The photos and text on this page were contributed by Hermann Josef Brochhagen (called Fitzi) HJBrochhagen@t-online.de who would like to find more about some of the friends he made when a group of Scouts from Cologne, Germany visited Maybole in 1954 and Scouts from Maybole visited Cologne in 1955.

I am looking for Ian Alexander and his family - or better said -looking for his earlier family. These photos were taken when some German Scouts were in Maybole in 1954 and in 1955 when the Scottish Scouts visited us in Cologne. In the photo on the right you see Ian and me with Ian´s sister Pamela on our shoulders in Alexander's garden in Maybole. You may recognize some of the Maybole Scouts in the photos of 1955 made in Germany during the stay of the Scottish Scouts.

I would be very happy to get information about what happened with the family Alexander which lived in those days at Balruddery Culzean Rd. Mr. Alexander then was a Joiner. Nothing more about the family do I remember this moment.

In choosing these photos I remembered lots of situations of that time past. 1954: Germany won the world football championship. And German scouts took part on the jamborette in Blair Atholl. 9 years after that terrible world war we looked forward to being accepted in the world. We boys of 14 to 18 years did not see those difficult issues which English people had. We were happy to be welcomed in the camp and afterwards in those wonderful families and scoutship. It was an unbelievable feeling being in an foreign country. We could not imagine that welfare of life you had at that time. I had my own room at Alexander's! And there is an always friendly and happy looking Kennedy on the photos. I think Rolf was his guest. I suppose Ian must be 64 years now (I am 68). If J. Young is still alive, he must be 85 I suppose. Then I think 1955 it was a great event for both the Scottish an the German scouts to see Cologne, to visit the Ford company in producing cars and to see other parts of Germany (i.e. the Rhine panorama and so on). And we were glad to have our one year new friends with us. Every 10 years after 1954 I got the great idea to return to that wonderful Scotland again. But always there was a break in my intention. To much to tell. One of our group has been in contact with his friend in Scotland (more in the eastern part) until today. I am so sorry now, Ian and me both we were too lazy in writing letters. And we had a 4 years difference of age. That's not worth while now, but in our youth time... although we were very happy with one another at our short common time. So far for today. If I see Scotland again in my life? This year, sorry, not because I travel a four weeks trip around in the western USA. Best wishes to still living guys of those days as far as they remember. Small tears!

Hermann Josef Brochhagen (called Fitzi) HJBrochhagen@t-online.de