Rover Bulletin No. 18

NUMBER EIGHTEEN 26th February, 1943.

Dear Lads,

We are anxious to learn what you thought of our last months method of presentation and just as much anxious to know your views on the subject matter. So far two have replied. We hope it wasn’t too heavy.

We learn that David Clark has moved again – never done – he’s inspecting wireless sets just made and before issue.

Ernie Henderson met George Kay and Ralston Douglas on board ship going overseas.

Johnnie Thomson and Stanley Mackie spent New Year together in the desert.

Some meetings eh.

Murray Cullen (Scout) is away into the RAF and Stanley Christie is on his way too, to Flight Engineer we believe.

We had a visit from John Baird and the change to the South and better hours, though training, are very good.

Jack Piper was home for a flying visit and is full o’ beans.

After a very long period George Pringle of the N.F.S. paid a visit. George is becoming a complete farmer spending all his time on the land. He’d give up the N.F.S. If he could.

Ring the bells and sound the cymbals !! Dick is home – blew in on us last Friday and oh boy he looks very well indeed and was it great to see him. He’s home to go on the same course as Chorty who is also here tonight, so we’ve won back all ours from Gibraltar. Nobody’s sorry as Gib can’t be bit like a prison. Chorty’s now all dressed like an officer and we hope Dick will soon be too. Their homecoming created a minor “great occasion” such as we hope to have when we all reunite. What a day that will be. They’re great lads, and tonight we’ve had some of the old jokes cracked over a very enjoyable supper (Shell eggs, believe it or not)

Murray sends a sketch for a Billposter for our Victory Show, nice work. He is now among the refreshing olive groves and is very happy.

Ian sends an interesting programme of a show he appeared in, but says it needed Jim to put sparkle in it to bring it up to our standard. Says “Enjoyed last Bulletin but have a heart, Sandy, please remember 2 ½ years in the Army dulls one’s appreciation or knowledge of such long words. What say you lads?

Jim suggests little articles from Mr. Leask, Mr. Duncan, Captain Band, Mr. Hazel and Mr Wright and we would welcome them very much. He is convinced that plans had better be ready to put into operation immediately peace is declared or the would be heroes will have something to say about it. All our good ideals – ‘Service not Self’ – will be needed. The Forces don’t help in this respect.

There’s still no word of Jimmy Reilly.

Tommy T. has written again He’s posted to Wales for Navigation and gunnery good lad Tommy.

Gilbert expects to be home in a week or two. He’s been running dances for sports funds and has been averaging £13 per night.

The only reason for our choice of subject last month is the inevitability of each and all of us being more or loss affected by it irrespective of our desires. The stress put on personal matters is one well worth pursuing for it is quite certain that the war will in addition to that done by the last, make the world very much smaller.

A few generations ago the world a person lived in was possibly confined to the family circle or one’s immediate business or social friends. A practical hand in the government of the country, let alone all the countries of the world, was confined to a very few. Events today call for our Government to take up and continue to look after tremendous forces on a world-wide basis. Surely we as individuals must move up in the understanding of these matters – the immediate responsibility for which the War is placing on our Government’s representatives. Too large a gap would never do.

So it might appear that the whole world will be rather like one gigantic gear-box – to take a very technical simile in this mechanical age – in which the individual will be like an atom of matter which goos to make up some cog. Infinitesimal yet a thing on its own with its own ends to satisfy. The individual would appear to be becoming stretched to cover a vastly wider field and take a hand in many more activities all in the same 24 hours. When we talk of personal and individual affairs we mean those which concern, shall we say, our natural desires. Fundamentally we are selfish (or are we? anybody disagree? -thoughts of past stiff arguments) for we are designed for self preservation. Largely, we move of our own choice in circles where we can find greatest satisfaction and nobody will say that is wrong. The Government of this country is by the people for the people and even for the individual – or is designed to be . In any case the retention of individuality is unanimously desired yet the programme of schemes to come seem to threaten to overcome this very desire – possibly due to the necessary wide application. We control perhaps to a larger degree than we care to remind ourselves the environment and type of life those coming after us are to experience. Much blood has been spilled for our personal liberty. There’s a challenge – and a pretty strong one at that – to keep alive our Individual alertness and our faith in simple Christian principles. The bald schemes won’t run on their own. They’ll need a kindly oil for the cogs to prevent them disintegrating, to prevent the Individual souls from wearing out (or to prevent the schemes taking charge of individuals.

We intend preparing the material for printing by the second last Friday of each month to relieve the pressure on the last Friday.

George Simpson is now a Sergeant in the R.A.F. Deferred Service (No uniform crowd)

At the end of March a Scout Exhibition Is boing held in a large vacant shop in Shandwick Place, for a week, to raise funds for the B.P. Memorial. Four floors: ground floor – fun fair, street floor – exhibition, first floor – handicrafts, top floor – concert hall. We are undertaking the erecting of the stage and helping with some Items.