Post 1,100+1

It says here we have reached 1,100 posts so this is one after that but given this last week was quite an important one in all forms of Scouting and I ought not to forget The Boys and Girls Brigades too, it was right to continue with that series of posts.

We've looked at scouting in the past,  today in world many of us would never of thought would of turned out the way it had and the third strand, the things I've done that relate to that.

For some of us 1979 was a important year in our own development, finding new interests, spending my first ever day in Keswick rambling, finding out more about myself, even enjoying parading.

Things in scouting were different, some such as safeguarding and having clear plans for activities for the better not that they should be a barrier to having fun and learning new skills, others such as what from my vantage point is a lowering of uniform standards more regretable.

It certainly isn't that we should be hung up on uniforms, the involvement and committment of children and young people do count for more but for more formal things such as parades, receptions  and award giving, being smart does matter.

This applies across both Scouts and GirlGuides.

The Cubs and Brownies and Scouts and Girl Guides in this picture look smarter than many today which isn't just about the uniform itself - although I have my reservations with elements of that like what resemble jogging bottoms, jeans and lycra shorts for Brownies for instance - but also the way it is worn.

While from the point of view of real uniformity - which is why we generally have uniforms I'd sooner all of these Beavers were in short trousers, actually for wearing a modern uniform they can and no doubt were aided to look smart on parade.

It does go to show that even accepting a few changes, some scout groups do manage to get what was second nature to us back then not just in Scouts or Guides but at school too.

Can we have more of that and some consideration of how a uniform looks in such situations?

Authenic new-old uniform looks

Uniform, always needed, was prescribed but the Scout Association and Girlguiding UK have added their own takes in the last fifty years and then for those of us more "in spirit" rather in chronological age where do you get yours from?

There are replica manufacturers about who obviously do adult sizes, that being their market but this is the actual current "official" one available in sizes upto and including 38 inches as the modern ten year old may to put things delicately be "well made" compared to many of us at the same age.

As it is I do fit a 38 chest well (my regular sweatshirts come from uniform suppliers) so while renewing mine, I did get this.

It has the current logo, which recently changed from where we were six odd years ago (and a number of times before then) and your purple badge goes toward the top right when garment is down in front of you sowing

I'm not that keen on the new logo not least because that stylizing soon becomes out of date where something more timeless is really a better idea but it is what it is.

Teamed up with some grey short trousers, classic knee length socks and garters, you can arrive at a new/old hybrid which mentally at least is where some of us are.

As with any kind of replication, think about where you might be if in public as the last thing we want to do is cause alarm or distress although in the late autumn/winter you'll probably have a jacket over it.

Exceptions in uniform?

 The link between uniform and practicality can be observed here where formal uniform takes second place to the requirements of the task such as helping out in the stables or open fields where for girls trousers my help more with getting the job done while preserving ones modesty.

There was parallel discussion running in occupations where women worked such as physiotherapy around uniform where traditional thin dresses were changed to trousers.

While normally being more traditionist in outlook, I feel it is important to respect such concerns as they apply in certain contexts.

Scout uniform 70's style

Scout uniform I was very familiar with in the mid 1970's being very much what I saw saw my older brother getting changed into complete with belt before attending meetings and activities that I assisted him with lanyard still present and correct.
 

Cubbing Autumn 2021 style

It's that time of the year I pay homage to the past of Cubs Scouts aka Wolf Cubs while out admiring The Fall as it is better know on the other side of the Atlantic.

This is much a period image carefully restored by me from the original on Tumblr of the Cub Scouts I knew with the things that were to go shortly such as the leather sandals  that would of been purchased for school wear back in the 1970's and the yellow detail on his cub cap.

It's that past that goes forward with me.

One thing that thankfully hasn't changed is the wearing of neckerchiefs and this handy illustration shows you how to 'do' yours properly.

Autumn came in suddenly this year, no build up as such and before you knew it we were greeted by such lovely sights such as this in a play area where the leaves are already beginning to fall.

Leaves are interesting and here are a few very much in situ on a bed of twigs, other fallen leaves and grass showing their structure.

