The Basingstoke Air Scout Group started life in about 1970 as the 2nd Basingstoke when small group of Patrol Leaders and a Scout Leader broke away from the 25th Basingstoke (Methodist Scout Group) to form a new Group in the new Oakridge Estate, with the Group meeting in the Oakridge Methodist Church during the winter months and an old wooden church hall in Reading Rd, Chineman in Summer.

They were registered as an Air Scout Group and grew very quickly becomming the only Air Scouts in the town (the 8th Basingstoke had a Patrol of Air Scouts at one time). The Group consited of 2 Cub Packs, a Scout troop and a Venture Unit.

Under the leadership of new Scout Leader, Charles Surridge, Head of Elecronics at the AA and former SAS and a member of the UK Parachute Team, the Troop went from strength to strength, working towards gainin RAF Recongnition which was finally gained in 1976

Around this time the new subdivision of Popley was being built and with the influx of young families into the area the Group grew to the point where it had 3 Troops who met at 3 different locations. It was decided that this was far to large for one GSL to manage to we split in to 3 Groups, we became the Basingstoke Air Scouts.

Befoe 1979 there were over 20 Groups in the District and and growing far to large for one District Team to manage, so Basingstoke beacame to Districts, Basingstoke East and Basingstoke West, It was one of the Air Scouts who designed the orginal Basingstoke East District Badge

Charles lived in Popley and aquired one of the old builders huts that was adjacent to where our current brick building now stands, we soon moved in and finally the Group had a place it could call home where we could do what we like and put up our own posters etc.. Unfortunately in 1984 vandals struck our hut and it was to badly damaged, but out of the ashes and with the help of a Scout Leader from Brighton Hill we were able to aquire a new building in the form of Hampshire County Council temporary classroom. This building served the Group well until after many years of fund raising in the late nineties and with the help of a Lottery Grant and grants from many other sources work finally in 2000 started on our current brick building, with us moving in 2001