1924 Boys Scouts Imperial Jamboree: Forskelle mellem versioner

Although the Wembley Jamboree had a smattering of foreign Scout visitors, it was not a part of  the  world  Scout  history.  It  did,  however,  help  to  provide  a  wider  variety  of  members  at  the Second  World  Jamboree  in  Denmark  which  immediately  succeeded  it.  The  site  of  the  Jamboree  was at Ermelunden, a few miles north of Copenhagen. Denmark is a comparatively small country with  a  comparatively  small  Scout  population.  Doubts  were  expressed  beforehand  as  to  whether  it  would  be  possible  for  the  Danish  Scouts  to  make  a  success  of  the  undertaking.  The  main  host  was   

Christian  Holm,  President  of  Det  Danske  Spejderkorps,  whose  daughter  became  known  as  ‘Kim’,  Friend  of  all  the  World.  The  three  Scouters  responsible  for  the  preparation,  organisation  and  administration  had  barely  come  to  full  manhood,  but  they  made  a  brilliant  success  of  a  World  Jamboree,  through  its  atmosphere,  friendliness  and  spirit.  It  could  be  characterised  as  a  World  Scout Party enjoyed by all. Ove Holm was the Organising Secretary and Administrator, Jens Hvass the Camp Chief, and Tage Carstensen in charge of all international aspects.  

I  christened  them  the  ‘Three  Musketeers’,  and  we  have  remained  close  friends  ever  since.  Ove  Holm, of whom I have already written, is the Chief Scout of Det Danske Spejderkorps. He was for many  years  a  Member  of  the  international  Committee  and  Chairman  of  its  Finance  SubCommittee, and was awarded the Bronze Wolf in 1949.

This  is  a  record  of  which  any  country  can  be  proud,  and  illustrates  that  Scouting  is  not  just  an   

incident in a man’s life, but, as often as not, continues with him for the whole of his lifetime.  

The  Second  World  Jamboree  was  officially  opened  on  August  l0th  by  Rear-Admiral  Carl  Carstensen,  acting  as  the  personal  representative  of  King  Christian  X.  Although  not  connected  with the Scout Movement before, he took to it as a duck to water. B.-P. said of him at the end that daily  he  had  watched  his  blue  naval  trousers  getting  shorter  and  shorter.  The  two  struck  up  a  personal  friendship,  and  it  is  reported  that  when  B.-P.  was  on  the  Baltic  cruise  in  1933  he  sent  a  telegram to the Admiral asking him to meet him.

At the Paris Conference it had been arranged that Francis Gidney should act as Chief Judge of the  International  Scout  Competition  that  was  to  be  staged  during  the  Jamboree.  When  the  time  came, I was asked to take his place, and arrived at Ermelunden on the night before the opening to find everyone working at full pressure and visualising a sleepless night. In the morning everything was ready. Compared with subsequent Jamborees, numbers were small, just over 5,000, but this is perhaps  why  it  was  all  so  successful.  Fourteen  countries  had  entered  composite  Troops  for  the  World  Scout  Championship.  It  carried  on  right  through  the  whole  week  of  the  camp  and  was  a  good test of scoutcraft and stamina. The items consisted of turn-out (including camp equipment), camp-craft,  camp  hygiene,  camp  routine  (discipline,  punctuality,  good  behaviour,  etc.),  camp-fire  entertainment, songs and yells, folk-dancing, swimming, two separate indi

vidual Scout contests in handcraft  and  ingenuity,  a  Patrol  obstacle  race  and  a  24-hour  Patrol  hike.  It  was  a  good  all-over  test  of  Scout  ability  and  training,  and  of  great  value  as  a  demonstration,  particularly  at  this  period of Scouting’s life. Everything was carried out in the best possible spirit; but it was decided, on my recommendation, at the 1926 Conference that the Championship should not be repeated, as it carried with it the possible dangers of over-nationalisation, the reverse of international goodwill and  Scout  Brotherhood.  As  is  only  too  apparent  from  time  to  time,  international  sporting  competitions suffer from these same dangers.  

disagreed.  I  found  I  had  also  to  watch  some  of  their  awards  to  the  British  Troop,  so  as  to  offset  their  natural  assumption  that  British  Scouting  must  be  the  best,  as  the  Movement  started  in  that  country,  and  B.-P.  was  bom  there.  All  this  meant  that  I  was  continually  about  the  camp  and  its  neighbourhood  all  day,  and  most  of  the  night  at  times.  The  Cambridge  University  Rover  Scout  crew  observed  this,  and  told   

me that any time I passed by their little camp there would always be something for me to eat and drink. And it was so. When I landed at Rangoon in 1952 I was met by a Burmese barrister who had been part of the Rover Scout crew at Ermelunden; he said that his job there had been to see that there was always a clean knife, fork and spoon ready for me. Others of that little band are also still connected with Scouting in one way or another.  

B.-P.  arrived  in  Copenhagen  a  day  or  two  after the  Jamboree  opened.  He  was  received  by  a  welcoming parade of all the Scouts in the Stadium. Just as he began to speak, the rain came down in torrents and everyone was soaked. The nickname given him of Baden Mester (the Danish for Bath Superintendent) was only too descriptive then and afterwards. We returned to the camp to find it a lake,  with  tents  down  and  standing  water  everywhere.  The  people  of  Copenhagen  came  to  the   

rescue spontaneously, and practically everyone was carried off to a dry house for the night. My hike tent in the competition area was still standing. I slung my bedding out of a puddle on to the drier side  and  disappeared  between  the   

blankets,  to  wake  twelve  hours  later  with  the  sun  shining  and  practically everything dry again.  

On the final Sunday the Scouts were inspected near the Royal Hunting Lodge by King Christian in pouring rain, and that after

Other  memories  are  of  the  Gilwell  Reunion  –  the  first  at  an  international  gathering  –  of  being  carried  off  uncomfortably  shoulder-high  by  the  Egyptians,  of  the  splendidly  tuneful  and  colourful  camp-fires under the beech trees in Ulvedalen, led so brilliantly in many different tongues by Sven Knudsen,  and  of  the  friendliness  of  everyone,  Scouts,  Scouters  and  visitors.  It  was  a  demonstration,  more  even  than  Olympia  could  have  been,  of  the  Law  that  ‘A  Scout  is  a  Friend  to  all  and  a  Brother to every other Scout.’ If I have dealt at such length with the Second World Jamboree, it is because it was a prophecy of things to come, and well merited B.-P.’s final judgment:  

Copenhagen 1924 will always stand out in my mind as a tangible example of the Scout spirit in practice; as  a  big  step  forward  in-International  Scouting;  and  –  above  all  –  as  a  straw  showing  that  the  wind  is blowing quietly, but none the less surely, in the right direction.  

(b)  that  there  should  be  no  discrimination  as  to  admission  to  membership  to  fellow  subjects  or  citizens for any reason of race, creed or politics.  

In the wording may be detected the hand or voice of James E. West, Chief Scout Executive of the  Boy  Scouts  of  America  from  its  foundation.  He  acted  as  Chairman  of  the  Conference  Resolutions Committee right through to 1939, when he