A 97-year-old helped mark the centenary of his old scout group in Thames Ditton on Sunday.
Archie Lawrence is the oldest surviving member from the Ditton Scout Group, which began in 1909 when a group of boys gathered under a lamppost after reading Robert Baden-Powell’s fortnightly issue of Scouting for Boys.
The lamppost, which stood under Giggs Hill Green, was later moved to the group’s current headquarters, the Shack, in Claygate Lane, where it still stands today.
Group chairman Neville Biden said: “The boys and girls are a credit to the local community and it is wonderful to see that the common spirit of Scouting is still going on in the community 100 years after it initially began.”
To commemorate the event, Scouts, Cubs and Beavers marched from the original meeting spot on Gills Hill Green to The Shack where Juliet Walters, daughter of one of original 1909 Scouts, unveiled a commemorative plaque on the original lamppost.
Each current member of the troop was presented with a centenary certificate and badge after releasing commemorative balloons.
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