Sight-Seeing.
In spite of the crowded nature of the week in Birmingham, the Scouts who came from so far were determined not to miss the opportunity of seeing the sights of this famous metropolis of the Midlands.
Large of them formed themselves into parties and were conducted over the Art Galleries and the University, and some of the biggest manufactories and works. On every occasion they were treated with the greatest kindness by the Directors, and in several cases took their departure the happy possessors of little mementos and trophies of their visit, and expressing their delight at the hospitable way in which they had been entertained. In every case the Directors themselves wrote to express their admiration of the way in which the Scouts had behaved and the great interest they took in everything.
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News by Wireless.
The Scouts who edited and printed the "Daily Scout" in the Exhibition were in wireless communication with the Camp and the Sea Scout Camp, both some miles away in different directions, and were able to print the latest news "from the front."
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Prizes.
£100 was given by a London Daily paper for prizes in the Ambulance Section, £20 of this was given to the best troop for the purchase of a regular Ambulance Equipment, and £80 was put in the hands of a trustee on behalf of the two best individual Scouts. The money is being expended in helping them to start their career, one as 2 Mining Engineer, the other in the laboratories of the Clinical Research Society.
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Apprenticeships.
Many useful and valuable prizes were given by public-spirited newspapers, firms, societies and individuals for the numerous competitions. In a good many of the sections, the winners were awarded with free apprenticeships with well-known firms, which had been offered by the Directors.
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A Professional Man's Opinion.
A Surveyor who has a large business in Birmingham, after looking at the Exhibits in the Surveyors' Section, came up to the Secretary and asked if he could be put in touch with one of the Scout Exhibitors. He wished to take him into the office and teach the boy surveying at his own expense.
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Over 90,000 people visited the Exhibition Rally and Sea Scout Display.
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(From the Chief Scout's speech at the Scoutmasters' Conference in Bingley Hall):—
"On no other occasion in the history of the world have representatives of a Boys' Organisation gathered together from so many Countries. ..."
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An Incident.
A jolly Irish Scout turned up at the Exhibition—he appeared to have come "on his own," at any rate he arrived alone a day too soon and without telling anyone in Birmingham, but he felt sure he would find a shake down somewhere. He just went up to the Secretary and said: "I've come—can I do anything to help you?" "Yes" he was told, "some Scouts from abroad have turned up rather early. Just find them and see if you can make them feel at home." They were the Shanghai boys, and by a strange coincidence the Irish Scout was going out to Shanghai to start work in a business there in a few months time.
Before he left Birmingham that Irish boy had half-a-dozen friends who were going to look out for his arrival at Shanghai and give him a welcome, and he had already signed on as a member of the 1st Shanghai Troop.
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Lord Charles Beresford
(The Chief Sea Scout).
Sir Robert Baden-Powell
(The Chief Scout)
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A group of Sea Scouts.Note their wireless station in the background.
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A Sea Scout signalling outside Bingley Hall
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Some Sea Scouts at the Reservoir.
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The Good Ship "Crow's Nest" in Bingley Hall.
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A more distant view of the Crow’s Nest.
A boat built by some Birmingham Scouts in the foreground.