1st Kettering Company, The Boys' Brigade

(Part of the youth work of Carey Memorial Baptist Church, Kettering)

A potted history of the 1st Kettering Company.

In 1922, a BB Company was formed at the Silver Street Methodist Church, in Kettering, which was later demolished as part of a road widening scheme. The Company didn't survive, and the Silver St Church became Central Methodist Church, now home to the 3rd Kettering Company. In 1936, Carey Memorial Baptist Church had a new Minister, fresh from Spurgeons College. The Rev Bowers-Garlick was concerned with the lack of discipline among the boys in the Sunday School, which had 300 to 350 members. He got together a number of men from the church, with the intention of forming a Company of The Boys' Brigade, and following a visit by the then Secretary of the Northamptonshire Division, a recruiting drive was started. 16 Boys started in the original Company, not many when you consider the size of the Sunday School! A Company had to   have 20 Boys for 6 weeks to become enrolled officially, and the Company was officially enrolled as the 1st Kettering Company in March 1937, with Lewin Fisher as Company Captain.

In 1938, the first Boys went to Camp with the Northampton Battalion at Sheerness, and in 1939 at Birchington. The War brought it's own problems, a large influx of evacuees boosted Company numbers to around 90 (remember this is what we would now call the Company Section!) and Lewin Fisher was employed by the LMS Railway, and found it difficult to maintain his Captaincy, so before the end of the war, the reins were handed over to Reg Bridges (still our Honorary President). Also during the war, a Life Boy Team was started, although this wasn't properly running until the 1950's. Camps became more limited, with Boys going to Mrs Knight's farm just outside Kettering, in some old farm buildings.

The 1950's saw an expansion of the BB in Kettering, with the formation of the 2nd (Rockingham Rd Methodist Church-now home to the Kettering Citadel of the Salvation Army) and 3rd (Central Methodist) Kettering Companies, which meant that the Kettering Companies could run their own Camps. This continued until the 1980's, bringing in the Corby, Market Harborough and Burton Latimer Companies, and linking with our friends of the 1st Matlock Company joining us from Derbyshire.

The Company since the war has always been a small one, which brings it's own difficulties. In the early 1970's the Company Section was down to 2 Boys, which it is again as the first year of the new Millenium draws to a close. We have always been a small friendly Company, and we have had some good times. The early 80's were probably some of our Golden Years. We managed to win the Battalion Colour Competition for the first time, we got some good results in the Seniors Project, got through to the semi final of the National Top Of The Form (and had a great day and a half in Newcastle), and even got past the first round of the National Five a side Football contest. We had a great bunch of lads who were all close friends both inside and outside of the Church and Company, which just goes to show what is the most important thing in the life of a BB Company - The Boys.

The current Officers and Boys would like to pay our tribute to those who have gone before us, Officers and Boys, for without them, we wouldn't have a history.

As we always said, even in the darkest times;

!!!Up The First!!!

(Early History "borrowed" from "A History of The Boys' Brigade" written by Reg Bridges ( and Charles Chambers to mark the Golden Jubilee of the Company in 1987, with grateful thanks.)