Newspaper

Girl Guides at Belmont

New Colours Presented by the Dean of Durham

Belmont Hall, the picturesque residence of Mr and Mrs JSG Pemberton, was the scene of an interesting ceremony on Saturday, when upon the lawn beneath the shadow of the turreted castle wall, the Very Reverend the Dean of Durham dedicated and presented the colours to the 2nd Durham (1st Hawthorn) Company of Girl Guides.

Five years have elapsed since the Girl Guides were formed, and now in County Durham they have reached the splendid number of 700. Miss Pemberton has been one of the foremost in the movement, and it was due largely to her efforts that Saturday’s proceedings were so entirely successful. In all about 100 guides were in attendance, the companies being represented being Chester-Le-Street, in charge of Miss Barrett; Croxdale, Miss Birley; Seaham, Miss Dillon; Neville’s Cross, Miss Vermuelan; and Hawthorn, Miss NP Pemberton.

A guard of Guides awaited the arrival of Dean and Mrs Henson and escorted them, together with Mr and Mrs Pemberton, to the lawn, where the ceremony took place. The Dean asked God’s blessing on the flag which was to represent to the Girl Guides their duty towards their sovereign and their country, and prayed that the flag may never be unfurled save in the cause of justice and righteousness.

After having laid his hand upon the colours, the dean gave an interesting address. This was, he said, an occasion of very great interest, as they had met together to dedicate symbols. Symbolism was to bring something to their minds by mean of something they could see and touch, and was a very important part of human life… So also were the flags of a regiment symbolic, showing that they belonged in a special way to their King and country. Flags did not only stand for symbolism but reminded them of service.

He was talking to Girl Guides, and nothing was more interesting of late years than to see how they were all coming to understand that nobody was too young to serve. No longer was public service divided into two parts, and no longer was it true that all the work of the country was to be done by men and without women having a share in it. They understood now that there was service for both of them. There was no doubt a great difference in the work to be done, but yet the obligation was the same, and everyone was called to serve the country and to serve one another.

Service was part of their duty as patriots and patriotism was part of their religion. They were Christians and because they were Christians therefore they were patriots…

Men (continued the Dean) went into the firing line, which was right and always would be right, and women made it possible for them to do so by keeping up their hearts and by doing a hundred supplementary services of the greatest value, and without which the firing line could hardly exist.

They were now at a very serious time in the moment of the history of the World and of this country, and many of them were thinking of what kind of life was going to come when this tremendous war was over and men returned home again. What kind of World was it going to be? They were going to build up again many places that had been destroyed, and they had not the resources to do so they once had. One thing they could say about the world was that it would be a much harder working world after the war than before and it would be a much more unselfish world. So it was a good thing that girls should be joined together as Girl Guides in order to learn the lessons of obedience, service, usefulness and unselfishness. They were wise to be Girl Guides and to set their foot in the way of discipline and service, because the years to come would require all these things for them.

Miss Pemberton then approached the Dean, and, kneeling, received the blue flag, upon which was the motto “Be Prepared” and the name of the company.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, Mrs Henson inspected the Guides, and presented war service badges for making clothes for soldiers to Patrol Leader Sarah Urwin, Patrol leader Lilla Lamb, and Guide AM Lamb of Hawthorn, and attendance badges to Sarah Urwin, L Lamb, Kathleen McQueen, Corporals Elizabeth Laidler, Jenny Haythorne, Mary Turner and Guides Ethel Gallon, Betty Pemberton, and Annie Vickers.

Then followed an interesting display by the Girl Guides, which was greatly appreciated by all present. Ideal weather condition prevailed, and the gathering proved most enjoyable.

[From a scrapbook kindly loaned by the archives of Girl Guiding Durham North]

Date: 31-Jul-1915

Author: Durham Chronicle

Reference: D/WP 2/60 (Microfilm M57/57)

Where to find this: Durham County Record Office

Contributed by Fiona Johnson - Durham