Marching on with the B.-P. lead,
Every colour, every creed,
All for one and life is good,
In our Brotherhood

Jamboree! Jamboree!
Come give three hearty cheers,
And we'll march along together,
Another fifty years.

     So runs part of the song specially written by Ralph Reader for the 1957 World Jamboree.  It was a good song with a catchy tune and words which suited so momentous an occasion.  For the Jamboree was the climax of the celebration of the Jubilee of Scouting and the Centenary of the birth of Lord Baden-Powell.  From the ideas of one man fifty years ago has grown a Youth Movement which has spread all over the world, embracing every colour and every creed.
     The Scout Movement was not invented or devised by anyone, it just came into being as the result of a number of more or less unrelated incidents in B.-P's life while he was serving in the Army as a professional soldier.  And no one was more surprised than B.-P. himself at the outcome.
     Far ahead of his time in his approach to army training B.-P. realised that the short-comings in the character and education of army recruits would not be made good through drill and formal instructions.  Another approach was needed - going back to nature and backwoodmanship, teaching men to learn tracking and observation by night as well as by day, to learn to stalk and hike, to improvise shelter, and to feed and fend for themselves.  This new training which he introduced was popular, and the results far exceeded expectations.  Not only did their ability and value as Army Scouts increase, but what was perhaps more important, they gained a measure of pride in their work, confidence in themselves, a sense of responsibility and trust, and an increased self-respect and loyalty.  Again during the defence of Mafeking, boys were used to replace men as orderlies, messengers, etc., and so release the men for defence work.  Here B.-P. learned that boys, if given responsibility and if trusted to do their job, could be relied on as if they were men.
In 1905 B.-P. was the inspecting officer at a great Boys' Brigade Rally in Glasgow and was greatly impressed by what he saw.  It occurred to him, however, that if the Brigade programme were widened to include the type of training which had proved so popular in the army, adapted of course to suit a boy's capabilities, the Brigade would draw infinitely more boys to its ranks.  And so "Scouting for Boys" was written, not as the training manual for a new boys' organisation but as something designed to help existing movements
     But the boys who bought and read the book (and they must have been legion) decided that they would try out the ideas, that they would become Scouts and form themselves into Scout troops.  They realized that grown-up "officers" were necessary, and they went around the men in their own districts until they found those willing to become leaders.  Scouting began because boys wanted it, and its continued and successful existence springs from the same reason.
     Within two years of the publication of "Scouting for Boys" it became clear to B.-P. that someone must take this new Movement in hand and guide and direct it, and that that would be a full-time job.  At the age of 52 he resigned his position of Lieutenant-General in the Army to devote his whole time and energy to the Movement he had willy-nilly brought into being.  And for the next thirty-one years until his death in 1941 B.-P. watched the little acorn he had accidentally planted grow into a mighty oak.

          As A. P. Herbert said of him :-
               "Few pioneers live long enough to see what they have done;
                Most men are glad if they can leave the World a single son;
                Did ever man before you died, see such a dream come true?
                Did any leave so many living monuments as you?"

     Through the years, the content of Scout training has changed to keep abreast of the time. One of the early tests for the Second Class Badge, for instance, was that the Scout must be able to read and write!  But the basic principles remain the same:  our aim to develop good citizenship among boys by forming their character and promoting their physical, mental and spiritual development, the Scout Law, which expresses the moral code of the whole world in ten simple sentences put in a positive way that a boy can understand, and the Scout Promise -

                    On my honour I promise that I will do my best-
                    To do my duty to God, and the Queen,
                    To help other people at all times,
                    To obey the Scout Law.

