Officially, yes. But that’s by no means the whole story.
We can trace the story back much further. Indeed, it might date as far back as April 1914! For in issue 4 of the Girl Guides Gazette there was an article about the Rhyadder Company’s “Honourable Order of Old Guides”. As the article explained, “Nearly all our Guides at the age of 15, or even before, go out to work, and so are obliged to leave the Company as they cannot attend the meetings regularly, even if they do not leave Rhyadder altogether. It seemed a pity to lose touch with them, so we started the plan of having ‘An Honourable Order of Old Guides’, that is to say, any Guide who has been an honour to the Company, and who is only obliged to leave through going out to work, or some other good reason, has her name inscribed on the list of ‘Old’ Guides which hands in the Clubroom” “once a month we have what we call a ‘social’ for the whole Company together, and to this any belonging to the ‘Honourable Company of Old Guides’ who happen to be able to come, are specially invited.” So, as early as 4 years after the founding of Girl Guides, a need was seen for something ‘beyond Guides’ which catered for those whose working commitments meant they had to give up regular Guiding, but wanted to stay in touch.
Then in 1917 came the invention of Senior Guides, to cater for girls who were outgrowing Guides but were not in a position to become Guiders. And following World War 1, there were a lot of young women who had been Guides, perhaps also Senior Guides, and who had imagined that in time they would be married, perhaps also with children – but found that it would not come to pass. Some were single, some were widows, some had children. Some were able to become active in Guiding as Guiders or Commissioners, others were still in Rangers into their 20s, sometimes even 30s.
So in 1919 the Lone Branch was reorganised into two Branches – A and B. Though Branch A was for Guides between the age of 11 and 20, Branch B was for Guides aged over 20. It’s objects were: “a) To enable Guides and Guiders to keep in touch with the Movement when through force of circumstances they have been obliged to give up active work with a Company. b) To enable those to join the Movement who have found their work, study, ill-health or duties at home too great a handicap to their joining a regular Company. c) To make it possible for those to join the Movement who are interested in Girl Guiding and anxious to do propaganda work, but who do not wish to take up the practical side of Guiding.” Lone Guides in Branch B were formed into Circles containing nominally 12 Guides, with a Leader, Circles were registered in the same way as were Guide or Ranger Companies. The Leader ran the circle to meet the needs of her Guides in terms of programme. This seems very similar in structure to Trefoil Guild, and the registration marks it out as an official, recognised scheme, especially as it was still running two years later in 1921.
Then in July 1925 it was announced that the Society of Ex-Guiders had been formed, and would be run by the Head of Lones – in June 1929 it was announced that it would be allowed to lapse.
The May 1930 issue of The Guider included an article on “The Problem of the Older Ranger”. It posed the problem of those who had been Rangers for five or more years, and Guides before that – where the Guider felt they had reached a stage where they had done all the badges and awards they were destined to, and learned all the skills which the unit could teach. Having tried different approaches, the unit ended up setting up a Senior Patrol which met occasionally with the Company and quarterly as a group, as well as circulating a newsletter.
1935 brought proposals for a “fourth branch” for former and current Leaders; this was discussed at the Commissioners’ Conference in April and “It was generally agreed that the time has come when such a Branch is needed to absorb those women who, for one reason or another, are obliged to give up taking an active part as Commissioners, Secretaries, Guiders or Rangers, but who still wish to maintain their association with the movement.” It was agreed that a “Recorder” would be appointed at Headquarters to receive suggestions and draw up a suitable scheme. The correspondence received proved that there were a number of groups already in existence across the UK, and the feedback urged that the new section should be an active service unit. In October 1935, “Guidons” was suggested as a name for the new group, and in January 1936 it was stated that a leaflet on the new scheme would be published shortly.
“The Guider” in March 1936 gave more details on Guidons, and advised that “in it’s main lines it follows the Lone Guiders’ Circles so closelty that eventually, no doubt, the two will become one” – so clearly the Lone Guiders’ Circles which started in 1919 had survived, and the 1929 demise of the “Society of Ex-Guiders” was not the demise of the Lone Circles? The same issue of The Guider gave the Headquarters Recorder’s initial suggestions, aimed at founding a World Wide Fellowship of Guiding.
By November 1936, articles were headed “Old Guides” so it appears the Guidons name was short-lived. It advised that County, Division or District groups were being formed across the UK. In 1937 the first national Old Guides conference was held, which agreed a design for a tie to be worn in uniform.
In December 1938 “The Guider” stated “an old Guide who has been previously Warranted as Commissioner, Secretary or Guider may wear an Old Guide Cockade in uniform, which is navy blue with a green and a red stripe, like the Old Guide tie.” Old Guide Recorders would also be Warranted, and wear a Secretary badge in uniform.
But – it doesn’t matter how much pre-history exists, and how closely these schemes align with what Trefoil Guild is intended to be, or how official they seem. They are all deemed to be unofficial precursors, Trefoil Guild started in September 1943.