Our History
Although two of Sidcup’s Scout Troops were formed before 1910, it was in January of that year that The Sidcup and District Boy Scouts Local Association’, as it was then known, was registered. Unlike today, its’ area covered the neighbourhoods of Abbey Wood, Bexley, Bexleyheath, Chislehurst, Crayford, East Wickham, Foots Cray, North Cray, Lamorbey, Sidcup, St. Mary’s Cray, and Welling.
So keen were boys to become Scouts that many lied about their age to join. This led to the younger Wolf Cub (now Cub Scout) section being formed in 1916.
In April 1918, Abbey Wood left, leaving the Association with seventeen Scout Troops and nine Wolf Cub Packs. At this time, all Troops and Packs were registered with the local Scout Association; however, from 1919 onwards, they had to register nationally with Scout HQ, then located in Buckingham Palace Road at Victoria.
In 1923, seven Troops and six Packs left to form a new District, called Bexleyheath. This new District was to cater for Scouts whose headquarters were “easily accessible from the tramway car lines”. They included East Wickham and Welling (who in 1965 formed their own District) and Crayford (who too formed their own District with Erith). This left the Sidcup Association with eleven Scout Troops and five Wolf Cub Packs.
Until now Scout Troops and Wolf Cub Packs were registered as separate units. In 1928, all Troops and Packs had to re-register together under the present Scout Troop and Cub Pack ‘Group’ System.
The Sidcup, Chislehurst and The Crays Local Scout Association was formed in August 1946 and contained eighteen groups. This continued until 1965, when the map of local government was redrawn, with Chislehurst and The Crays leaving to join the newly formed Scout District in Bromley. At the same time, Sidcup left the Scout County of Kent and together with Bromley created the new Scout County of Greater London South East (GLSE).
On 1st October 2011 Sidcup District joined Bexley Borough’s other Scout Districts (Bexleyheath, East Wickham & Welling and Erith & Crayford) to form Bexley Scout District.