The brilliant yellow low sun makes for lovely sights at this time of the year really bringing the colour out as you stand there in the pleasant glow enjoying the fresh air.

I love this life, the exploration, the taking an interest in things and the rigour of being outdoors while having fun.

The guide to neckerchief fastening was included in memory of Redneckerchief who specialized in youth organization posts that used the neckerchief whose tumble account was sadly terminated on Friday 9 August 2019 and who was an early inspiration of mine.

Taking a break

The Boys Brigade, not so talked about today as it was but still very much with us elevating boys to the highest standards in a classic picture probably 50's or early 60's of an older boy still in shorts as you were back then enjoying his comic.

While this blog isn't about it, I read a lot of comics as a boy such as Sparky, Beezer, Warlord, Roy of the Rovers, The Beano and The Dandy at home and saw through sharing Whizzer and Chips, Tiger and 2000AD.

Don't ask what today's liberals would make of many of the scenes in Popeye though!

Drawing a line under a past incident

One thing I wrote about on my main blog and mentioned the odd time in passing is the symbolism of cub scouting as part of a childhood denied and the extent to which it was the first manifestation of my reversion to being more like the eternal boy of ten I always felt in my mid teens.

The former did as anyone who has read this blog page to page knows mattered and the latter involved using what had been left toward the back of draws from the time previous plus bits of my younger brothers cub uniform after he'd left.
My earliest regressive experiences did involve dressing in cub attire  but following the accidental discovery of the garters I was gutted to be informed they'd all been thrown away as "You no longer need them" at which point you felt like saying "define NEED Mum".
Anyway, while not being identical to the one I had then, I now have the early 80's version, the nearest one can get to restoring a lost link to the past although no doubt at some point I may well get the new 'wolf cub' cap, kneckerchief, green top, and garters a well know Derbyshire supplier stocks in adult sizes although when it comes to footwear I do take boys rather than men's sizes.
A line is can now be drawn under that part of my past.

Cub scouts in the 1970's

For me the cub thing started in the nineteen-seventies where quite a bit around boyhood was different some because of technological advance while for us having a colour television  with three channels was a near miracle  and keeping in touch while you were out required the use of an outdoor hooded PayPhone today's boy has large screen multi-channel HD tv and a pocket sized computer that doubles up as a portable telephone that he can use more or less anywhere.
Also society itself was a bit different boys played more on the streets and beyond on their own, most children had two parents and society was more into girls only and boys only things of which scouting in all its sections was no different.
Girls were in Girlguiding, Boys were in the Scout Association and for those that didn't the Boy's Brigade and it's female equivalent were still very much a thing.
These two images, found in better quality than before are very much of the Cub Scouts of my Brothers age and so the one that I remember vividly seeing him go off in that uniform every Thursday evening.
As the shorts were not made for scouting not as best I can recall not being in the districts scouts suppliers, boys (and it was JUST boys then) wore the same ones at school which is why they are as short as they are as that was the trend then and lined.
He looks smart and the uniform is sufficiently different than any other to identify you as part of that movement you were proud to belong to.

Scouting for girls

While the focus of this blog is not on Girl Guiding (UK) or the Girls Scouts (US), nontheless they do play an important role within scouting as a movement and here is a vintage picture of a pack of girl guides well before the heavily criticized uniform changes of the 1990's and early 2,000's.

Girl Scouts USA - Cadettes, Seniors, Juniors, Brownies - 1970 again before the push into cargo type shorts or long trousers that keeps a clear separate identity for the female side of the movement.

Although Girl Guiding was clearly seen from the outset as the outlet for girls who wished to be in scouting, being the responsibility of Agnes and then Olive Baden-Powell in 1918 and currently is structured into Rainbows/Rainbow Guides for 5 to 7 year olds, Brownies/Brownie Guides for 7 to 10 year olds, Guides for 10 to 14 year olds and Rangers for 14 to 26 year olds, there is a difference in  the extent to which The Scout Association and BSA have by allowing females to join have undermined the role and purpose of Girl Guiding/ Girl Scouts.

