(2) Recognition, Reorganising and Reaching Out (1924 - 1932)
etween 1924 and 1932, as increasingly more events were being hosted in the town of Kuala Lumpur (it had been the capital of the Federated Malay States since 1895), there were increased calls for volunteers and helpers. While there were other groups like the Cadets, people were more eager to call on the assistance of the Scouts. Parallel with this development, it must be noted that the First Selangor Group was, until 1925, the sole Troop in Selangor. Equally important, it was the Troop from the premier school of the region. So who else to call upon other than the V.I. Scouts when help was needed? Thus, the V.I. Scouts found themselves involved in a myriad of activities that kept them occupied week after week.
However, it was not just external factors that accounted for the busy-ness of the V.I. Scouts. The V.I. Scout movement had many dedicated and committed teachers who voluntarily gave of their time to instruct and examine the Scouts in different aspects of Scoutcraft. Teachers like Mr M.A. Akbar and Mr Ganga Singh became Assistant District Commissioner and District Scout Master respectively. Even the V.I. Headmasters were actively involved, a tradition continued even after the Second World War! It was of no surprise then that the V.I. Scouts were admired far and wide for their abilities.
RECOGNITION OF THE V.I. SCOUT MOVEMENT
The V.I. Scouts and Scout Masters were instrumental in establishing Troops in other schools such as ACS Klang and Maxwell School. Perhaps the zenith of this trailblazing occurred on Empire Day, 15 May 1926. Mr Frank C. Sands, the Chief Scout Commissioner for Malaya, often inspected V.I. Scout parades, be they ordinary Troop parades or march pasts in major public events. After the 1926 Empire Day Inspection, there was a Grand Rally at which Mr Sands addressed the V.I. Scouts and Cubs. With the District Scout Master, Mr M.A. Akbar beside him, Mr. Sands commended the boys on their good turnout, reminding them that they were the pioneers of the movement in the State and had been the only Scouts in the State for a good long time. The V.I. Scouts had kept up the movement without a break (The Methodist Boys’ School and St John’s Institution incidentally had started Troops in 1910 just after the V.I., but those Troops were subsequently disbanded). Such activeness, he said, was due to Mr M.A. Akbar who had, in sixteen years of service, worked hard for the Troops, keeping the interest going in spite of all difficulties. There were many times when Mr Akbar had to manage things single-handedly. Hence the Chief Commissioner thought it fitting that Mr Akbar should hold a new office, that of Assistant District Commissioner for Selangor.
That same day, a public meeting was held at the Victoria Institution, the object of which was the formation of a Selangor Boy Scouts Local Association. The Honourable Mr H.W. Thomson, the British Resident, was the chair and those in attendance included Mr Sands, representatives from the Girl Guides’ Association and the Negri Sembilan Boy Scouts’ Association. The proposal for forming the Association was passed unanimously and the Resident was asked to become the Association’s president. Two former V.I. Scout Masters, Mr E.S. Redfearn and Mr M.A. Akbar were automatically inducted into the committee because of their roles as Assistant District Commissioners, assisting the District Commissioner Mr J.R. Kellam. The V.I. Scout movement was, indeed, ‘reaching out’. Thus 15 May 1926 became a red-letter day in Scouting annals. With his well-merited promotion, Mr Akbar continued to serve the movement creditably and, in 1930, was awarded the Bar of the Medal of Merit by the Chief Scout Lord Robert Baden-Powell on the occasion of Mr Akbar’s 20th year in service.
The V.I. Scouts also established close rapport with the District Commissioner, Mr Kellam, who contributed a challenge trophy for an inter-patrol competition between the patrols of all the V.I. Troops. After Mr Kellam's departure, his successor, Mr Marcus Dukes, barely in office twelve days, paid a visit to the school on 20 June 1929. He was received with a general salute and proceeded to inspect the ranks, during which he questioned the Scouts on the Scout Laws and in the uses of the various knots. Emergency drill was practised under the command of Mr Dukes and, after this, a Message Relay Race was run in Patrols. A short practice in jujitsu ended the programme for the day.
The British Residents for Selangor also had high praise for the V.I. Troops whenever they saw them in action. Residents like Mr O.F. Stoner, Mr E.W.F. Gilman and Mr A. Caldecott were reported as being deeply impressed by the Scouts during the Empire Day celebrations of various years. As has been mentioned, in 1925, the Selangor royalty had even offered to present the Royal Colours to the Troop! Truly the Scout movement was held in such high esteem that when the Selangor Scouts held a camp in Morib in 1926, the Sultan very kindly lent them a bungalow. Other Scout associations also regarded the V.I. Scouts highly, inviting them to their functions. In 1928, the V.I. Scouts were invited to the first Grand Rally of the newly formed Malay Troops at the Kampung Baru Padang on July 12, as well as to the Klang Scouts rally cum ‘White Honey’ Inter-patrol Competition of the Fifth Selangor Troop of the ACS Klang. It was also reported in Scouting In Malaya, September 1929 that, during a jamboree in Singapore, the Singapore Scouts "were very pleased to welcome to our Jamboree the Troop Leader and one of the Patrol Leaders from the Victoria Institution Troop, Kuala Lumpur". In effect, the TL and PL were treated as Guests-of-Honour!
One very momentous sign of recognition occurred on Armistice Day, 11 November 1930. Before the assembled Scout Troops of Selangor, the First Selangor Group were presented with a Troop flag by the Chief Justice W. Elphinstone. The ADC Mr Stowell (who was also the V.I. Headmaster) addressed the Troop, reminding them that the flag was their challenge to carry out their threefold promise. They had to ward off the ‘cunning enemy’ who would tempt them to be too slack to turn up for patrol meetings, too slack to practise their Morse code, too slack to do good turns, or too slack to go to camp. If they yielded, they would be surrendering their flag. The flag was later escorted in a slow march before the Troop which presented staffs.
WPKL @ HQ 
