GUIDES' AND SCOUTS' RALLY
THRILLS FOR THOUSANDS OF SPECTATORS

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   Not since the dawn of Scout and Guide Movements in the history of this Colony has there been a display so spectacular, inspiring and memorable as that presented by members of the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides Associations in connection with the Coronation celebrations.
   The display was held at the Hong Kong Football Club Ground, Happy Valley, yesterday afternoon, under the distinguished patronage of His Excellency the Officer Administering the Government, Mr. N.L.Smith, C.M.G., who awarded the "Prince of Wales" Banner for 1936 to First Hong Kong Sea Scout and that for 1936-37 to Third Hong Kong Girl Guides Company.
   Over a thousand youths participated in this brilliant display which was a pageant of patriotism, a hive of industry and a riot of colour.

   Musical accompaniment was supplied by the Band of the First Battalion The Royal Ulster Rifles, by kind permission of Lt. Col. R.M.Rodwell and Officers, conducted by Bandmaster H.Alfred Hole A.R.C.M. The programme commenced with a melodious selection of Mydleton's "The Rose" and a march "Long Live the King" Hume.
   Mr. A.Grad, Assistant Commissioner, was entirely responsible for the production of this display and its success was due in no small measure to his efforts.

   There was a capacity audience who judging by their cheering and applause, certainly enjoyed the show.

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PAGEANT OF SCOUTING

   The display commenced with a pageant of scouting, illustrating the inception growth and spread of the Boy Scout and Girl Guide Movements throughout the World.
   The first group which represented the commencement of the Scout Movement in 1908 was headed by a number of scouts and friends of the movement, illustrating the characters used by the Chief Scout in his book "Scouting for Boys" as examples for scouts to follow. Thus there was St. George, the Patron Saint of England, on his white charger - the cyclist orderlies of Mafeking who proved, during that memorable siege, what boys could do as explorers, frontiersmen, backwoodsmen and pioneers.

   The second group represented the Girl Guide Movement which was started in 1910, as also was the Sea Scout Section which formed the third Group.
   The fourth and fifth groups, which greeted the audience, in their own particular manner, with the help of their brothers and sisters from the edges of the arena, were the Wolf Cubs and Brownie Sections which catered for younger boys and girls, from eight to twelve years of age.

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THE EMPIRE

   Then there were groups representing a number of countries and part of the Empire - England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Hong Kong, Holland, India, Canada, China, Australia, United States, Egypt, Malaya - where Scouting and Guiding flourish.
   The demonstration of National Games and pastimes was given by the Third Hong Kong Company, Girl Guides, Third Hong Kong Scouts, combined Fourth Hong Kong and Kowloon Troops, and Eighth Kowloon Scouts, who respectively did the English Country Dances, Scottish Highland Games, Canadian Rope Spinning and Chinese Games. A roll of drums signalled the end of this item, when each display group went off quickly. The Highland Games marched off, the dancers tripped off the Chinese Games ran off and the ropers spinned off.
   The Recession of Pageant was followed by a display of Highland Dancing by members of the Third Hong Kong (Seaforth's Group)

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SCOUTCRAFT

   The displays of Bridge Building, Signalling, Chinese Boxing, Backwards Drill, Pioneering, and Trek Cart were respectively enacted by Fourth Kowloon Scouts, First Hong Kong Guides, First Hong Kong Sea Scouts, Sixth Kowloon Guides, First Hong Kong Scouts, and First Kowloon and Fourth Hong Kong Scouts combined. Another Chinese Boxing display was presented by the Eleventh Kowloon Scouts, while tower building for signallers, was performed by Second, Tenth and Thirteenth Hong Kong Groups combined.
   The Tumbling display by the First Diocesan Boys' School (Sixth Kowloon) Troop was a pageant of splendour, rivalling anything of this nature that has yet been seen here. It completely won the appreciation of the audience for it was splendid in every sense of the word not only in its acrobatic skill but also in its incomparable humour. The success of this was due to the excellent instructions given by the Scoutmaster, Mr. G.S.P.Heywood.

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PHYSICAL DISPLAY

   Games by the Wolf Cubs and Brownies of Hong Kong and Kowloon were followed by a Physical Display by scouts of various troops after which came the presentation of awards by His Excellency the Officer Administering the Government, who, after presenting the "Prince of Wales" Banners to the Scout and Guide winners, presented a silver cup to the First Kowloon Girl Guides Company, the runner-up in the "Prince of Wales" Banner competition. His Excellency also gave a letter to Peter Cook, of the First Hong Kong (Sea Scout) Pack written by Mr. Hampton on behalf of the Chief Scout, Lord Baden Powell, as follows:-
   Dear Peter,
   I live a very long way from you, all the same the news of your plucky deed in October last has come all this way to me.
   I am just writing on behalf of the Chief Scout, who is away in India to tell you how glad I am that you had both eyes open and did exactly the right thing. It was a real Good Turn and a credit to your Pack and to Cubs everywhere.

Your sincere friend,
(SD.) HAMPTON
Chief Commissioner.

   Then came the final item. The entry of Britannia (Mrs. H.Owen Hughes) was a procession of colours and a formation of "Wheel" Rally.

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BRITANNIA

   Britannia majestically entered and stood on the centre of the platform. Colours massed on either side of the platform and butts were placed on the ground. Rovers, Deep Sea Scouts, Guiders and Scouters proceeded to the Centre and formed a ring while two Deep Sea Scouts stood around colours and the platform.
   Eight "spokes" formed up outside the arena and each consisted of sixty members, the smaller ones being left out. All Rovers, Deep Sea Scouts, Guiders and
Scouters, except one in charge of each "spoke," formed up in one group in readiness to form the Hub. The smaller scouts and guides were divided into eight equal groups, while cubs and brownies got ready in their places and the eight Cubmasters for markers stood in a group just inside the arena.
   The eight Cubmasters spaced out thirty two spaces at angles of forty five degrees, while the eight spokes doubled on in single file led by the three physical training spokes.
   The eight groups of small scouts and guides then doubled into place, one group was at the outer end of each spoke where they started to form the rim. Cubs and Brownies scampered into place in eight equal sections and formed the rim.
   When the Band started to play the Wheel steadily and slowly revolved once, except the rim of cubs and brownies who stood still, facing outwards. When they returned to their starting place, they all faced outwards again.
   After the first chord had been played by the Band, everybody joined in Singing "God Save The King," which concluded the display.