Leader, 2nd Morecambe & Heysham Sea Scouts 1929-30. Group registered October 1929.
Stanley was born on 10 December 1901 in Leeds, the youngest son of William Gaunt, a Master Pork Butcher, and Mary Elizabeth Abbott. Both were born in Wortley, Leeds. The couple were married 6 September 1883 at Greenside Wesleyan Chapel, Wortley, Leeds and had 13 children.
On 9 August 1930 Stanley boarded the ship Athenia at Liverpool for Quebec in Canada. His occupation then was given as Journalist and his age 27. He travelled to Banff in Alberta and there met the famous guide Ike Mills, another native Yorkshireman born in Robin Hood’s Bay. Stanley published a number of articles regarding his travels in the Leeds Mercury newspaper. He might perhaps have been the author of this piece also in the Leeds Mercury regarding Sea Scouts forming in Morecambe. He subsequently published further articles in the Morecambe Guardian principally concerning fishing trips on the Bay.
Leeds Mercury 02 December 1930:
A SCOUT’S TRAVELS.
MORECAMBE “SKIPPER’S” SWIM FOR A DUCK.
(From Our Own Correspondent.)
MORECAMBE, Monday.
“Mr. S. Gaunt, skipper of Morecambe Sea Scouts, who returned on Saturday night from a four months tour of Canada, is to be given an official welcome next Friday night at supper.
Mr. Gaunt, who has travelled across Canada, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, was in the harvest fields a month, visiting lumber camps, fishing, and shooting. While out duck shooting, he took off his clothes and swam after a duck that he had wounded. He had a long swim before he got the duck, and he says that he came near to drowning, owing to his muscles become stiff with the intense cold of the water.
In his journeys across Canada, Mr. Gaunt has visited the Scout troops, and finds them doing wonderful work among the boys. His most thrilling experience was camping in the Rockies, near Banff. The guide was Ike Mills, champion guide of the Rockies, and a native of Robin Hood’s Bay. Grizzlies visited the camp, which was 9,000 feet above sea level, and the party, sleeping in an Indian tepee, had many anxious nights.
He is to publish his experiences in book form.”
He is most likely the Sea Scout Leader who, in 1930, received Sir Henry Segraves flag from his record breaking boat Miss England II prior to Sir Henry being tragically killed in the record attempt on Lake Windermere.
In his younger days Stanley was a keen cricketer and was listed in the Leeds Mercury of 13 March 1925 as both a batting and a bowling prospect for Yorkshire County Cricket Club Colts being cited as 5ft 10ins tall and age 23.
In 1932 newspapers were advertising for sale ‘Stanleys Embrocation’. ‘Discovery of the Century. Secret Remedies of the Red Indians’. Also ‘Stanleys Stomach & Liver Tonic’ and ‘Stanleys Catarrh Cure’. His address being Sunnyside, Halden Road, Morecambe W.E.
Stanley married Mary Ellen Winder in 1933 at Darwen URC. His residence afterwards was Banff House, Fairfield Grove, Heysham. The Morecambe Guardian of 27 June 1934 has an interesting article regarding Stanley, who was then an Osteopath and Masseur being visited by George Formby and his wife, whilst he was appearing at the Winter Gardens theatre. The reporter quotes George as saying “George is very pleased with the world. He is a happy man. But he has one trouble – he suffers from catarrh, an inconvenience of some moment to one on the stage. He has tried all sorts of so-called remedies without much success. But he has always lived in hope – and he has greater hope than ever now, following the visit he next paid to Mr. Stanley Gaunt, the osteopath and masseur, of Banff House, Fairfield-grove. And George took him into his confidence and told him how he suffered. Mr. Gaunt was immediately reassuring. He explained the cause and told George all that happened to him through his catarrh. Then he went on to tell him what to do and gave a remedy which was the prescription of a well-known specialist. He was also told to inhale as much Morecambe air as possible and to eat plenty of fruit. And George will follow his instructions carefully.”
In the 1940’s Stanley had premises as a masseur at 30a Yorkshire Street, Morecambe.
From various newspaper reports Stanley was also a Methodist preacher and a breeder of Lynx Rex rabbits.
Stanley died in 1984 in the Kendal area.
