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Violet Synge

Violet Montressor Synge was an English Girl Guide executive. She held several roles within the Girlguiding movement, including chief commissioner for England and Guider-in-charge of the 1st Buckingham Palace Guide Company, which was set up in 1937 so that Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret could join. Synge received the Silver Fish Award, the movement's highest adult honour, for services to world Guiding.

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Violet Synge
Synge from a 1941 newspaper
Girl Guide Chief Commissioner for England
Personal details
BornViolet Montressor Synge
(1896-05-16)16 May 1896
Hanover Square, Westminster, England
Died13 April 1971(1971-04-13) (aged 74)
Haslemere, Surrey, England
OccupationGirl Guide executive

Violet Montressor Syngea (16 May 1896 – 13 April 1971) was an English Girl Guide executive. She held several roles within the Girlguiding movement, including chief commissioner for England and Guider-in-charge of the 1st Buckingham Palace Guide Company, which was set up in 1937 so that Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret could join.2 Synge received the Silver Fish Award, the movement's highest adult honour, for services to world Guiding.3

Personal life

Violet Montressor Synge was born in Surrey to an English father, Captain Francis Julian Synge and an American mother, Christobel Etrenne, from Lenox, Massachusetts.45 She grew up in Chelsea, London6 and had one surviving brother.7 During WWI, from 1914 to 1915, Synge worked in a hospital canteen, then drove ambulances until 1919.89 She was presented at court in June 1920.10

By 1939 Synge was living in Rickmansworth and working for the British Red Cross.11 During WWII, she was a Commandant-Major in the Mechanised Transport Corps (MTC). Early in the formation of the Girls Training Corps she was made a commandant of 1st (Chelsea) Company.12 Established by MTC,13 the Corps was for females aged 14 to 20 who planned to eventually join the Women's Royal Naval Service, Auxiliary Territorial Service, Women's Auxiliary Air Force, munitions work or nursing.141516

After the war Synge lived in Chantry Cottage, Bexhill-on-Sea with fellow Guiders Agnes Maynard and Dorothy Moore17 until 1952, when the three women moved to Eastbourne, Hampshire.1819 By 1957 she was living in Tilford, Surrey.20 Synge died at Holy Cross Hospital, Haslemere. She left her body for medical research.21

Girl Guides

Synge joined the Girl Guide movement in the late 1920s.22 Her Guiding qualifications included the Chief's diploma for training.23 Because of "her record, her ideas and her initiative"24 Synge was selected to establish the 1st Buckingham Palace Guide Company, so that Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret could experience "social contacts in a wider field."25 Before setting up the Company she had been Guider-in-charge of a Guide company in Westminster.26 Of the princesses, Synge said both "were keen to learn anything, and never shirked the common tasks of potato peeling."27 She retired from the position in 1945.28

Between 1945 and 1950 Synge was Imperial commissioner for Guides.2930 From 1947 to 1952 she was division commissioner for Bexhill-on-Sea.3132 In July 1947 Synge led 1,850 Guides and Scouts in a march at The Mall, overseen by Princess Elizabeth in her first official duty after announcing her engagement to Philip Mountbatten.33 That November she attended the royal couple's wedding.34 By 1948 Synge was commissioner of Guides for the Girl Guides Association.35 She attended the 1948 WAGGGS World Conference at Cooperstown, New York.36 In 1950 she commanded a parade of 8,000 Rangers, inspected by Princess Margaret, at White City, London.37

In 1951 Synge was a member of the World Guide committee.38 At the 1952 WAGGGS World Conference in Dombås, Norway she was appointed world advisor for Guide training.3940 In the same year, she received the Silver Fish Award for her services to the Girlguiding movement.41

The Violet Synge Memorial Fund was set up after her death, the moneys from which were used to buy equipment for Girl Guide campsite, Blackland Farm in East Grinstead.42

Publications

  • Hints on Girl Guide Tests: Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class and Able Sea Guide (1939) Pub. Brown, Son and Ferguson Ltd - contributor
  • Royal Guides: A story of the 1st Buckingham Palace Company (1948) Pub. Girl Guides Association43 - author
  • Synge translated the song O Vremeli, my pretty one, as published by Janet E. Tobitt.
Notes

