Looking for Florrie McIntyre, Artigarvan, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland 1930

Submitted by Jon Marshall, Sutton on Hull, England
jon[at]magiccarpettheatre.com

Compiled by Jim McKane
jamckane[at]gmail.com

In July 1930 my Dad, Stan Marshall age 17, brought over a troupe of Scouts and Wolf  Cubs from Liverpool for a camping holiday in Artigarvan. They were mostly from poor families, Their scout troop was based at St Nathaniel’s Church in Edge Hill, Liverpool. I remember my Dad saying they had to fund raise to provide boots for some of the boys. In the group photo he is the scout pictured far right holding their banner

I remember my Dad telling me about organising a camping expedition to ireland and how they had a great time. He said the Northern Irish folk were very kind and friendly and they were given some musical instruments to start a band.  But I never knew any more details, until these photographs and letter turned up in a recent Covid19 lockdown sort out!

The scouts obviously made a hit with the Artigarvan girls, if not with their mothers, as you will see with the charming letter written to Stanley from Florrie McIntyre of Artigarvan.

Who was Florrie Mcintyre? She will have had family, maybe have had brothers and sisters. Might she have descendants in the area? There is a Florence McIntyre listed in local school records dated 1/7/1920. her date of birth is given as 5/3/1912 which would have made her 18 in 1930. Could this have been Florrie McIntyre? What happened to Florrie?

We’ll never know why a troop of twelve Wolf Cubs and twenty Scouts, Rover Scouts and leaders made the journey from Liverpool to Artigarvan for a summer camp in July 1930 and what the connection with Artigarvan was or why they arrived there. Perhaps some family or church connection.

I presume the gentleman, with the Scout (my Dad, Stan) on a horse, was an Artigarvan local man.

My Dad, Stan Marshall’s brothers, twins Albert and Leslie, age 13, are also pictured on the group photo. Sadly both were killed during WWll. One wonders how many of the others survived. Stan became an RAF pilot. 

Did Stanley ever write back to Florrie? Did the “other girl” write a letter? What happened to the “fellow with the glasses”? He’s pictured at the left of the banner.  Did the Scouts return? We will never know, but how brilliant  that this memory of the friendship of the Artigarvan people to Liverpool scouts, the lovely letter and pictures have survived for 90 years.

I hope the pictures and the letter from Florrie may prove of interest to someone in Artigarvan, and I’d love to hear if anything comes to light about their visit and Florrie.

 

Jon Marshall
18 Church Street, Sutton on Hull, HU7 4TS
jon[at]magiccarpettheatre.com