The Scots Scout

 

The Scottish Scout in his natural environment very much looking smart whilst on an organized outing.

I do quite like the kilted look of scottish scouts as much as I am very much a short trousered traditionalist at heart.

St. Andrews Day

The St Andrew's Cross or Saltire is Scotland's national flag. Tradition has it that the flag, the white saltire on a blue background, the oldest flag in Europe and the Commonwealth, originated in a battle fought in East Lothian in the Dark Ages. It is believed that the battle took place in the year 832AD.

What is St Andrew's Day? Scotland's national holiday is called St Andrew's Day, and it commemorates Saint Andrew. Ever since his relics were said to be taken to the east coast of the country and buried where the town of St. Andrews now stands, he became a significant religious figure in Scotland.

St Andrew's Day is the feast day of Andrew the Apostle and is celebrated every year in Scotland on the 30 November. In 1320, St Andrew officially became the patron saint of Scotland when the country's independence was declared with the signing of The Declaration of Arbroath.

We do mark it in Scouts where activities may include learing some Scottish Gaelic, baking some tasty Scottish treats, playing a game of Haggis hunt or trying homemade Highland games.

Going native!

There always has been strong links between Scotland and France politically - the "Auld Alliance" - and here such links between Scottish and French Scouts are to be found with the French scouts wearing the kilt with their uniform, something that is common place in Scottish Scouting while enjoying their hike as guests of a Scottish District.

Off to camp

In Scotland it is by no means unknown for scouts not to just wear shorts (or heaven forbid, Longs) but also Kilts as a number of schools do any many weddings feature as well.

Here we have a scout unit gathered ready to travel to Camp for their picture from the 1970's that might of been taken for press or publicity reasons as photography was become more colour in that era but print remained black and white outside of the mastheads of newspapers.