The 75th anniversary in 1985 is one of my favorite Guiding moments to collect for. There is something about the artwork and the items that has such a nostalgic pull for me. But if I’m being honest, as a 90’s kid I think I’m just feeling F.O.M.O for this huge Guiding year I missed out on. The 100th anniversary doesn't have the same impact on me and I will always try to pick up 1985 items when I come across them. Recently, I found a keychain, calendar, and booklet about the history of Guiding in Windsor, Ontario. Flipping through the booklet, I found pictures of a chapel with a Guiding trefoil and this was how the Girl Guide Chapel in Windsor became another stop on my dream Girl Guide history tour of Ontario.
“The Game of Guiding in Windsor: the First 75 Years 1911- 1986” is a great little book with a ton of photos and detailed information on the history of Girl Guides in the area. Guiding in Windsor started in 1911 with the first units officially registered at All Saints’ Church in 1912. The movement saw rapid growth and by the end of the first year, Windsor had gained 90 members. Over the next few decades, the movement would continue to grow and when the All Saints’ Guide Unit received an unrestricted gift of $250, the Guides came up with the idea to build their own Guiding-themed chapel. They then approached the All Saints' Church and they were allowed to build their chapel to the left of the main altar. The Guides purchased new flooring and wood for an altar. Guiders and members of the communities donated the altar cross, flower vases, kneeling pads, linens, and embroidery materials. The altar of the new chapel was built by Charles Clark, father of Nell Varah, who was a youth member of the unit. The Girl Guide Chapel was officially dedicated on June 9th,1935 by Canon P.N. Harding. The flowers used during the services were placed on the altar in the memory of two past members of the unit, Ruth Treacy and Catherine Prince. During the following services, flowers would continue to be donated by the Windsor Guides and then taken to members of Guiding families who were sick.
The chapel would continue to develop over the next decade through donations and the support of the Windsor Guide community. One notable gift was a chalice veil that was purchased in Russia, following the destruction of its cathedral in 1933. At the time of its donation, the veil was thought to be around 100 years old and gifted to the chapel due to the symbols of the Eastern Orthodox Church embroidered in a gold thread which was allied to the Anglican Communion in England. A banner was also donated that was made from fabric woven from a wall hanging in Westminster Abbey in London, England, as well as a memorial with names of the fifteen Guide members who served during the Second World War. A gift from a Windsor Guide Unit in London, England was the Guide Promise and Law inscribed on a communion rail.
A group of Girl Guides choosing to fund a chapel in their local church and meeting space does pose the really interesting question of the role Christianity played in the early Girl Guide movement. One idea that is present when discussing Girl Guide history is that the reason most groups met in churches is that the space was cheap and available. This idea is promoted in the popular book “How the Girl Guides Won the War'' by Janice Hampton as she uses this idea of a cheap meeting space to argue that the movement's relationship with Christianity is solely a perceived connection. She goes on to argue that while Lord Baden-Powell believed that a connection to faith was important, he tried not to connect the movement to any one religion and it was those critical of the Baden-Powell and the movement who pushed this belief of Girl Guides and Scouts being a Christian organization. In her writing, Hampton tends to view the Baden-Powells as forward thinkers and, as a result, does not examine Christianity’s possible effects on the movement too deeply.
While Hampton’s book tends to focus on British and European Guiding, a Canadian take on churches as meeting spaces is discussed in the article “The Girl Guide Movement and Impernationalism during the 1920s and 1930s,” by Kristine Alexander. She argues that a large draw of Candian families to the Girl Guide movement was its patriotic connection to England and, while some Canadian units met at schools or community halls, most met at Anglican Churches, helping emphasize this connection to English culture. I think it's important to show that other Canadian units had connections to their local church that went beyond just being a meeting space. Recently, I picked up this 1948’s Boy Scout and Girl Guide Church service pamphlet from London, Ontario. The pamphlet includes Cub and Scout prayers and mentions that both the Guides and Scouts would be parading through town after the service. This suggests that major Guides and Scouting events were taking place within churches across Ontario and that the Church setting did play some sort of role within the larger movement. I think more research could be done in this area and I would love to write another blog post on it in the future.
Both, “I Promise to do my Best” by Mable Anderson and “The Game of Guiding in Windsor” saw the 1980’s as a pretty active time for Guiding members in relation to the chapel. The sisters Evelyn Sheppard and Maude Longley, with the help of the altar guild, were known to care for the chapel and share its history and, during this time, local Windsor Guide and Brownies units donated one dollar a year towards the purchases of Sunday flowers which were placed in the chapel each week and then gifted to family members of Guiding families who are sick or can no longer make it to church. A ceremony was held on June 2nd, 1985 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the chapel and the 75th anniversary of the Girl Guide movement. Active members were welcomed to join the congregation for their Sunday mass and two communion crusts were given by the Girl Guide Trefoil Guild. The guests were also welcome to join for a social hour following the service. On September 29th a new visitor book was given to the chapel by the Windsor Guiders at their Guider reunion.
According to their website, Girl Guides of Canada has been a secular activity since 2007. However, Christianity still has a lingering presence throughout the movement despite major steps forward towards inclusivity. In 2010, the Windsor Association Trefoil Guild invited all current and former Guiding members with their family and friends to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the chapel and the 100th anniversary of Guiding. The celebration included a social hour and a rededication service of the Chapel of the Good Shepherd. According to the church's website, the chapel is still used for small services and is thought to be the only Girl Guide chapel in North America. The 125th anniversary of Girl Guides of Canada and the 100th anniversary of this chapel will take place in 2035 and I’m interested to see how the celebration of these joint anniversaries will play out within a more secular organization. I'm really hoping I can make it out for a visit before then.
Thanks for Reading!
EM
March 2021 Update:
While sorting through my collection, I came across this postcard of a Girl Guide gate in a cathedral in West Surrey, England. I didn’t think I could make a whole post about it so felt it might fit nicely here for those interested in Religion and Guiding. The postcard shows large iron gates with the Guide Guide logo in the center. Along the top is the inscription of “Do All To The Glory of God”. The gate was funded by the West Surrey Girl Guides and leads into the Children’s Chapel and there is also a second gate for the Scout movement.
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