Thoughts on two basics of Uniform

 

Although they are out of favour within Cubs being replaced by a baseball style cub with the words Cubs in the current stylized font, frankly I much prefer the traditional cap  which apart from being much smarter, will keep your head warmer on cooler days.

Safe for now at least, the traditional kneckerchief survives even if the woggle is usually plastic and that is mine.

Christmas Pause edition

Now then, now then, now then!

As the weekend begins I get busy as Christmas is upon us visiting folk and on Monday the day itself is here so we normally pause on note of seasonal greetings for all who follow this blog.

Wishing you all a very happy christmas and all the best for 2024.

Cubbing Autumn 2023 style

Around this time of year we have ever since 2018 or there abouts done a autumn special just because Autumn, the smell of leaves as we go through this part of the year always take me back to the days as a junior wanna be cub.

While being outdoors is a great part of it, learning takes place indoors by either formal instruction in the den or at home using tools such as books or today a tablet or laptop.

Sometimes it may be before you go out to do something or may be afterwards in which instance you make make a note or take a photo first to use while doing that research.

Make the most of that time taking it all in when you're out as it's not just what you learn it's the memories you're making and that between the showers is what I've been doing this year.

Fall is not just about the richness of the leaf colours as they turn it's about when trees lose their leaves or as here the thin branches break off aided by the strong winds from last week.

Here you can see how we go from a lime green to copper colour all on one set.

Uniform from "Across the pond"

Don't normally look at American uniforms but this Wolf Cub one is interesting in a number of ways starting with the cap which is Baseball style and similar to current UK Cubs and the Lions shirt rather than the green jersey.

Unlike here where we have seen a dropping off of shorts, this uniform does feature them albeit in longer more Bermuda length and the socks a just a little below the knee but do have coloured strip.

It does look smart 
 

Rewind to 1962

 Something that did land my way recently was this used but decent reading copy of the 1962 Sixer Annual aimed at Wolf Cubs which like most annuals was actual published and therefore prepared in 1961.

Like many publications back then the binding was far more robust than on most modern publications which means even much loved copied usually just need handling with the care you were shown rather than being handled with kid gloves.

As was normal back then the faces of contributing wolf cubs were featured on the back.

The Frontispiece is beautiful with illustrations based upon the lives and activities of cubs from Grand Howl to Bob a Job week

The contents page which has stories about Wolf Cubs, camps, things you can do and the life of our founder B-P to inspire you along your way plus games and crosswords.

What more could you ask for?

I found it a greatly enjoyable read as I recover from this virus that has been affecting me since the end of last year, keeping my motivation to try and be the best I can even in this high.

Cubbing Autumn 2022 Style

 Somethings come round in circles at this blog and today is no exception.

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.

We started this blog after what was first major post about Scouting was made firstly on Tumblr and then on one of the other blogs that showed there was a place for things in and around scouting in the past, scouting today and how all of that applies to me.

It was in so many ways where we found The Boy I Was and the Boy Within Now some five years ago, what made him tick - Adventure- and his longing to ride that, learning new skills, developing self confidence as you moved along that.

It was what kept me together as Covid took a hold, adapting to changed circumstances just as children and young people did, finding the resilance we need.

In today's world it is easy to spend amazing periods of time staring at screens, even the screens of our smartphones which may be out of doors but really we're not engaged WITH the outdoors.

One thing I do is explore on foot the natural world which fortunately here does not mean long hikes or cycling because much can be accessed easily by foot so apart from seeing many mammals, birds and insects about, you do get to observe the seasons.

This autumn has come early not least because the abnormally high temperatures around July and August which underlines the importance of Climate Change and our responsibilities as Stewards of this land to change some of our harmful habits.

Across all levels of scouting the environment and our responsibilities to it plays a part and we play a part in encouraging others to care for this one earth we're living on.

The majestic sight of trees undergoing photosynthisis is all around us, in your local woods, parks or in some places even, the street where you live.

Trees support a lot of wild life, wild life we note, find out about by studying apart from helping to control C02 in the environment.

