James Laird - Lark Ellen Boys Attend the Sawtelle Grammar School - Page 3 The school was growing and my sixth grade was spent in a tent like those used for schools that lost their building during the earthquake. It had a raised wooden floor and sides up about four feet. The rest of the sides and top were canvas. The top was in two layers with a foot or so between each layer to help control heat. There was a pot belly stove for heat in the winter which burned coal. During hot weather the canvas sides could be raised up. I joined the Boy Scouts my first year at the home and we met at night once a week at the school auditorium. One of the first things I learned was how to tie knots. I seemed to catch on pretty quick and was soon one of the best in the troop, and represented the troop (39 of the Crescent Bay Council) whenever we met with other troops doing scouting events. I earned my Tenderfoot, Second and First class badges fairly quickly the first couple of years when we had a regular scout master. When he left we had a mixed assortment over the next year or so with a retired WWI vet living at the Sawtelle Soldiers home, and several policemen when they started sponsoring our troop. In the meantime I started earning my merit badges. With the police as sponsors they came in handy when we needed to go somewhere for an event, beach outing or camping. Camp Slauson, a boy scout camp in the Santa Monica Mts. became a regular weekend camping location. Some troops had cabins there. |