I joined the Petts Wood Lodge in 1975, aged 23, though my Scouting connections. Derek Goldsmith, Group Scout Leader of 1st Green Street Green, of which I was the Scout Leader, and Tony Barker, GSL of 1st Biggin Hill, saw many similarities to Scouting; Service, development, esprit de corps and comradeship, and were my Proposer and Seconder, who were both members of Petts Wood Scouts in the 1940s.
Members come from all areas of society, meet and enjoy each other’s company, and is a welcome distraction from the daily pressures of modern life.
It is unique inasmuch as it has valuable lessons for everyone in our ceremonies, that all the other “service clubs” don’t, but with an emphasis of supporting the local community. This, more than ever, is a major reason for being a member.
Petts Wood developed quickly after the station opened in 1928, and many houses built in the 1930s. Men working in the city and local shopkeepers – many from a scouting background – decided to form the Lodge in 1934. A leading light was Harry “Skip” Barker. He and his three sons became members and brought their friends into the fraternity.