Trees are of course the more able of us can climb, our heads literally away in the clouds far removed from anything that may be one our minds.

Learning to appreciate nature and how we can look after our mental well-being by finding time to step away, reflect on how we are feeling  and use the freedom around us create better, more alife affirming activities and habits helps.

This long journey, sometimes as change is uncomfortable can be is my path, a path that is change me and by extension all I am in contact with for the good.

I have changed in five years due to the Spirit of Scouting and its message, a message that is as relevant in 2022 as it was in the early years of the last century.

The boy within is maturing.

Mowgli and the Jungle Book

 The influence of Kipling in Scouting is quite considerable not least for being a major influence on the Wolf Cubs and Modern day Cubs so I think it is good idea to remind oneself of what Mowgli was.

Mowgli is a fictional character and the protagonist of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book stories. 

He is a feral boy from the Pench area in Seoni, Madhya Pradesh, India, who originally appeared in Kipling's short story "In the Rukh" and then became the most prominent character in the collections The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book (1894–1895), which also featured stories about other characters.

 Lost by his parents as a baby in the Indian jungle during a tiger attack, he is adopted by the Wolf Mother, Raksha and Father Wolf, who call him Mowgli (frog) because of his lack of fur and his refusal to sit still. Shere Khan the tiger demands that they give him the baby but the wolves refuse. Mowgli grows up with the pack, hunting with his brother wolves. In the pack, Mowgli learns he is able to stare down any wolf, and his unique ability to remove the painful thorns from the paws of his brothers is deeply appreciated as well.

Bagheera, the black panther, befriends Mowgli because both he and Mowgli have parallel childhood experiences; as Bagheera often mentions, he was "raised in the King's cages at Oodeypore" from a cub, and thus knows the ways of man. Baloo the bear, teacher of wolves, has the thankless task of educating Mowgli in "The Law of the Jungle".

The process of learning requires you to accept being taught and otherwise following their rules as you take them to heart and apply that knowledge trusting them and giving your learning its best shot as you begin to grow, learning to take more responsibility for yourself.

To a young Cub, Mowgli is in many ways a great example follow, learning while having adventures.

Pride

Wolf Cubs proudly show their handiwork to the patrol station attendant as the car they are travelling in is being refuelled.
The instillation of competence, attention to detail and a sense of pride in their achievements is priceless for boys in moving them on and training them to be an asset.  

A Life Routed In The Past

 A life routed in the past

The Pack, your pack and its leaders.

Fun activities with practical application help to move you on.

Inspiration for even the dampest dullest day with tales of camp, things to do, as you become the best of you

Stories told of fellow cubs and scouts were not just a ripping yarn but a very real inspiration as we make our way through the Adventure Of Life.

Scouting and the environment

Respect for nature is important and nature plays a part in scouting running through the adoption of The Jungle Book within Wolf Cubs originally not just for leadership issues but also for the need to conserve our environment.

Cubs and Scouts today do work on awards based around the environment and conservation and these two cubs have just finished making their bird boxes to help maintain our bird life by providing them with a place to nests.

Increasing pressures of population growth have led to reduced tree coverage and also intensive agriculture has removed hedgerows so such measures do help.

A wolf cub camp

Wolf cub scout painting by Otto Lohmueller.

Without doing a lot of research into this painting it is obviously Germanic looking both the background, a castle and the leather lederhosen the wolf cubs are wearing which was not uncommon for a long time in scouting in Germany, Austria and the adjacent part of Switzerland reflection local custom.
They have a kind of stew going on over a fire they've lit and are also keeping themselves warm by it for good measure.

Learning about knots

Original Source: Uniform Research.

One of the most important things you will learn as a Cub in Scouting is how to tie a variety of knots and what is the most appropriate knot for each usage and as we can see boys look on paying attention because such things do in fact hold their attention..

Given the era this was set in they are Wolf Cubs and each boy and their leader look very smart in such a uniform.

