AN early photograph of Colchester Cub Scouts in the 1920s has jogged even more memories - and shed more light on to those featured in it.

Ted Cant kindly donated a vintage photograph from his own collection which was taken when he was just eight-years-old.

Last year he presented the 1927 image to the Colchester Scout Heritage Centre for future generations to see and when this, and its appearance in the Gazette’s Memories section, led to a number of people coming forward.

All of the boys alongside Ted, who still lives in Colchester, were named alongside him in the photograph and relatives soon spotted them.

The niece of brothers Jack and Doug Blake came forward with news of their lives as they grew into adults.

Doug went on to be part of a major post-war international event, the Yangtse incident, after joining the navy.

Sadly Jack died when he was still quite young.

The photograph also featured three boys from the same family - Leslie, Bob and Harry Parratt.

Ted thought he might be the sole surviving boy from the photograph, aged 98.

But Leslie’s daughter Julia Cottee spotted the articles about the picture and got in touch to say he, aged 95, is also still very much alive.

His older brother Harry, who only recently died, lived to the age of 99, she explains.

But she said her dad was not sure if it was actually him because he would have been five at the time the picture was taken and you have to be seven to become a cub.

At the time the photograph was taken the Scouting Movement was only 20 years old having been establishment after Lord Baden Powell wrote a book for boys about reconnaisance and scouting.

This was tested with a camping event and led to groups being set up across the country.

It is now a worldwide activity, swiftly followed by a similar group for girls, Guides, due to popular demand.

Ted remembers the cub pack was known by its fuller name of Wolf Cubs at that time and met in St Helen’s Chapel on the corner of Maidenburgh Street and St Helen’s Lane.

The building is now an orthodox church but eight decades ago was a hall.

The photograph was been restored and framed with the help of Sir Bob Russell, president of Colchester Scouts who organised last year’s presentation.

Details of everyone who appears in the photograph were added and Ted handed it over at a special ceremony to Fred Pearce, archivist of the Heritage Centre at Colchester Scouts Training Ground at Thorrington.

Sir Bob explained it was Ted, who was one of ten children and lived at the time in Maidenburgh Street, who had himself recalled each of the boys’ names.

“He and his wife were married for 72 years before she died, and he still lives in the house in Alderton Road which was their home for most of their married life,” adds Sir Bob.

Along with Ted, those pictured in the photograph of the 21st Colchester Wolf Pack are, in the back row, cub mistress Sadie Triphook, the Rev Triphook, Alex Grainer and Assistant Mistress Mrs Craine.

In the second row are Jim Rudlin, Harold Parratt, Ted Cant, Jack Blake, Dennis Gibson and Charlie Appleby.

And in the third row are Bob Parratt, Arthur Salter, Douglas Blake, Leslie Philbrook and Max Bryne.

Completing the line-up are Arthur Farthing, Oliver Makinson, Henry Quilter, Leslie Parratt and Bob Nichols in the front row.

Julia says Leslie actually queried if it was him in the picture because he would actually have been too young, by two years, to be a Scout at the time - but there were actually four Parratt brothers.

Julia explains : “However his other brother Fred Parratt would have been seven and it appears, from my research into Fred at that age, that the boy named as Leslie sitting in the front row is in fact Fred Parratt.

“The same little boy, Fred, appears standing in the photo of the same cubs, possibly on the same occasion, holding the Wolf Cub Flag.

“So both those photo’s show Harry, Bob and Fred Parratt...and Ted Cant.”

Leslie did eventually join the pack, with his three older brothers, and does remember Ted and his brothers.

Leslie and one of his brothers, Bob, went on to become cub and scout leaders.

Bob was leader for the 21st Colchester Cub/Scouts from their new base at Old Heath while Leslie re-started the Gt Bentley cub pack in 1957.

He still lives in Great Bentley.

The original pack was run by the Rev Triphook, curate at the church where they met, and Sadie Triphook, his daughter.

She was quite a well-known character in her own right and lived in one of the cottages in North Station and was known to keep a horse, a goat and three or four dogs on a piece of land at the end of the row of houses she lived in.

It is said she left that piece of land to the council when she died.

* Do you recognise anyone in any of the photographs or have any memories and photographs of attending Scout or Guide packs ?

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