A donation puzzle!

A home-made Guide uniform dating back more than 100 years has been donated to the ARC and with it some intriguing pieces of kit which are both delighting and puzzling our volunteers. A box of items belonging to Nora Williamson, who was a Guide in the 1^st Gressenhall Company in 1919, was given to us by her daughter, Patience Elliott who visited the ARC recently.

The artefacts include the dark blue uniform blouse, complete with 25 proficiency badges earned by Nora – many of which were also home-made – and two rare triangular bandages printed with illustrations showing how to tie slings and dressings.

The collection also includes whistles, badge certificates, a leather belt, Nora’s Nature Diary, training books, and a mysterious square net object, complete with straps and ties, which volunteers are at a loss to identify!

“We have no idea what it is at the moment,” said archivist Helen Green, “but it’s part of an amazing collection which paints a fascinating picture of what it was like to be a Guide in the earliest days of the Movement.”

Nora went on to become a Girl Guide Lieutenant in 1927 and Captain of her company in 1933. She kept a scrap book of newspaper cuttings which catalogue important events such as the visit of Princess Mary, President of the Guide Association at the time, taking the salute at a rally at Culford Hall in Suffolk in 1926.

There is also a selection of photos taken at summer camps, an Order of Service at Norwich Cathedral for the 21^st anniversary of Norfolk Girl Guides in 1932 and a Leader’s Warrant badge with BP (Baden Powell) on it.

ARC volunteers will now conserve, catalogue and research the items; in particular they are keen to find out more about Nora Williamson’s links to the Suffragette Movement through her District Commissioner, Violet C Cory, who is pictured in some of the photographs.

We will update this page when we have found out more information – but if you know what the mystery net object is, please get in touch with archivist@girlguidingnorfolk.org.uk