The9th Assistance To Other Troops
The 9th Assistance to Other Troops (from The Watsonian, 1954)
"To help other people" is part of the Scout Promise and that it has always been in the minds of Watson's Scouts is obvious from a perusal of the back numbers of The Watsonian.
As early as 1913 mention is made of The necessity of Scout Troops being raised in slum Quarters, and in July 1914 it was decided to start the Watsonian Pioneer Club to keep the Watsonian Scout world in touch and to keep before it the Scout ideals of citizenship. August 1914 brought more pressing problems but the Pioneer Club was not forgotten and it was started in 1919 with the aims of extending the Scout Movement among working-class Troops and of establishing a Boys' Club in one of the poorer parts of the city.
In 1922 Neil Campbell was the Scoutmaster of the 15th (Canongate), the first troop in the old town to be staffed by members cf the Pioneer Club. Other Scout Troops and Cub Packs followed: the Scouters were John Symington (53rd Pleasance), David Blair (Castlehill), Campbell Ferenbach and Harry Arnott (112th Crossecauseway), Donald Brisbane, Harold Smith, Douglas Darby, Douglas Montgomery (16th Pack), George Tullo (112th Pack), Ian Ireland, Jacky Hold (133rd Senior Scouts) and Sandie Somerville (133rd Rovers).
Stewart Gray took over the 15th when Neil Campbell was abroad and many other Watsonians helped with the various Troops and Packs. All these Troops and Packs used the Watsonian Scout Centre, a flat in Nicholson Street made into clubrooms and financed by older Watsonians, amongst whom Mr John P. Little, Dr John Orr, Mr V. A. Robertson, Mr H. J. Findlay and others gave valuable assistance on the Business Committee.
The Pioneer Club became the Watsonian Rover Crew and, in the course of time, as many in the old town moved out to new housing areas, it was decided that a Boys' Club would be more effective than a number of Scout Troops and Cub Packs. It was eventually decided that Craigmillar would be the best place to start such a club and so began The Craigmillar Boys' Club, the story of which is told elsewhere.