FRIDAY the 13th proved lucky for this group of Scouts. The 10th Oxford troop based at New Marston had planned the holiday of a lifetime to Luxembourg in 1976.

All the preparations were going smoothly until an unexpected late hitch – the travel agency they had used in Headington suddenly closed without warning.

That meant that more than £100 that the Scouts had struggled to raise over the previous 12 months to finance the trip, which they had paid to the agency, had been wiped out overnight.

Scout leader Mike Stanley said ruefully: “We paid in the money only a few days before the crash.” However, Mr Stanley was determined not to be beaten. He started scouring through the troop’s account books at his home in Coniston Avenue, Headington, and realised there was just enough cash to pay for the trip after all.

He told the Oxford Mail at the time: “This has now used up all our cash, but at least the lads will be guaranteed their holiday.

“Most of the lads have been saving a little bit each week since Christmas.”

Fortunately, the group had enjoyed a very profitable Bob-a-Job Week – that annual ritual when members of the Scouting movement called at homes offering to do all sorts of odd jobs for families in their neighbourhood, in exchange for a donation to Scout funds.

The discovery that there was enough money in the kitty to keep the trip on track ended a fortnight of nail-biting suspense and the counting of pennies.

The picture above shows the troop all smiles and about to leave by coach – on Friday, August 13.

There was, however, a slight sting in the tail. Mr Stanley said: “As soon as we come back, we will have to start organising raffles, sponsored walks and jumble sales to try to make up the cash.”

He was advised to put in a claim for the lost money with the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA). But he had been warned that it would probably be a year before any money filtered back to them.

The troop met at the Scout hall at the corner of Marston Road and William Street, which had its centenary in 2013.