TASIS Scouts Explore Nature and History

Students who participated in the first event, fondly referred to as the "February Freeze-out," camped out and hiked ten miles in the Brecon Beacons in Wales. Carrying their ten essentials (pocket knife, first aid kit, extra clothing, rain gear, water storage, flashlight or headlamp, trail food, matches/fire starters, sun protection, and map and compass), the scouts worked on land navigation, hiking, and cooking skills. Dinner included grilled steak and then a campfire.

During Spring Break, Troop 301 joined up with more than two thousand other scouts to attend the Transatlantic Council's Normandy Beach Camporee 2022. In addition to the fun of camping, campfires, and camaraderie, our scouts met fellow American scouts from troops from all over Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. In addition, they met international scouts from Great Britain, France, and Ukraine. 

After a cross-channel ferry and a short drive, the troop arrived and set up their tents at a campground just above the historic D-Day landing site of Omaha Beach. The following morning, all two thousand scouts attended a campfire on the beach. Along with a spirited welcome from our French hosts and a few songs, some Cub Scouts crossed over to Scouts, BSA and over forty scouts received recognition for having earned the rank of Eagle Scout – Scouts, BSA's highest award.

Following the campfire, scouts headed out to various historical sites and museums to learn more about the Allied invasion of German-occupied France and the Normandy landings on June 6, 1944, during World War II. The scouts from TASIS first headed out to Pointe du Hoc, the site where U.S. Army Rangers scaled the 100-foot-high cliffs in order to seize the artillery pieces defending Omaha and Utah beaches. At this location, the visitors walked through the various craters made by the Allied shelling and the fortified concrete gun placements. 

In addition to the beaches, the scouts visited two very engaging and interactive museums – The Airborne Museum in Sainte-Mere-Eglise and The Overlord Museum. On the last morning, more than two thousand scouts attended a short closing ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery located in Colleville-sur-Mer, on the site established by the U.S. First Army on June 8, 1944, as the first American cemetery on European soil. The 172.5-acre cemetery contains the graves of 9,387 military members, including forty-one sets of brothers and a father and son buried side-by-side. Three Medal of Honor recipients – including Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. – are also buried at the cemetery. 

For their efforts, each scout of Troop 301 earned the Omaha Beach-Normandy, France Historic Trails Award.

Scouts, BSA Troop 301 is very grateful to have TASIS as their Charter Organization. If you would like to know more about Scouts, BSA Troop 301, please contact Scoutmaster Brendan Bartlett at bbartlett@tasisengland.org or visit us at our booth at Mayfair.

Click the link to see photos of both events in our Flickr album.