Five former scouts from Lichfield have reunited after more than half a century.
The group held a 51st anniversary reunion in the city to mark the date they set off on a post A-Level trip around Europe in a converted butcher’s van.
Andrew Simkins, Chris Kittle, Tim Davies, Dave Smith, Chris Davies and their scout leader John Williams met to catch up and reminisce about the trip, which took a year to fundraise for and plan.
But their trip aboard their van’s engine blew up on the fourth day some 170km south of Paris.
Armed with only a repair manual and tools, they set about attempting a repair – and despite no experience, over the course of a week they diagnosed the problem, ordered parts and hitched to Paris and back to collect them and get their vehicle back on the road.
Their European adventure went on to take in Geneva, Milan, Venice and Austria before the van eventually gave up the ghost, with the group returning to Lichfield exactly a month after they’d set off.
Current group scout leader, Richard Taylor, said:
“Even after all these years, their story is a great example of what scouting is all about.
“The independence, responsibility and resourcefulness shown by these young men 51 years ago is exactly what we try to instil in young people today.”
Richard Taylor
For more details on the 7th Lichfield Scout Group and the journey around Europe more than half a century visit 7thlichfield.org.uk.
