Memories

 

There may be different ways of entering the New Year but something very much in it's past, over one hundred and ten years old with that sepia, beloved at the time but today often in black and white greyscales.

Uniform reflected the Edwardian era of Scouting in its infancy and not how the neckerchief is fastened too.

Sending wishes, the old school way by Postcard, in Twenty Twenty Six and endangered species and yet the fact we can see it is something that with current trends in 2126 we may not as sd's cards fail and file formats drift.

We can read a lot too into how it is written by the handwriting.

There is something to be said for us sending a Postcard even if we post updates  from our tablets and smartphones while we are visiting places: A truely permanent memory.

The french old school

 

Vintage Scout uniform as worn in France, showing the wide brimmed hats, short trosers, the bottoned shirt wih other accessories they way it was pre 1967 looking really smart and very much as B-P felt it should be, based on his experiences on what worked.

Taking a rest

Sometimes after a long hike you feel like a bit of a rest for an hour or so before resuming so I can't blame this Scout for taking one.

It's always a good idea to keep hydrated and be mindful to eat regularly along your way, stopping briefly as necessary.  
 

The Traditional Scout

Source: gakya additional processing by me

This is the Traditional Scout, the one I always had time for in full uniform where each and every item of it was designed for a purpose and has a symbolism that doesn't fall for fashion as scouting uniform was never about that.

It was all about practicality so we wear shorts to avoiding the damaging and muddying that happens if you wear longs in say erecting a tent and we keep our legs warm with thick proper long socks.

We are trusted to use a long sharp knife having learned how to use it so it is held in a leather holster on our belt for ease of access.

It is a uniform for the more mature Scout that builds up on what he wore as a Wolf Cub.

We're There

Scouts pose as their flags are displayed with boyish enthusiasm and high spirits for the official photograph together having made their camp. 

The Boy Scout

While I have talked a little on here about Cubs and Wolf Cubs the point always was you passed on the next section which is Scouts (or as originally Boy Scouts) from around 10 and half years of age.

This is an actual membership card from 1965 two years before the changes came in so you can see what you would of been given when you handed in your old one upon transition which lists badges you could earn for both Public Service and Proficiency and what by way of aims you are expected to work toward as a Boy Scout.

A boy at 15 would if continuing in Scouting hand this card in for his Senior  Scout Card which historically at least tends to face more challenges from other interests such as films and movies apart from romantic impulses.

Rather like with Wolf Cubs or post 1967, Cubs, the Boy Scout also had annual publications whose content was geared around what you'd need and be interested in to gain your badges as that Boy Scout.

This 1961 edition of the Pathfinder Annual is a good example of one which also shows how pre 1967, the Boy Scout uniform that featured shorts and long socks with garters, just that bit more grown up from his Wolf Cub uniform.