History
Investigating the background of any District is not as easy as you might think – there are certain parameters that need to be considered.
It is not quite as easy as finding the first mention of a group or organising registration numbers into chronological order.
When Scouting started in 1907, it caught on very quickly. Local units popped up and were not centrally logged. It is almost impossible to trace the very earliest troops.
The ‘Group’ system that we have today did not exist until 23rd November 1928. Each troop and, later, pack was registered individually. Only after 1928 were they linked together and at that point, all groups we re-registered. Existing group numbers relate to that re-registration period and so it is possible to have registration number that is lower than a group that was started earlier. It is just a matter of how the registration number was allocated within regions.
The District system that runs today was also not present from the beginning. It really came into existence after the 1st World War. They were known as Local Associations (LA) and were rearranged several times.
Banstead District traces its origins back through Epsom & Leatherhead Boy Scout Association to Sutton Boy Scout Association and then Croydon and District Boy Scout Association. This leads to a change of names and identities throughout time.
Memories
Were you a young person involved in Banstead Scouting?
Were you a leader in one of the groups?
We would love to hear your memories and publish some on our website. If you have old photos you would let us copy or stories to share, please get in touch by clicking here: history@bansteadscouts.co.uk
If you would like some help to organise your memories, please try using our memory jogger form. You can download it here: Memory Jogger
Banstead District’s 1st Registration document
