Fitting tribute for Wick Scouting stalwart

And now there is a permanent reminder of his long and loyal service at the 5th Littlehampton Sea Scout Group headquarters, where a plaque of remembrance has been unveiled.

Maurice, who died in October, aged 77, was the chairman and Venture Scout leader of the group from 1973-97.

More than 60 people attended the ceremony to see the plaque unveiled at the headquarters, the Gordon Hall, in Lineside Way, Wick.

Maurice’s widow Joy, herself a Ranger Guide leader, and the couple’s son Jonathon, a Royal Navy officer, unveiled the memorial, which had been covered by the first Sea Scout Venture flag to be made in the country, to a design by Maurice and Jonathon, when he was a Venture Scout.

Family members travelled from as far away as Scotland for the occasion, and a number of Maurice’s former Venture Scouts, some now in their 50s, also made long journeys to be there.

A short service was led by the Rev Philip Tout, the Arundel and Littlehampton District Scout chaplain.

Many tributes were paid to Maurice, and Richard Redman, a former Venture Scout and Venture Scout leader, recounted many anecdotes of Maurice’s time at the group.

Group Scout leader Tony Squires said: “It was a great honour for us all at the 5th to remember Maurice in this way and to see so many former Venture Scouts again.”

As well as Scouting, Maurice was involved in other organisations including the Littlehampton Companions, the town’s branch of the Royal Naval Association and All Saints’ Church, Wick.

After retiring from the Royal Navy, he worked as an electrical engineer for a number of years, and when the new Tesco opened at Littlehampton in the mid-1990s, he took a job there and was still working at the supermarket until a year ago.