Notes

  1. Her name was sometimes misspelt as Singe1
References

References

  1. London Metropolitan Archives; London, England, UK; Electoral Registers
  2. "British princesses like ordinary little girls". The Morning Union. Massachusetts, USA. 1949-03-05. p. 15.
  3. Liddell, Alix (1976). Story of the Girl Guides 1938-1975. London: Girl Guides Association.
  4. "Late Mr F J Synge". Westminster and Pimlico News. London, UK. 1938-09-23. p. 6.
  5. "Captain of Scout troop of English princesses". The Morning Union. Massachusetts, USA. 1948-08-24. p. 4.
  6. "British princesses like ordinary little girls". The Morning Union. Massachusetts, USA. 1949-03-05. p. 15.
  7. "Fashionable wedding". Sussex Express. Sussex, UK. 1922-07-28. p. 7.
  8. "Elizabeth II's 90th Birthday by Janie Hampton". nla.gov.au. 2016-03-16. Archived from the original on 2018-03-23. Retrieved 2025-07-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  9. Red Cross; Kettering, England, Uk; Voluntary Aid Detachments (Vads); URL: https://vad.redcross.org.uk/
  10. "The Court". The Daily Telegraph. London, UK. 1920-06-12. p. 7.
  11. The National Archives; Kew, London, England; 1939 Register; Reference: RG 101/1623J
  12. "School girl cadets". Newcastle Journal. Newcastle, UK. 1941-09-09. p. 4.
  13. "Girl cadets train in services". The Newcastle Sun. Newcastle, NSW, Australia. 1942-05-15. p. 2.
  14. "New Corps for Girls of 14-18". Weekly Dispatch. London, UK. 1941-09-07. p. 5.
  15. "First girl cadets". The Mail. Cumbria, UK. 1941-09-09. p. 6.
  16. "Guards to drill the school girls". Evening Standard. London, UK. 1941-09-08. p. 3.
  17. East Sussex Record Office; Brighton, East Sussex, England; East Sussex Electoral Registers; Reference: C/C/70/1/4/62
  18. Hutchinson, Geoff (1989). An introduction to Bexhill-on-Sea. London, UK: G Hutchinson. p. 10. ISBN 0951065181.
  19. East Sussex Record Office; Brighton, East Sussex, England; East Sussex Electoral Registers; Reference: C/C/70/1/1/66
  20. Surrey History Centre; Woking, Surrey, England; Surrey Electoral Registers; Reference: CC802/68/7
  21. TWM (June 1971). "In Memoriam". The Guider (Vol. 58 No. 6 ed.). London, UK: Girl Guides Association. p. 236.
  22. "British princesses like ordinary little girls". The Morning Union. Massachusetts, USA. 1949-03-05. p. 15.
  23. "Guiders' Training". Sussex Express. Sussex, England. 1948-12-17. p. 4.
  24. "British princesses like ordinary little girls". The Morning Union. Massachusetts, USA. 1949-03-05. p. 15.
  25. Cathcart, Helen (1962). Her Majesty the Queen The Story of Elizabeth II. New York, USA: Dodd, Mead and Company. p. 39.
  26. "Princesses helped by their work in Guiding". Portsmouth Evening News. Portsmouth, UK. 1958-11-25. p. 3.
  27. "Sister princesses". West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser. Cornwall, UK. 1949-11-03. p. 4.
  28. "Violet, captain of Queen's Guides!". Bexhill-on-Sea Observer. Bexhill, UK. 1985-02-14. p. 14.
  29. "The Spirit of Guiding". Buckinghamshire Advertiser. Buckingham, UK. 1945-12-07. p. 5.
  30. "Guide and Scout Badges". Ormskirk Advertiser. Ormskirk, Scotland. 1950-03-09. p. 8.
  31. "New division commissioner". Bexhill-on-Sea Observer. Bexhill-on-Sea, England. 1947-01-25. p. 4.
  32. "Weekly column". Bexhill-on-sea Observer. Bexhill-on-Sea, England. 1965-11-06. p. 2.
  33. "Parade of Scouts and Guides". The Scotsman. Edinburgh, Scotland. 1947-07-14. p. 4.
  34. "The Queen's wedding". Bexhill-on-sea Observer. Bexhill, UK. 1972-12-02. p. 13.
  35. "Says Princess can't sew". Hull Daily Mail. Hull, UK. 1948-08-16. p. 2.
  36. "Chief Training for British Girl Guides is in Pleasantville". Mount Vernon Argus. New York, USA. 1948-07-02. p. 10.
  37. "Girl Guide Jubilee rally". Bexhill-on-Sea Observer. Bexill-on-Sea, England. 1960-03-19. p. 2.
  38. "More Guide leaders are needed". Torbay Express and South Devon Echo. Torbay, England. 1951-10-22. p. 5.
  39. "Guide Commissioner met Princess Royal". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane, Australia. 1952-12-15. p. 6.
  40. "Filipino widow's move on Guides in Japan". The Sun. Sydney, Australi. 1952-12-11. p. 46.
  41. Liddell, Alix (1976). Story of the Girl Guides 1938–1975. London: Girl Guides Association.
  42. "Violet Synge Memorial Fund". The Guider (Vol. 58 No. 8 ed.). London, UK: Girl Guides Association. August 1971. p. 311.
  43. "Guide Notes". East Kent Gazette. Kent, UK. 1948-12-03. p. 7.