A RECENT column made mention of the former Drill Hall in Oxford Road, one of the early homes of the All Saints Marlow Company of the Church Lads Brigade, but this main picture was taken in 1909 in the playground at the rear of the original Boys School in the Causeway, now the Church Hall.

The Church Lads Brigade was founded in 1891. It became the first Scout group to be incorporated worldwide in 1909. Between 1911 and 1930 it was the largest force of cadets in this country, girls as well as boys.

Any doubts you might have regarding this location can be removed by examining a little of what can be seen NOSTALGIA with Michael Eagleton 12 October 27, 2023 bucksfreepress.co.uk

The All Saints Church Lads Brigade, pictured in two different locations of the unusual window above the group and comparing it with my inserted picture: this appeared a few months ago above the Marlow Choral Society rehearsing inside the Church Hall.

The exact location of the smaller picture top left has also puzzled a few people over the years – this was outside the original main doorway of All Saints Church on the north side, although traces are still to be seen.

This main picture must have been at a special occasion with the local Scouts included, and with the Bishop of Buckingham seated alongside Vicar of Marlow, the Rev. John Light.

The headgear of the Church Lads was a round cap always worn at an angle. The smaller picture was provided some years ago by Tony Berry, whose father-in-law, Harry Clanchy, can be seen in in both groups: left of the Standard in the back row of the church photo and standing third from right, second row back in the playground.

His certificate is signed by Colonel Francis O. Wethered. You probably would not pick out Harry without my enlargement lower left. He went on to be an estate agent in the High Street firm of George Kendall, and alongside is a 1935 picture.

Another face in both line-ups is John Light, lower centre picture, Vicar from 1902 until 1916. He was the father of Evelyn, who many still have vivid memories of, myself included, especially that immaculate and top-drawer voice, the like of which you do not hear these days.

I played for the first time in several years the recording made by Paul Burden in the early 1980s of Evelyn’s childhood memories. She was always convinced that her father’s premature death was caused by the stress of dealing with the families and funerals of the huge amount of local casualties in World War One.

Evelyn had been my mother’s Girl Guide Leader. Initially Mum had found her rather frightening, but later they became good friends. I vividly remember, as a cheeky 10-year-old, asking Evelyn why she had never got married. I won’t easily forget her answer: “All my boyfriends were killed in the war”.

I have another long photograph to show you in a few weeks, taken about 15 years further on, but of a very different group, mostly ladies. I am fairly sure it is in the same location, but I know that the late historian Cyril Chalk might have disagreed with me on that issue. He printed a similar photograph when he wrote for the now-defunct Marlow Times in the 1970s. Look out for that in a future column.

Contact Michael at michael@jazzfans. co or 01628 486571