     These principles are not out of date because they were first expounded fifty years ago.  They are just as relevant to-day, and they will still be the keystones of Scouting when it celebrates its centenary.  They are for all time.  The 34,000 Scouts, Rovers and Scouters, representing 84 nations from Norway to New Zealand and from Pakistan to Peru who attended that Jamboree at Sutton Park in August 1957, were ambassadors sent to show the power of Scouting in the free world. And when they sang "We'll march along together another fifty years" it was no idle boast.  The epitaph of Sir Christopher Wren, inscribed on his tomb in St. Paul's Cathedral, "If you would see his monument, look around" would have been a fitting tribute to B.-P. at the Jamboree.
     But we in Scouting, who know and appreciate what he has done for the youth of to-day, and also for those who have left their youth behind, are planning another memorial to B.-P. and on it, too, that epitaph could be inscribed.  For it will be a house that will throb with the vigour of young life, a Scout House. At the corner of Queen's Gate and Cromwell Road in the city of London will be built the Baden-Powell House.  B.-P. had a dream that some day in the city in which he was born, and the capital of the country in which Scouting had its birth, there would be some place to which boys of the world visiting Britain could come to seek shelter and sustenance during their stay, at a low cost which they could afford.
     Plans for the building have already been approved; the house will have dormitory accommodation for visiting Scouts, and will incorporate a Dining Hall and Assembly Hall, Committee Rooms and accommodation for a Scout Club.  A feature will be a room set aside for B.-P. trophies and mementoes.  The Baden-Powell Memorial Fund has been launched to raise the necessary funds for the building and furnishing and for the endowment of the house; the target is the sum of £250,000!  We have still a long way to go, but up and down the country efforts large and small are being made to raise something, be it only a few pounds, and an appeal has been made to the public.
     The house will clearly be an asset to Ulster Scouts visiting or passing through London, and, for that material reason if for no other, we are giving it our support.  But there is another, more vital reason, why the scheme commends itself.  Many have welcomed the opportunity to contribute, so that they can repay, even in part, their debt to Scouting, and to the man who started it all.  There are some who owe their lives to Scouting, because of the training it gave; they are only a few perhaps but the number who have something to thank Scouting for is impossible to estimate.  Some have found lifelong friends in the Scout Movement, some even found a wife or husband.  For some it was Scouting that guided their steps into a career, while for others one branch of Scoutcraft stimulated their interest in what in time became their chief hobby or pastime.  But all who are or who have been Scouts owe a debt to Scouting for something more intangible but equally valuable, the influence it has had on their lives and their characters, the happiness they have derived from being Scouts.  And there are many parents who are grateful for what Scouting is doing and has done for their sons. They believe with us that their boys will be better men because they were Scouts.
     We in the Belfast "Gang" are doing our bit for the Fund. Part of the proceeds of the week's Show will be donated to the Fund, but while by Saturday night we will have played to upwards of 14,000 people, the contribution we make cannot be large in relation to the target figure.  But it is not the size of the contribution that matters,  The important thing is that 150 or so Scouts, Rovers and Scouters (and some of their wives and mothers) have enjoyed working together to help the Fund. You, our audiences, by your presence here are helping it too.  And for that we thank you.

Acknowledgements

     The Belfast Boy Scouts wish to thank -
     The Phillips Record Co. Ltd., and the Nixa Record Co. Ltd. for permission to play special records.
     The Proprietors of the Northern Whig for permission to reproduce the photograph on page 13
     Douglas Glass, Esq., for permission to reproduce the photograph of Ralph Reader on page 8
     J. Robb & Co. Ltd. for the loan of furniture
     W. J. Gamble & Sons Ltd. for the loan of milk bottles and crates
     Thornton & Co. Ltd. for the loan of hockey sticks
     The Manager of the Workshops for the Blind for the loan of baskets
     Robert Hogg & Co. Ltd. for the loan of china
     Our Advertisers whose support made this souvenir programme possible
     Beret Industries Ltd., Cookstown, for gifts of Bilberet Berets
     F. A. Ewing & Son Ltd. for generosity in making-up shirts, shorts and scarves
     J. P. Corry & Co. Ltd. for supplying and erecting rostrums
     Miss G. Watters, the Theatre Resident Manager for her wholehearted assistant
     Mr. Alfred McNeice, the Theatre Stage Manager, and his staff for their support and co-operation
     The make-up team who gave so freely of their time and services
     The many other friends of Scouting who have given materials or have helped behind the scenes

An architect's model of the Baden-Powell House

Ralph Reader (top) - James Graham, Musical Director with a few of the gang (bottom)

