Grostenquin, France
Memories of Scouting at Grostenquin

Please note my recollections re: our 2 Wing Golden Oak Troop activities. Also included are my scouting memorabilia. If they get on the website perhaps others will step forward to fill in the blanks? On the scouting photo send earlier the scarf is 2 colored. that is for a rookie scout. When the person passes their tenderfoot test they get the blue scarf (attached). My most active years were 1962 and 1963. I hope this is of interest. Of note on the existing scout site there is a picture of the troop in strong sunlight. All faces are in shadow except for one little guy in front. I feel quite certain that I am the young scout pictured in this photo.

Overview

Golden Oak Troop had around 70 members that I can recall. We met weekly at the PMQ rec centre and paid a dues of ten cents a meeting. Time was spent learning skills and playing games especially dodge ball. We love to bash each other around. There was a field of cows across the street and it was a great laugh to stampede the cows; sometimes a braver scout would try to ride one. Earning badges to move up the chain of command was important and many of my friends became first class scouts. To have more rank was important as some camping events were restricted to higher ranks even though you might be the same age.

The big cheese was F Woodhead. His son was a senior scout as well. The station really supported the scouts financially and with transport. My dad was the Association Treasurer so we got generous allowances especially for food. We also sold apples. (at the PX door on the station). I think they were Canadian apples - perhaps flown in from Canada. The PMQ's had several paper routes sponsored by the scouts. One paper route that I ran was the Toronto Star Weekly. They were heavy to lug up the stairs. I got fifteen cents for ever paper I delivered and the scouts got a dollar or triple that amount.

CAMPING SUMMARIES OVERVIEW

The highlight for Scouts was the many camping trips. The biggest for senior scouts was The World Scout Jamboree on the Plains of Marathon in Greece in 1963. It was very hot and the food was delivered live, to the scouts right off the truck. Chickens, goats, etc. There was an excellent slide show of our troops' participation which we all wanted. Other trips for senior scouts were Kandersteg, Switzerland and Ommen, Holland. For all major camps special scout badges were designed for participants to buy. I have included two beauties for the two preceding trips (each likely a week long).

SPECIFIC CAMPS I ATTENDED

St. Avold Forest - 1962.

This camp involved a 10 mile hike to a forest site near St. Avold. We were under canvas and got our water from a spring that bubbled out of the ground. Cooking was done over open fires and that was very tricky. Activities included campfires and a game played after dark. A flashlight was put on a staff on a hill with strips of material on it. Half guarded the strips but they had to remain 50 feet away. The remainder had to sneak by the guards to steal a strip to win the game. It was very intense "war game" that was enjoyed by all. Scary in the dark.

One of the senior scouts was to organize the food and told all to bring a carrot and two spuds. When we got there we were shocked to find out that that was all there was to eat. By the end of day two we were starving and they had to return to town in a car to get some bread and jam and we ate the whole thing and still felt terrible. When I got home I ate a whole cherry pie my mom had baked and then sat down to dinner.

USAF Etain AF Base, France

We travelled to the base and set up with American, Swiss and French scouts. We were under canvas and cooked on propane stoves. The food was terrific. While the other scouts had macaroni we had T bone steaks, with all the trimmings plus gallons of ice cream The Europeans were amazed. We toured the base, saw Recon bombers, RBS6s, a demo of the USAF police dogs attacking a guy in a padded suit, a movie, plus they took target shooting with 22 rifles . The highlight was when we pulled down the tents of the Swiss at night in retaliation for some affront. They were pissed and our leaders threatened to send us home if this happened again. They didn't call us brats for nothing I guess.

Vosgues Mountains Trip

We were again under canvas. The highlight of this trip was when our leaders told us a mad Algerian (this was during the War in Algeria) had escaped the gendarmes and was in our woods somewhere. They proposed a troop search for him. Of course nobody want to stay behind in the camp so we all set off. We saw a guy in a white sheet running though the woods (one of our leaders) so we set off in pursuit. It was terrifying. He got away but we spent a sleepless night in camp. Most were so scared they refused to leave their tents even to pee! I still remember the chase even to this day.