THE HISTORY OF SCOUTING IN SAN FERNANDO
by
LYNLEY LUTCHMEDIAL

BOY SCOUTS AT WAR

BOY SCOUTS AT WAR

By Gaylord Kelshall

 During World War II, Trinidad was not only the Terminus of the North Atlantic Convoy route, but also the counter intelligence center for South America, as well as being a major anti-submarine base. From the very beginning of the war the Boy Scouts profited from their high level of pre-war training and found themselves as trusted allies of the military authorities.

On the second day of the war when the nucleus of the Trinidad Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve or TRNVR was being formed, it was realized that there were no trained signalers, and the Boy Scouts became the naval signalers. The same applied to the Trinidad volunteers, who as they expanded needed signalers. These boys usually served as volunteer signalers until they were old enough to enlist.

With the advent of the wartime regulations and the formation of the Civil Defense Force the scouts really came into their own. They served as messengers, stretcher bearers, First Aiders, Signalers and in particular distinction as auxiliary firemen. In San Fernando Mr. Ralph Kelshall who was also the Area Authority, ensured that scouts were thoroughly integrated into the Civil Defence Force network throughout the South of the island, and this total involvement quickly spread to the North. At no time were there less than four hundred scouts actively engaged in this endeavor.

During the Graf Spec scare in October 1939, Boy Scouts were sworn in as Special Constables in San Fernando to replace the policemen who were all on special stand by. This began a trend that continued throughout the war. In North, the Boy Scouts were drafted in to form the security force for the survivor camps and they were so successful that they were sworn in as rural Constables. In time, this crime fighting unit led by Mr. W. Mc Lachlan and Mr. Kenneth Kelshall became a force of seventy six constables on whom the police relied to keep crime off the streets of Port of Spain.

The Boy Scouts also operated as messengers, stretcher bearers and First Aiders attached to the Hospitals, where they also staffed the Mobile Civil Defense canteens. In all of the areas of Trinidad some of the older scouts also became Assistant Blackout Air Raid Wardens. In this field they distributed sandbags, civil defense equipment, pamphlets and other instructions to house holders. In the course of their Civil Defense duties a number of scouts were injured in accidents, particularly in blackout areas, with military vehicles moving around, without lights.

Early in the war the Rover Scouts under Mr. Conrad Potter were drafted in, to man the Police launches, each of which had a single armed policeman on board. These duties included checking the blackout from sea wards, and on the ships in harbour at La Brea, Pointe-A-Pierre and Port of Spain as well as the general security of the anchorages. They handled this extremely hazardous environment throughout the war.

Perhaps the most extraordinary activity of the scouts in wartime was instituted by Mr. Donald D.. Ash when he instituted a Coast Watching Service. Eventually there were thirty two areas of the island of Trinidad where the Boy Scouts Coast watchers operated, with such success, that they had automatic access to all police and military communications equipment.

They reported any unusual activity and this proved to be so useful that the military regularly ran this exercise to test them. This in turn led to the development which may have been peculiar to Trinidad. A special training course was instituted at Pax Vale for the Boy Scouts Secret Service. Boys over the age of fourteen (14) were eligible for training and they operated in civilian clothes in the fishing communities, with orders to keep their eyes and ears open. These highly secret specially trained scouts were remarkably successful. They discovered and broke an intelligence ring that used pigeons to pass sensitive defense information to the mainland. This was a result of keen observation by these boys who took their job seriously. They even arrested spies who attempted to leave Trinidad for the mainland. It was a remarkable achievement which lasted throughout the war, which perhaps explains why Hitler listed the Boy Scouts as a dangerous organization that was earmarked for extermination.

At the end of the war, the report on Boy Scout activities lists twenty seven troops for special praise, perhaps the Boy Scout equivalent of the military " Mentioned in Dispatches". Throughout the conflict, as they became old enough, Boy Scouts left for the armed services and some achieved remarkable record. The San Fernando born John Simpson was a special messenger attached to the Governor's office in Port of Spain. The Governor was so impressed by the scouts that he always had two Boy Scouts with him. Simpson left in 1943, to join the Grenedier Guards in England. He went on to command armoured formations in NATO before joining the special forces. Simpson retired in 1974, having been the commanding officer of Britain's Special Air Service, SAS, perhaps the most famous Special forces regiment in the world.

The Boy Scouts played their part and more, in the defense of Trinidad and Tobago during World War II, and this period perhaps marks their greatest achievement ever.

Gaylord T.M. Kelshall
Military History Institute

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws

Stay tuned for update or Email [email protected]

You are the th person to visit this page since Jan 2001.
Thanks!

Web page designed by John Hoyte
Last modified 06/25/05
Hosted by www.Geocities.ws

1