The Opening of the London Gang Show 1957

Ralph puts it across to the Belfast Gang

THE PROGRAMME
ACT ONE

1.   The Opening
2.   Overdoing it
3.   Swing along by the Zuyder Zee
4.   Seeing the Sights
5.   The Woodvale Wanderers
6.   The Gang Show Troubadours
7.   A Christmas Carol
8.   Happy Ending
9.   One of the Gang
10.  The Greeks had a word for it too
11. The Amateurs Present
12. Mr. Brown and Miss Suzanne
13. Wave the Flag
14. Finale Act One

Interval
ACT TWO

1.   Because I Sing
2.   Reception
3.   Up Girls and at 'Em
4.   The Postman
5.   This is "Scouting for Boys"
6.   Bob-a-job
7.   Who are you Waiting for Joe?
8.   The Cheer-ups
9.   Services Calling
10. Finale

The National Anthem

WAVE THE FLAG

There's a Standard, filled with the hearts of a Nation,
High on the skyline of a thousand years,
It flies on the wings of elation,
Come, let us sing its praises, put colour in the sky.
On the horizon let's see it fly,
It's our Standard, we are the sons of a Standard,
This is the pattern of the life we stand for,
So let is here and now.
CHORUS:
Wave the flag to the sky above,
Wave the flag of the land we love,
Whenever dark days cover the view,
The fly anew, Red, White and Blue.
Wave the flag, let the people sing,
To the flag that is everything,
For every Briton everywhere,
Who has a darn good right to brag,
Come on along with me and wave the flag.

HAPPY ENDING

There is a happy ending, to the clouds of darkest blue,
If you just keep an eye for the rainbow in the sky,
You will find it somewhere shining through.
There is a happy ending, to the worries on your way,
If you only will do what the good book tells you to,
There's a mighty bright horizon of sky-way blue,
To bring a happy ending for you.

SWING ALONG

Though we have no need to harass when we're holiday bound,
While you sing your songs of Paris, not the best have you found,
For the finest place to visit,
To motor or  cycle or hike.
And if you should sat "Where is it ?
We can tell you in a second if you like.
Here is the tip we give,
Here's the way to live!
CHORUS:
Swing along by the Zuyder Zee
Swing along with the Zuyder Zee
Who can miss a chance to be a gay boy?
Come and take a tumble as a play boy,
Swing along by the side of me,
Sing a song of the Zuyder Zee,
When you hear the call,
It's a whale of an outing for us all,
You get a feeling a Mister Joy is near,
An invitation, to help along the cheer,
You'll never find it anywhere else but here,
And it's joy!
Swing along it's the time to be,
Swinging on to the Zuyder Zee,
No reason or rhyme,
But we're in for a wonderful time.

THE GREEKS HAD A WORD FOR IT TOO

Chorus:
We've got rhythm, lots of rhythm, we live for rhythm we do,
It's nothing that's new, and the Greeks had a word for it too,
On the up-beat, lots of up-beat, and then go following through,
Don't figure it's new, for the Greeks had a word for it too.
All the legions in Roman regions knew how to step and enjoy,
Ev'ry teacher they'd try to reach her, and the best was Helen of Troy.
She had rhythm, lots of rhythm, so let's give rhythm it's due,
On no it's not new, and the Greeks had a word for it too.

BECAUSE I SING

Errand boys are we and as we wander up and down,
Everybody knows us, we're the Bearers of the Town,
In the windy weather, in the hail or snow,
On our varies errands, always on the go.
You can hear us whistle every hit tune of the day,
You can hear us singing as we journey on our way,
We're the joyful bringers to the passing throng,
Always here to cheer you with a merry song.
CHORUS:
The morning is the brighter,
The bells in the steeple ring,
And the sun says "Hello" to the morning,
Because I sing.
The smiles around the noon-day,
What joy to the world they bring,
And the folk seem to join in the chorus,
Because I sing.
A song can open portals and lead us all into
A land for lonely mortals,
With skies that are always blue,
If only I remember the World is a lovely thing,
I can make it a place to rejoice in,
Because I sing.