide fun and entertainment, for both those on stage and in the audience out front.

Gerald Roose

• Gang Show: 75 Years Old & Still Going!

Do You Remember Brynbach, the Lost Shangri-La? (2007)

It must have been, I think, Easter 1949 when I (PL of the Peewits) set off for my first weekend camp with Colin (PL of the Woodpeckers), Eric (PL of the Owls), Robin (2nd of the Woodpeckers) and Les our Scout Leader who, for some strange reason, was known as Wapper! Destination? - Brynbach, the camping ground of the County of Cheshire West, which included Chester. Sadly, Brynbach is no longer available for Scouting but from 1936 when the camp opened, until 1977 when the much changed site finally closed, there can't have been many Chester scouts who didn't spend at least one weekend somewhere on the 567 acres of open moorland, forest, woodland and grassland. It's more than likely that until Dr. Beeching came along in the 1960s they would have arrived by steam train from Chester to Denbigh, to be met at the station by the camp lorry; the last six miles then being covered perched on top of their kit in the back. What better way could there be to arrive at camp?

So what was so special about Brynbach? Easy; it was entered through a gateway designed by BP and had everything that a Scout needed for a perfect camping experience: A 25 yard swimming pool big enough to have a diving board at the deep-end and, as it was fed from a mountain stream, the water was always clean, crystal clear and absolutely fre-e-ezing c-c-old! There was a camp store and a providore which sold all those important items which no self-respecting Scout should be without at camp, like a sheath-knife (not today of course but it was OK then!) and assorted badges for your camp fire blanket. You could have a belt branded with Brynbach's logo - a single pine tree and, in the unlikely event that you had used up all your original stock, you could even buy a bar of soap. If perchance your leader had forgotten an axe, or needed spares for the tilley lamp, the providore always came to the rescue.

There were areas where pioneering bridges could be built over fast flowing streams, sites suitable for aerial runways together with places to camp and cook in the real backwoods fashion. Brynbach, being the largest Scout camp in the country, provided routes for almost day-long hikes which never needed to cross the site boundaries and it had a boating lake plus space for the most ambitious wide games imaginable. A bad-weather covered camp-fire and activity area to cater for 200 scouts evolved from an early 'Barn Conversion' of the granary and storehouse, which was part of the original Brynbach farm. The camp even had a local dairy, just up the hill, providing fresh milk every day. There was also a wooden storm hut which had been paid for by a collection at a dinner of friends of F O Paul, of Pauls the Birkenhead Flour Millers, who had donated the site for use as a Scout Camp. According to Captain Anderson (the first Camp Warden) that collection raised £1500. In an emergency, this hut could hold 400 scouts and when the camp closed, it was dismantled and taken to Gilwell. I wonder if it is still there?

The site also boasted its own landing strip for light aircraft and, although I'm not sure if it was ever used, this facility is tied to the most famous, (or should it be 'infamous'?) story about Brynbach. When the camp was first opened a 200 yards long arrow was planted in golden yew, together with the Scout fleur-de-lis in green larch, on the hillside overlooking the camping area and pointing towards Arrowe Park Birkenhead. The camp booklet boasted that "These features will be visible for many miles and will act as a sure guide to the Scout airplane". Then came the Second World War when it was said that enemy bombers heading for Merseyside used the arrow to guide them to their destination! This was certainly not the original intention when the "Arrow of the Golden Yew" was planted and it is not certain whether the speculation was absolutely true, but like many of the stories around at the time, it has gone into folklore. This and many other memories are things that I still recall about Brynbach (Little Hill), set in fabulous countryside.

David King.

• Do You Remember Brynbach, the Lost Shangri-La?

The Gang 2007

The Gang contained 76 participants who were:

Behind the scenes 2007