The Duke of York's Camp this year was held at Southwold, from Saturday, July 30th, until August 6th. This was only the second camp to be held at Southwold, all previous ones having been at New Romney. The camp is composed of two hundred public schoolboys, not more than two from each school, and two hundred boys from firms attached to the Industrial Welfare Society, so that the number under canvas, together with the staff, is little under five hundred. These are divided into twenty sections of twenty, and all games are played between sections.
Before going down to Southwold we met at the Royal Mews, Buckingham Palace,where we had lunch and were afterwards shown over the stables and coach-houses.Then we went to Liverpool Street Station, and by a special train to Halesworth, the nearest station to Southwold, and from there by 'bus to the camp, where the marquees had already been put up. Each marquee was large enough to sleep two sections, and in addition to these there were two capable of seating the whole camp, one for meals and the other for entertainments, etc., besides smaller ones for the Bursar, the Doctor, and the canteen. Sunday was spent in settling in, and on Monday the programme for the week was begun. Breakfast at 8.0 was followed by prayers in the large marquee. Games began at 10.0 ; bathing was at 12.0, and lunch at 1.0. The games were devised so that everyone should have an equal chance. The most popular was a kind of Rugger, but played with a Soccer ball and with no rules or boundaries, and the whole section composed the team. Tugs-of-war, bench obstacle races, land-boats and weight-carrying races were only a few of the varied events,but all races were relays, so that the whole section was always competing as a single unit. After lunch there were no regular games, but always a certain number of challenge matches, such as Staff v. Camp. As the Staff team contained two Rugger internationals, including an old acquaintance of Canford's, P. Brooke, of Cambridge,it was a game of a very high standard, and greatly to the credit of the camp side towin. Tea was at 4.30 and followed by bathing ; supper at 7.30 was followed every evening by an entertainment of an extraordinary high standard. The performers were drawn partly from the camp, who had been asked to bring instruments,and partly from members of the staff. By the third day a highly skilled jazz band had been formed, and many artists of note had come to light, including many mouth-organ experts, acrobats, and an exceptional performer of rope tricks.The entertainment on the first night was a lecture by Mr. F. S. Smythe, describing his ascent of Mt. Kamet, illustrated by magnificent slides. One of the items of the last day's programme, by the way, was a lecture by Mr. F. E. Schmydtheon " Climbing Darnet," also illustrated by slides, though rather home-made. The entertainment marquee was fitted with a talkie apparatus, and the night's show was concluded with a film of some kind.
The weather was uniformly fine, and this programme was observed each day without any alterations being necessary. The games each day became more fierce and strenuous, and on Thursday, besides the ordinary games in the morning, there was a relay obstacle race in which all the sections competed together, and on the afternoon of Friday a two-mile cross-country in which every single member of the camp competed.
On the afternoon of Wednesday, H.R.H. The Duke of York motored down to the camp and spent the night under canvas, as well as bathing with the rest of the camp in the evening and attending the entertainment. The enthusiastic welcome his guests gave him must have shown the success of the camp, and the tremendous enjoyment of everyone there, and expressed, though inadequately, the gratitude of everyone present.
On Friday night the entertainment lasted until after midnight, and then every-one went outside the camp to where a gigantic bonfire had been prepared. A huge circle was formed and " Auld Lang Syne " and " God Save the King " sung. Rival group leaders were chaired by their supporters, and almost hurled into the flames.It must have been after 2 a.m. before everyone was in his tent, and breakfast next morning was attended by many in pyjamas. A 12.0 train from Halesworth took the camp to Liverpool Street, where everyone dispersed.
The extraordinary success of the camp was due to the organisation of the camp chief captain, J. G. Paterson, and the efforts of the staff, not only to group and section leaders, but also to the Bursar, the Doctor, and particularly the entertainments committee, who laboured unceasingly to keep the camp amused, and succeeded admirably. The catering throughout was done by Messrs. Harrods and the excellence of the food was only succeeded by its punctuality.
It is difficult in a short account such as this to create the atmosphere of enthusiasm and good fellowship that prevailed, and the hilarious good humour that must make it absolutely unique. The unqualified success of the camp can hardly have been conceived by those who founded it originally, and to have attended the Duke of York's camp is an experience that would be difficult to surpass.
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