Scouting starts on Anglesey with the initial meeting of 1st Holyhead Scout Troop.
We have on record, Frank Bell’s account of the beginning of Scouting in Holyhead, Anglesey. In May 1909, a meeting was called of interested persons in the town of Holyhead and a Local Association was formed, “and Boy Scouts were born in Holyhead, and have lived here ever since (although on one or two occasions they have nearly died!)”.
The story continues: “notices were posted about the town inviting boys who were anxious to join the Movement to turn up at the Park School playground on May 26th 1909. They did turn up right enough, 120 of them and umpteen Scoutmasters.
In those days the Scout Promise was made when you first joined the Scouts and you can imagine how tired the Chairman, Colonel Pilkington was after he had finished administering the oath. Even at this parade one boy was in full uniform.” He was the first uniformed boy seen by Frank Bell. The boys were arranged in patrols and Scoutmasters allotted to take charge of them. The fervour did not last and both boys and scoutmasters dropped out and only the Wolf Patrol, led by John Fox Russell was left – “composed of the best Scouts at the time, they did meet fairly regularly and even went for Patrol Camps. The remnants of the other patrols had to do the best they could.”
1st Holyhead attempted to give themselves the name of 1st Anglesey Troop, as they were the first Troop to form on the island, but the 1st Beaumaris Troop that formed shortly after Holyhead approached Gilwell first – 1st Beaumaris was known as 1st Anglesey, and 1st Holyhead had to settle for 2nd Anglesey.
