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11 A key to the different fates of the pre-wwi and the post-wwi Boy Scout Associations in Hong Kong, besides the Non-Anglican (Catholic) and Non-English background of the St. Joseph's Troop, was the Cadet Corps. In the pre-war days, English boys could only become Cadets, but in the postwar days, they could choose to join one of the two or both. Why this change in attitude in just a few years? Firstly, during the immediate pre-war and war years it was understandable that colonial ruling elites and most British would rally around the war in British Empire's hour of need. With the war over, support for the militaristic Cadet Corps waned. Secondly, the Great War had taken its tolls. Many independent-thinking citizens had become disillusioned and appalled by it afterwards, especially with the large number of casualties. Even the old soldier Baden-Powell had referred to World War One as "this reversion to primitive savagery" and "a great disgrace." A contemporary report from the Hongkong Daily Press compared Scouting, which taught citizenship and patriotism, and the Cadet movement, which provided military training, and clearly betrayed which side it was on: The outstanding difference is that of principleone works through impression, the other through expression. The Cadet training imposes collective instruction upon the boys from without; while the Scout movement encourages self-development on the part of the individual from within. A Politically-correct New Start, (4) (4) possible that a clause that would exclude most students from a schoolsponsored activity would likely be viewed unfavorably by the principal. At any rate, by March 1921, the Association was able to secure support from prominent local citizens, including some Chinese and Eurasians. Sir Paul Chater and Sir Robert Ho Tung () headed a list of contributors published in March 1921, followed by other notables of the day, including Ho Fook (), Lau Chu Pak (), Ho Kom Tong(), and Sir Ellis Kadoorie. Ho Kom Tong, a banker who had been the assistant compradore at Jardine, Matheson & Co., had agreed to equip the Scouts of a Chinese School. Lau Chu Pak succeeded Brawn as the Treasurer, the first Chinese to assume a top leadership position in local Scouting. Lau, a graduate of St. Paul's College, the Central College (since 1894 renamed the Queen's College), and Oxford University, was a leading representative of the Chinese community, and had been an appointed member of the Legislative Council (Figure 12). Even before the war, there were many who would prefer Scouting to the Cadet Movement for their young citizens. After the war, the balance swung further towards the former. Preference for Boy Scouts as opposed to Cadets became the dominant view in the interwar years in Hong Kong and in many parts of the empire. Last but not least were the people involved, both at the operational and the senior, figure-head, levels: Crowther Smith, the staunch supporter of the Cadets, was replaced by a more open-minded Weyman, an old Scout himself; and May, who had no experience with or sympathy for Scouting, by Stubbs, who was already a successful Chief Scout in Ceylon. The Diocesan Boys' School, which served predominantly Chinese and Eurasian boys, had shown early interest. On its prize day in January 1921, the school indicated an interest in Scouting, but reported that it felt it could not take part "owing to a certain clause in local Scout rules." It went on to say that it might start a Troop privately, while still maintaining a link with the movement (Figure 11). Lady Stubbs, who presented the prizes, referred to the Boy Scouts, saying that she hoped the school would be in a position to start a Troop soon, after "all difficulties had been removed." There was no elaboration on this intriguing reference to a "certain clause" or "all difficulties." Although, unlike in some parts of the empire, the Hong Kong Boy Scouts Association had never imposed a formal color bar, it did during this time have the British nationality requirement. This clause meant that most students in the school would not be allowed to join, if a Troop were formed. The impact of this requirement would have been much greater at this school, with a largely Chinese student body, then, say, at St. Joseph's, which had a large Portuguese population, or at St. Andrew's, which had a predominantly English congregation. It is Despite some claims that local Girl Guiding was revived in 1919, primary sources suggest that interest in its revival was only being expressed in 1920, after the Boy Scouts had been re-launched. In November 1920, a Mrs. M. Cater, a former Girl Guide in England, wrote to the South China Morning Post, claiming that she had started a local company with some first recruits. While there was no further report on the Cater initiative, the colony's education report for 1920 indicated that "[p]reliminary steps were taken to organize this [the Girl Guide] movement." By early 1921, Lady Stubbs had been appointed the division commander, and Miss Rachel Irving, daughter of the Director of Education, the secretary. Education report a year later confirmed that Guiding was started in February 1921 and that, by end of the year, it had "about 130 members, 100 Guides enrolled in five Companies, and one Pack of 30 Brownies." Like Scouting, early Guiding was mostly for ethnic British or Eurasian girls. Sir Robert Ho Tung's daughter Jean, a Eurasian, provided a first-hand account of early Guiding. In 1921, while at the Diocesan Girl's School, she and her sister, Grace, both joined the school's Girl Guides Company, with Rachel Irving as the Captain. The two quickly earned their Tenderfoot Badge, Second Class Badge, and many proficiency badges. Jean, who lived on the Peak, recalled fondly their regular encounters with Miss Irving on the Peak tram, when they would invariably embarrass her publicly by standing up and giving her the three-fingered salute. Jean was an early enthusiast. Years later, she would become a Guide Captain and marry Billy Gittins, another Eurasian and a Scoutmaster, with Boy Scouts and Girl Guides as the guard of honor at their wedding (Figure 13). (Part 4 of 4) c 2008 Paul KUA, all rights reserved

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hks298cover&back 2957 6364 2377 3300 2302 1087 www.scout.org.hk [email protected] 2675 0011 5,500 Service and Scouting Recently, I had an opportunity to learn more about current state of service in Hong Kong