#2 and #3 – two historic flags from nearly 100 years ago
Last time we featured our oldest flag, flown by 1st Claremont at the very first Scout meeting in South Africa on 3 March 1908. This time we look at the other framed flag in the Scouters Den, and one historic flag which sadly we don’t have, although we do have a photo of it. Let’s start with the missing one.
George “Rama” Peake was involved in Scouting for more than 50 years, including time at 1st Claremont from 1925 to 1930. He wrote about the history of Scouting in Claremont, including the story about the flag and how the blue stripe was added to the 1st Claremont scarf:
“Eventually [around 1925], through lack of Scouters, 1st. and 3rd. Claremont Troops amalgamated and became “THE CLAREMONT TROOP”. They compromised over uniform. 1st. Claremont had worn blue shirts and shorts, with a plain green scarf, whilst 3rd. had blue shorts, khaki shirts, with a plain royal blue scarf. The uniform adopted by the Claremont Troop was blue shorts, khaki shirts, and the scarf green with a 1″ royal blue stripe, as worn by 1st. Claremont today. Not long after I took over [in 1925] we changed to khaki shorts (on the score of expense). From the 1st. Claremont Flag (the Title on which had been hand-worked) the lettering “1st.” was removed leaving “Claremont Troop”.
You can see the “Claremont Troop” flag he described in this photo from 1928, with George Peake in the centre. You can also see that “Claremont” isn’t centred on the flag because the “1st” was removed.
I don’t know what happened to that flag – sadly we don’t have it in our collection – so for the moment the picture is all that remains.
The next 1st Claremont flag must have come along quite soon after this, while George Peake was the Scoutmaster. You can see this one in a frame in the Scouters Den. It was probably ordered from “Imperial Scout HQ” in the UK.
Sewn onto this flag are several badges. Three of them show that the flag dates to the late 1920s or early 1930s. The first badge is for the World Scout Jamboree 1929 in the UK, which was attended by George Peake and others from 1st Claremont. The next two are from the World Scout Jamboree 1933 in Hungary, and the South African Jamboree in East London in 1936. Finally, there is a badge from the World Scout Jamboree 1975 in Norway, although this was probably sewn on long after the group was no longer using this flag.
