International Scout Jamboree in Warwick, 1979

A pennant which I bought at the Scout Jamboree, 1979, Priory Park Warwick. | Image courtesy of Gary Stocker
A pennant which I bought at the Scout Jamboree, 1979, Priory Park Warwick.
Image courtesy of Gary Stocker
A selection of the camp newsletters that were published most days. | Image courtesy of Gary Stocker
A selection of the camp newsletters that were published most days.
Image courtesy of Gary Stocker

From 26th July until 2nd August 1979 there was an international scout jamboree in Priory Park in Warwick. I was in Newbold-on-Stour Sea Scouts at the time. The name of the jamboree was, “Amikaro” which is an Esparanto word meaning, “a gathering of friends”. There were scouts from nine countries at the gathering, coming from as far as Canada and Japan.

Warwickshire County Scout commander Gordon Richards lit the first camp fire, and the Coventry Evening Telegraph reported that the scouts were told to enjoy themselves to the full1, which they did by singing a selection of camp fire songs.

Camped for the week

We camped there for the week and there were scout troops from all over the UK and the rest of the world, including the US and what was then West Germany. The great and the good from the scouting world were there. Local dignitaries and members of the public were allowed to visit and we were in the local press a lot.

There were lots of activities going on, such as rugby matches, evening entertainments in the Dell, and it even had its own newspaper. When the gathering ended, it was generally been accepted to have been a great success (and by this point, the Coventry Evening Telegraph was reporting that 10 nations were represented!2). There were prayers, and more singing, before a final parade and the lowering of the flags as a bugle sounded the Last Post.

Hard to believe

It is hard to believe now, when you walk through Priory Park, that there was a large tented community there at one point.

References

1 Coventry Evening Telegraph 27th July 1979, p1.

2 Coventry Evening Telegraph 3rd August 1979, p1

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