The Scout Association and BSA today feel they need to be seen to be inclusive including gender inclusive whereas The Guiding Association and Girl Scouts feel very strongly that when girls increasingly share spaces at school and in sports there is a need for an all girl space lead by adult females to help raise girls. They also feel it is an attempt to bolster Scouting Association/BSA  membership and participation.

My own view on this are written naturally from a male perspective which is while I would agree sharing resources such as camps and taking part in joint activities makes sense as part of the same movement, I feel something is being lost and not just for girls in this trend to eliminate gender specific spaces.

I feel boys have a need to spend time together learning about and from each other and by doing this through the Scouting programs form powerful bonds that aid their transition in  capable young men in tune with adventure but also able to take care of themselves.

Boys let their guard down more and are generally less likely act up when in their own company supervised by men who know what boyhood is about cos they actually had one. Just the presence of a couple of females alters that whole dynamic in any group. 

I also agree with the Guiding Association/Girl Scouts that this clearly is muscling on their territory which was understood by all.

There has and is criticism from time to time that their programs are too timid, lack adventure and maybe seem stuck in a homely feminine environment but the answer to such concerns is for them to consult with the young people involved  and make the programs more rugged while keeping the all girl ethos.

This said the one criticism I would make of modern guiding is a preoccupation with 'girl power' and trying too hard to be a trendy campaigning feminist organization which I don't honestly feel most girls really are that into and says more about the current leadership than traditional scouting for girls.

Modern Scouts uniform

A good example of modern Scouts uniform that keeps much of the old traditions in such as the lanyard, neckerchief, thick shirt takes badges while being relatively modern with stout walking boots with a good sole and longer shorts that are more suited to hiking.
I am quite sure that would be most practical for such purposes and he looks exceedingly smart, being a credit to his pack.

Raising the Standards

Making your way with your Standards, Cubs, Scouts and Venture Scouts alike have made it and so fall in as one single unit in this instance of the Baden-Powell Scouts whose ethos and uniform is more traditional even though they are co-ed.

A scouting weekend

One thing during the few days away was to go on half day hikes to places with support exploring nature reserves and castles so in a good many ways it was almost like a scouting weekend right down to shared chores at base camp.

Getting around isn't easy for someone with my difficulties as such places were functional for the time, being high up to spot and repel invaders with bows and arrows fired through slots such as these but the fact with support I did undermine something that goes to the beginning of this blog.
My disabilities ARE NOT a bar to scouting, nor to had be a Cub Scout then whatever my folks erroneously thought and certainly not now being that cub scout in spirit.

Taking it all in

Part of being on an adventure involves learning something about the place you are exploring which may mean reading a guide book, a interpretation board or being with a guide who explains things to you.

You pause to take all of this in such as with the boy in this picture resting by a tree and while doing that you may review your intended route and if needs be amend it before resuming because being prepared means taking action not just in the planning but also in the field as needed. 

The winter scout

Winter it must be said is a challenging time for the scout for he faces hard frosty ground to walk upon, the possibilities of ice where he may not see it and snow which is forecast  for the upcoming week.

Your training part of which I am going through will equip you with the skills to keep yourself safe while being out, to make good judgment calls and develop a suitably boyish hardiness in you while respecting nature and her challenges.

The BSA Necker

A smart BSA boy scouts uniform. 

When the BSA designed this scarf, They deliberately made it the size of a sling. 

Your uniform

A scouting uniform needs to take into account a number of things of which I would say the first is the actual main use it's wearer will be putting it into.
A cub scout or scout is going to be out of doors so he needs his uniform to be comfortable and hard wearing with little chance of easily being damaged by being caught on foliage 
His footwear needs to support his feet properly so they are comfortable even after walking for a few hours and hard wearing as you go through all manner of terrain and his socks need to traditional wool mix long socks to keep his legs warm without sweating.
He wears shorts because they are healthier, allowing more of his skin to breathe and the material of his dress short and shorts is hard wearing and easy for him to care for so he always looks smart.
This is a an excellent uniform.