Page 59 - It's a Rum Life Book 3 "Ivy House Tales 1970 to 1984"

I spent hours training the boys how to use these stoves which I was confident would serve
them well.
It was time well spent, as arriving on the site on the Thursday evening for the three day
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event we found ourselves right next door to the 5 Boston unit who’s Group Scout Leader
was also the current Boston District Commissioner.

Unfortunately, we already did not enjoy the best of relations and agreed to disagree on
many points. Immediately on seeing the new cooking stoves he was aghast and
expressed strong disapproval.
Mind you, he had never before seen these magnificent ultra modern petrol powered
cooking stoves in action.
As soon as he realised that I should be leaving my boys on their own for long periods, he
was almost apoplectic.

I had supreme confidence in my two patrols, they were well trained and responsible. I had
trained them to sufficient standard to be prepared to leave daughter Helen who was 6
years old and had her own ‘Scout’ Uniform, in their tender care.

By the end of the event my confidence was duly rewarded. My two patrols ate well and
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faster than the 5 Boston unit next door, they kept their site immaculate and their
behaviour was exemplary.
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They were a true credit and I was delighted when the 5 Boston Group Leader and our
District Commissioner had to eat his words.
The Jamboree was a success too, although much of a blur to myself. They have even held
other similar events in the County in the years that followed.

CHAPTER 12

TO INVERNESS AND BACK AGAIN

We had just finished painting our “green-goddess”, a fairly ancient, long nose 7.5 ton Ford
lorry with new second-hand flat bodywork. The lorry came from Glenton’s “Wonderloaf”
bakery in Grimsby by way of Herbert Epton the local heavy haulage contractor in our
village of New Bolingbroke.
Herbert had the contact at Glentons who told him when any surplus bakery vehicles were
coming up for sale, they were fairly high mileage but only lightly used having been
delivering bread all their lives.
They had also been well maintained. All the Lorries came with big van bodies and had to
be altered if need be.
The “green-goddess” was the first of several vehicles we bought from Herbert and formed
the basis of our initial ECYB “lorry fleet”.

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