A Cubby Alphabet

 

A WOLF CUB is

A - for ALERT

B - for BRAVE

C - for CAREFUL

D - for DETERMINED

E - for ENERGETIC

F - for FRIENDLY

G - for GENEROUS

H - for HAPPY

I - for INGENIOUS

J - for JOLLY

K - for KIND

L - for LIVELY

M - for MANLY

N - for NEAT

O - for OBEDIENT

P - for POLITE

Q - for QUESTING

R - for READY

S - for SENSIBLE

T - for TRUTHFULL

U - for USEFUL

V - for VALUABLE

W - for WILLING

X - for worth TEN of an ordinary boy

Y - YOUNG

Z - ZEALOUS - and that means KEEN.

Typed with great care from the 1957 Wolf Cub annual

St Georges Day 2021

Today is St. Georges Day which was always marked at Boarding School by raising the flag of St George but St George is big in scouting.

St George is the Patron Saint of scouting and was chosen by Baden-Powell (the Father of Scouting) for a very good reason. St George was picked because of the story that shows him overcoming adversity in the shape of a dragon or more accurately, religious persecution. Baden-Powell said at the time:

“All Scouts should know his story! St George was typical of what a Scout should be… faced by difficulty or danger, however great, even in the shape of a dragon – he did not avoid it or fear it but went at it with all the power he could muster.”

This is, of course, what Cubs and Scouts aspire to – facing problems, analysing, improvising and finally overcoming them to succeed.

SAINT GEORGE AND SCOUTING FOR BOYS

In Scouting for Boys, Baden-Powell wrote of chivalry and the knights of old. He tried to show Scouts a new path to chivalry and honor. Saint George was the Patron Saint of England, and of the Knights of the Garter, the oldest order of chivalry in Europe. They were familiar subjects to most English boys when B-P was writing. Here is what he wrote:

ST. GEORGE

They (the knights of the Round Table) had as their patron saint St. George, because he was the only one of all the saints who was a horseman. He is the Patron Saint of cavalry from which the word Chivalry is derived, and the special saint of England.

He is also the Patron Saint of Boy Scouts everywhere. Therefore, all Scouts should know his story.

This is the story of St. George.

St. George was born in Cappadocia in the year AD 303. He enlisted as a cavalry soldier when he was seventeen, and soon became renowned for his bravery.

On one occasion he came to a city named Selem, near which lived a dragon who had to be fed daily with one of the citizens, drawn by lot.

The day St. George came there, the lot had fallen upon the king's daughter, Cleolinda. St. George resolved that she should not die, and so he went out and attacked the dragon, who lived in a swamp close by, and killed him.

When he was faced by a difficulty or danger, however great it appeared 4even in the shape of a dragon” he did not avoid it or fear it, but went at it with all the power he could put into himself and his horse. Although inadequately armed for such an encounter, having merely a spear, he charged in, did his best, and finally succeeded in overcoming a difficulty which nobody had dared to tackle.

That is exactly the way in which a Scout should face a difficulty or danger, no matter how great or terrifying it may appear to him or how ill-equipped he may be for the struggle.

He should go at it boldly and confidently, using every power that he can to try to overcome it, and the probability is that he will succeed.

Normally there would be a parade but while we are slowly making our way out of the restrictions due to the Covid pandemic such activities sadly cannot be undertaken.

It is being marked in a number of ways such as having virtual Awards celebrations, taking time out to stop and think about this year, the online pack meetings.

Some will be doing arts and crafts activities like making your own dragon and swords (from cardboard) and possibly putting it all together to act out the story together.

The other thing people will be doing and the thing I'll be be doing is renewing My Promise.

The Cub Scout Promise

I promise that I will do my best to do my duty to God and to the Queen, to help other people and to keep the Cub Scout Law.

And

Cub Scouts always do their best 

Think of others before themselves 

And do a good turn every day.

The Cub Scout law

Picture credits: the Scouting Association.

Christmas

As mentioned, we are taking a break over the Christmas period on Scouting and Me because duties and responsibilities as a Wolf Cub in spirit require me to do things with my family.

