In 1949, Scouts from St Lawrence travelled from Stroud to Kandersteg in Switzerland. It was an ambitious international expedition, made possible through local fundraising, waste paper collections, practical preparation and the determination of Scouts, leaders and supporters.

St Lawrence Scouts ready for Kandersteg in 1949. Image from The World of Netlam Bigg by John Gardiner, reproduced with permission.

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The idea for Kandersteg

The idea for the Kandersteg expedition grew after a St Lawrence camp at Crickhowell in August 1948. Following that camp, Netlam Bigg and the Group Scoutmaster, Howard “Skipper” Weston, discussed the possibility of taking senior Scouts abroad.

The destination was Kandersteg in Switzerland, already an important place in international Scouting. For a local Scout Troop in post-war Britain, the idea was ambitious. It required organisation, fundraising, preparation, travel planning and a great deal of confidence.

Netlam Bigg was central to making the expedition happen. He helped arrange the practical details and worked with the leaders and senior Scouts to turn the idea into a real journey.

Fundraising through waste paper collections

The Kandersteg expedition was not simply paid for by families. The Scouts worked for it.

For around a year, senior Scouts collected waste paper and cardboard every Saturday morning. They pushed a heavy handcart through the streets of Stroud, visiting shops and collecting materials that could be sold to raise funds.

The paper and cardboard were stored at Hollow Lane, the home of St Lawrence Scout Troop. This linked the expedition to the group’s headquarters and to the earlier wartime Waste Paper Campaign, in which Scouts had collected huge quantities of paper as part of the wider salvage effort.

Through this work, the cost of the expedition was reduced to £18 per head. That figure is a major part of the story because it shows how determined the group was to make the trip possible for the Scouts taking part.

This was Scouting in its most practical form: young people working together, serving their community, raising funds and earning their way towards an adventure.

Preparing for the journey

The preparation for Kandersteg involved far more than simply booking tickets. For many of the Scouts, this would have been a major journey into unfamiliar territory.

Boots were an important part of the preparation. Army boots were obtained, and a local cobbler fitted them with steel kegs so that the Scouts were better equipped for mountain walking and Alpine conditions.

The practical details continued. Passport photographs were taken at the Chief’s home, and Netlam Bigg arranged the rail tickets. These small details bring the story to life because they show the amount of planning needed for an overseas Scout expedition in 1949.

The expedition therefore combined the romance of international adventure with the very practical realities of Scout preparation: boots, tickets, kit, passports, fundraising and careful organisation.

The journey from Stroud to Switzerland

The journey itself was part of the adventure. The Scouts travelled from Stroud towards London before continuing across the Channel and through Europe to Switzerland.

They stayed at the Royal Hotel at Paddington and then at Clapham Scout Headquarters, where they met Scouts from New Zealand and Pakistan. This was an early sign of the international character of the expedition.

From London, the route continued from Victoria to Dover, then across to Ostend. From there, the Scouts travelled by rail through Europe, via Berne, and on to Kandersteg.

The journey was not just transport. It was part of the widening of horizons that Scouting made possible. Young people from Stroud were travelling across borders, meeting Scouts from other countries and heading for one of the great international centres of the movement.

Arrival at Kandersteg

Kandersteg offered the Scouts a completely different landscape from Stroud. They had travelled from the valleys and hills of Gloucestershire to the Swiss Alps, where the scale of the mountains, glaciers and lakes gave the expedition its sense of adventure.

The camp introduced the Scouts to an international community and to a programme of activities that stretched them physically and mentally. This was not a sightseeing trip. It was an active Scout expedition.

The Scouts took part in ropework, ice axe practice, glacier work, climbing, mountain hut visits and mountain rescue activities. The trip also included visits to places such as Oeschinensee and Blausee, giving the Scouts direct experience of the Alpine environment.

St Lawrence Scouts crossing the glacier during the 1949 Kandersteg expedition. Image from The World of Netlam Bigg by John Gardiner, reproduced with permission.

International Scouting

International friendship was a central part of the Kandersteg expedition. The Scouts did not simply travel abroad as a closed group from Stroud. They joined international patrols and spent time with Scouts and Rovers from other countries.

The records describe international patrols involving Scouts and Rovers from New Zealand, Holland, France, Belgium and Germany.

This international element was especially meaningful in the years after the Second World War. Scouting offered young people a way to meet across national lines, share practical activities and build friendships through common values.

For Scouts from Stroud, this must have been a powerful experience: meeting other young people from across the world, not as strangers, but as fellow Scouts.

Alpine adventure

The adventure programme at Kandersteg gave the Scouts practical mountain experience. The activities included ropework, ice axe work, glaciers, climbing and mountain rescue. These were demanding experiences that required teamwork, confidence and trust.

The mountains also gave the Scouts a sense of scale and wonder. The expedition took them to places such as Oeschinensee and Blausee, names that remain closely associated with Kandersteg and the surrounding Alpine landscape.

The photograph of Scouts crossing the glacier captures the spirit of the expedition. It shows a group of young people far from home, taking part in real adventure and learning skills in an environment very different from the one they knew in Stroud.

It is easy to understand why the expedition became such an important memory for those who took part. It combined effort, travel, friendship, challenge and discovery.

Netlam Bigg and the spirit of the trip

Netlam Bigg’s role in the expedition was central. He helped make the journey possible through organisation and practical support, and his belief in international Scouting shaped the purpose of the trip.

During the expedition, Netlam came from his hotel to hear about the Scouts’ exploits. According to the account in The World of Netlam Bigg, he said that if he had been younger, he would have joined them.

That detail captures something important about Netlam’s character. He was not merely an administrator arranging things from a distance. He took joy in the adventure of Scouting and wanted young people to experience its widest possibilities.

Remembering the expedition

The Kandersteg expedition remained important long after the Scouts returned home. It was remembered as one of the great moments in the St Lawrence story.

Later reunions helped preserve the memory of the trip. The story was not only kept in records and photographs; it lived on through the people who had taken part and through the friendships formed by the expedition.

Reunion at Manor Court Hotel. Image from The World of Netlam Bigg by John Gardiner, reproduced with permission.

The photograph of the reunion reminds us that the expedition was more than a trip. It became part of people’s lives and part of the shared memory of St Lawrence Scouts.

Following in their footsteps today

The Kandersteg story has a special meaning for Stroud Valley Scouts today. In 1949, St Lawrence Scouts fundraised locally, prepared carefully and travelled from Stroud to Switzerland. Today, Stroud Valley Scouts are preparing for their own Switzerland adventure.

The circumstances are different, but the thread is the same: young people working towards something bigger than an ordinary weekly meeting, supported by volunteers, families and the local community.

The 1949 expedition shows what Scouting can do. It can take young people beyond familiar places, help them build confidence, introduce them to international friendship and give them memories that last a lifetime.

Help today’s Scouts continue the tradition

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Sources and acknowledgements

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