John Thurman

Who is John Thurman?

Richard Francis "John" Thurman OBE JP was a British Scouting notable and Camp Chief of Gilwell Park from 1943 to 1969. He was awarded the Bronze Wolf in 1959 and the Silver Buffalo Award in 1962. He became an Officer of the Order of the British Empire on 1 January 1963 "for services to the Boy Scouts' Association".

In 1943, he introduced the Gilwell woggle as the insignia for Basic Training. The woggle was first created in the early 1920s by Bill Shankley, a member of the Gilwell staff. He produced a two-strand Turk's head slide which was adopted as the official woggle. From 1943 to 1989, the Gilwell woggle was awarded on the completion of Basic Training, and the Gilwell scarf and the Wood Badge beads were awarded on the completion of Advanced Training.

In 1962 Thurman conducted the only Wood Badge course ever in Burma.