Gerald Law joined 2nd St Albans Scout Group as a Cub Scout in 1962. Sixty-four years later he sat down at a District AGM expecting a fairly ordinary evening, and was surprised instead with the Silver Wolf — the highest good service award available to volunteers in Scouting.
Made in the name of the Chief Scout, Dwayne Fields, the award is described by Scouts as “the unrestricted award of the Chief Scout” and is given for service “of a most exceptional nature”. It was presented to Gerald, currently District Chair, at the district’s Annual General Meeting on 10 June 2026.
The service in question covers most of a lifetime. Cub Scout from 1962, Scout from 1964 to 1969, then the Air Cadets and the Royal Air Force, which he left in 1977. He returned to 2nd St Albans as a Scout Section Leader at the request of the group’s Chairperson — his father. Five years leading a Scout section turned into forty years of nearly everything else: District Commissioner of the since-closed Lea Valley District, Group Scout Leader at Lea Scout Group, Parade Marshal for St George’s Day, Media Manager for Luton Scouting, and District Chair since 2021, alongside a long list of town and group roles along the way.
He carried the district when we had no District Lead Volunteer.
“It gave me great pleasure to award Gerald with the Silver Wolf, I cannot think of anyone else more deserving of it,” said Lee Baker, District Lead Volunteer for Falkes. “Despite facing adversity, he carried the district when we had no District Lead Volunteer and supported me immensely when I took on the role. He is now a few months away from having done 50 years of service to Scouting, covering nearly every different role.”
Gerald was not expecting any of it. “To receive Scouting’s highest award for service is such a privilege. I was shocked,” he said. “Scouting is very much about Adult Leaders working with our young people and each other. Seeing young people develop and gain confidence is very rewarding. I have been supported by many adults over the years to which I am eternally grateful.”
Fifty years is a long time to keep showing up. Every Friday night, every camp, every AGM in between — and a few months from now, Gerald will have done half a century of them.
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