Scouting in Greater London Vane. Vane later became the second President of the British Boy Scouts which had begun in Battersea, London. In 1909, the London Diocesan Boy Scout Corp, was formed by the Church of England. One of the oldest Scout Groups in London is the 1st City of London Scout Group, which is still notable as the only Scout Group in the traditional City of London. In September 1909, a Boy Scout Rally at Crystal Palace was attended by 11,000 Scouts including a patrol of "Girl Scouts". The 1st World Scout Jamboree was held at Olympia, London in the summer of 1920.
1909 Crystal Palace Scout Rally 1909 Crystal Palace Scout Rally The Crystal Palace Rally was an historic gathering of Boy Scouts and unofficial "Girl Scouts" at the Crystal Palace in London on Saturday, 4 September 1909. The rally demonstrated the rapid popularization of Scouting with an estimated 11,000 boys attending with the prominent presence of Girl Scouts also being significant for the start of Girl Guides/Scouts. The rally was held a year and a half after the publication of "Scouting for Boys" and "The Scout" magazine, and two years after Robert Baden-Powell's demonstration Brownsea Island Scout Camp. Some controversy occurred with attempts to exclude girls