The
Ranger Camp
Taken from
the BGSG School Magazine Chevron in 1933.
The Rangers spent their camping holiday once more at Binham Farm, Washford. We had decided early in the year that the delights of camping by the sea, and on such an excellent site, would in no way be lessened by the fact that we camped there last year. Accordingly, on July 28th we went by train to Washford, accompanied by Miss Musgrove, the Company's Captain, to form part of the group camp arranged by Miss Anderdon, the County Camp Adviser, and Miss Blackmore, District Commissioner for Portishead.
The Camp was divided into two groups, Weston and Bridgwater, and we called ourselves the "Sea-farers" and the "Barnacles" respectively. Each group did its own cooking, and camp duties, but we bathed, hiked and played games together.
The Camp was favoured with excellent weather on the whole, although we experienced one very stormy night, during which many of us spent an anxious time doing "sentry go" with mallets in order to keep pegs firmly fixed in the ground, and to prevent the utter demolition of the Camp!
The joy of living in the open air was made more delightful by sea bathing and exciting expeditions. On the Monday after our arrival we visited the paper works at Watchet, where it spoke well for the Quarter-Masters when one member of the party succeeded in falling through a sheet of paper which would normally have supported a man weighing twelve stones! On the Tuesday we went by train to Minehead, and bathed in the morning. We then had an enjoyable picnic lunch and rested, after which some of us walked from Alcombe over the hills to Dunster.
Wednesday was Visitors' Day, and we were lucky in having glorious weather so that the tidiness of our tents could be seen to the best advantage.
From Tuesday until Friday we had continual sunshine, and it was with great regret that we struck tents on Friday morning and pushed them into very tight bags. How much easier it is to take a tent out of its bag than to put it back! And so it is with Camp: we go so willingly and return to regretfully, and never more regretfully than this year."
J. Goodall