One of the fundamental principles of Scouting is that of service to others, which can come in all sorts of ways. Scouts may do a ‘service’ as part of their Chief Scouts Award or Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, which really does help get a good grasp on what it means to work for the benefit of not just yourself, but to others as well.

Thomas and Mr Gray at the unveiling

If you ask most Scout Leaders why they volunteer, the chances are you’ll be told that it’s because we enjoy what we do. We get to experience the adventure that we provide to our young people as well, and of course it is hugely rewarding to see the progress made through Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Explorers and Network.

On Sunday 5 June 2016, the Scouting memorial was unveiled at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, around about 3 hours drive from Washington. It’s a place to remember – indeed, celebrate the lives of – all Scouts who have passed away, with a particular focus on those who have suffered through conflict. The idea to build this memorial came about after a team of Explorer Scouts from 64th Birmingham Scout group visited the Arboretum in 2009, and felt that it was notable that Scouting was absent from the various organisations represented there. From that, in 2010 a group of Network members, also from 64th Birmingham, returned from doing their Explorer Belt in the Western Front with a strong belief that a Scouting memorial was needed.

In 2013 Conor White, a Cub Scout, designed a fundraising badge which has so far been sent to over 165,000 Scouters across the world, helping to fund the cost of building (not to mention maintaining) such a memorial.

Two Leaders from our group, Mr Gray and Thomas (Baloo), were lucky enough to be able to attend this special unveiling. Take a look at the photos below, and be sure to check out the Scouting Memorial Project website for more details of the project. It could also be a good day out during half-term or the Summer Holidays, with activities available in the Arboretum (it’s also just 50 minutes from Alton Towers!)

Please click the above image to view photos

You can also watch a Video of the Unveiling and listen to the band playing ‘Everything is Awesome’.

Try and leave this world a little better than you found it and when your turn come to die, you can die happy in feeling that at any rate you have not wasted your time but have done your best.

– The words of Robert Baden-Powell, engraved around the Memorial