Finchley, Friern Barnet & Golders Green District history

The District nametape, worn on the right shoulder of the uniform shirt

Our aim

The purpose of this project is to try to provide a permanent record of Scouting in the District of Finchley, which subsequently became Finchley & Friern Barnet and then Finchley, Friern Barnet & Golders Green. This will cover the period up until 2008 when it merged with Barnet District and Hendon & Edgware District to form the new Barnet Borough District.

This is being done by creating a number of pages that not only relate specifically to the District, but also the individual Groups within the District.

Where possible the pages are supported by photographs and individual memories.

Sources

Our principal sources of information are a variety of old District records that go back to 1921, when the Finchley Local Association became solely responsible for Finchley Troops and Wolf Cub Packs, rather than for those operating in the area of Finchley & Hendon. They include census records, the minutes from the Local Association meetings, District Bulletins, old photographs and press reports*.

A number of Groups have also been kind enough to provide us with information, which includes special books and booklets from their archives. Additionally several ex Scouts and Scouters have been in touch to share their memories and provide us with photographs and other memorabilia.

Although it will take some time to properly review all the documents that we have, and that we still hope to receive, we have started to share some of the information. New pages are regularly being created and others updated with additional information.

This is a big project and one that may never be “finished”! We make no claims to having a complete archive of information, so if you spot any mistakes, or can add anything to any section, please let us know.

If you wish to help by adding a memory or by providing material please click here.

*Please note that some press articles contain incorrect information.

Exploring our records

The information we have, that spans over 100 years, has been divided into a number of categories. We hope that this will enable you to easily find the topics that you may like to read more about. As a result here is a list of the sections we have created together with details of what we have already published or plan to, within that section.

Please note that it may be some time before we are able to produce the intended articles, so it is worth reviewing these pages from time to time. In the meantime though, we are continuing to gather information and if you would like to contribute in any way please get in touch.

In the beginning
Using some early press cuttings and other documents we have provided a broad outline of how Scouting got underway in our District.

Our Groups
In this section you will find a list of all the Groups that we currently know about. We hope to write an article about each one and attach associated photographs and press cuttings along with our readers’ memories.

We have also included in the section a table, produced using the annual census, which shows how the size of the District fluctuated over the years.

Leaders and Officials
Here we plan to provide details of who had overall responsibility for Scouting in our District, information about the District Commissioners and, where possible, their ADCs. Additionally we hope to give the names, where known, of those that held key positions on the District Executive.

Articles relating to the old District HQ (Finchley Lodge) and the District Camping Ground (Frith Grange) are also included in this section.

Events
Here we are trying to cover not only District events that took place on a regular basis but also those that occurred ad hoc for special occasions. The most prominent was the annual St. George’s Day Parade but there have been many others that have featured on the calendar at regular intervals such as Sixers’ Camps and Open Days.

Competitions
Sports days, cross country racing and the swimming gala were regular features on the calendar, but there were several others that took place on and off over the years. Here we plan to provide as much detail as possible about all the various competitions that took place over the years.

Achievements
In this section we are trying to list the names of those who have been presented with the top awards for good service in Scouting as well as those who have received Honours for Meritorious Conduct and Gallantry. 

We have produced an article about the King’s and Queen’s Scout Award, the ultimate goal of the progressive award scheme, and included a list of those that are known to have achieved this award.

Lastly we thought it would be nice to recognise past and present members from our District who have made their mark a variety of ways.  They are not all necessarily well-known or all been rewarded with an Honour, but they are famous in their own field.

Notable dates
The principal page of this section lists the notable dates in Scouting and our District history. It provides links to a number of related articles that we have written and includes a special one about the War Years.

Additionally there are links to two other sections, the first of which we have called Jamboree Journeys that provides details of which Scouts represented our District at each of the World Jamborees and where possible some of their memories. The other section we have called A Year to Remember where you will find details of special events and occasions during our District’s lifespan.