Blue plaque unveiling in Watford for Hertfordshire's first ever scout

On March 1 1908, Alan Joseph Emery became the first scout in the county, pledging his oath to scouts at his home in Estcourt Road in Watford.

Exactly 111 years to the day, and to mark the birth of scouting in the county, an event was held in the road on Friday, attended by several members of Mr Emery’s family.

Mr Emery dedicated much of his life to scouting, forming the Kangaroo Patrol with his friend Merchant Scrivener, which became part of the 1st south west Herts Troop.

(l-r) Cllr Martins, Frank Brittain, Liz Walker, Mr Taylor

In 1909, the Kangaroo Patrol were given some army issue bell tents and they held their first camp at The Clays in Watford Heath. Shortly afterwards, Mr Emery was presented with a King’s Scout award.

At the age of 18, he became an assistant scoutmaster before he was drafted into the army to serve in France with the Royal Engineers Railway Unit.

After the war, Mr Emery and his brother Dennis resumed their duties as scout leaders, with Alan later becoming district commissioner for south west Herts until 1953 when he was appointed president for the area before he died in 1972.

In his honour, a plaque was unveiled in Estcourt Road before a reception was held at the nearby Holiday Inn, where an exhibition telling the story of Mr Emery’s involvement with the scouts was displayed.

The plaque, produced by the Hertfordshire County Scout Council, reads: “On 1st March 1908 in this house Alan J.Emery aged 13, became the first boy scout in Hertfordshire to make the scout promise”.

Speeches were made by Liz Walker, county commissioner for Hertfordshire Scouts, Frank Brittain, archivist for Hertfordshire Scouts, as well as from the mayor of Watford Peter Taylor and Watford Borough Council chairman Rabi Martins.