Although we also worship differently, Christmas is accepted as a major celebration and I wish all this blogs followers a very happy Christmas.

While a full account of Christmas is published today elsewhere, I did have this The Complete Guide To Scouting Skills to help spur me on in this resumption of the life and principals of Scouting through providing practical know-how better able to plan and contribute when with others to my outdoor adventures.

It's been a great touch to a year where through this I have made personal progress, physically as as mentally being far more alert and self confident through the practice of Scouting, better able to cope the pandemics restrictions.

I've got this for after Christmas Lunch with my folks.

DYB!

 Vintage posters and post cards have always intrigued me having a few of this district  not least for what life was like for people a good number of decades ago because sometimes change is so rapid we could not possibly imagine just what it was like.

Scouting while having changes within the organization of units, in some instances rebranding and changes in uniform is one thing at the core that has not changed because those core values still hold up.

This illustration still holds true because it is what we promise a very important promise that we live up to and is in the "Grand Howl" within Cubs/Wolf Cubs plus we  carry it forward in what we do elsewhere.

In many ways the best values remain the same and those certainly are included in Scouting.

The Great Indoors and the return of outdoor section scouting

Today is August Bank Holiday Monday when as in another blog we look toward the return to school on what for many is a extended weekend best spent with family and naturally boys and girls.

As you know one of three things about this blog is it is about and supports Scouting for Children and Young people today rather than just being a nostalgic look at the past so as everybody in our Country had to adapt to Covid and H M Government advice so did Scouting whither or not it's BP-SA, the Scout Association or Girlguiding UK and that meant sadly face to face scouting as in meetings pack/troop activities where everyone was present had to be postponed.

That said Scouting is run by people who don't runaway from challenges did a lot to keep scouting running as not providing what children and young people need would be unthinkable.

Image credits: Scouting Association. 

The Great Indoors initiative was launched with activities that could be done socially distanced could be verified and so count within the program of beavers, cubs, scouts and so on for awards and so badges could be issued.

Support was provided for volunteers to use things like Zoom to run pack and similar meetings online so Cub/Scout night remained as a routine badly needed by children, children in scouting worked sending under #CareForCareHomes, with Scouts decorating ‘kindness rocks,’ writing cards and letters for residents in homes, to combat loneliness and improve mental wellbeing, which is what they also did to support young people with #Threefor3 as part of giving support to the community.

Scouting looked outward for those not in traditional membership with the Great Indoors Staged Activity Badge open to them of which over 9,000 have already been awarded and the Hike To The Moon project that raised 360,000 for Children in Need

The Great Indoors Weekender saw 120,000 children from 44 countries camp out at home as one making it the biggest online camp ever.

Now like school, Scouting in all its forms is starting to move toward a return to our traditions with careful thought and planning with the guidance as of August 25 2020 being indoor activities will be allowed and that children and young people will be in batches of 15 with up to 5 adults and that the children stay within that batch but the adults may move between batches at the same time and to a different section meeting at a different time on the same day.

The adults will not have to wear masks when they are delivering an activity, Scouts and Explorers will have to wear face masks indoors (mirroring high school practice) and all young people need to maintain 2 metres social distance from each adult.

That guidance is for "Amber" stage - the provisional readiness to restore a basic program of traditional scouting and nature further guidance will be issued over time.

That is terrific news for children and young people, back to being able to be together, having fun and learning useful skills  to take you forward.

Being this blog I couldn't resist having a traditional cub picture on the entry cos on this blog we deal with the past, my own scouting in spirit and scouting for today's boys (and girls) cos it's all the stuff that helped and is helping all of us move on.

The road ahead inspired from the past

After Friday's 500th edition, we'll get what this is about, and why currently we are on a three posts a week cycle which is issues around availability of good vintage scouting images not least Tumblr removing many blogs that collected them make doing what i used to do difficult.

As well I decided to try to up the user generated content on here so this blog really would stand out for being more than just a collection of  old scouting pictures but be about Scouting and my own explorations and activities.

Exploring can take you to odd things that survive like this Seveneenth Century cottage, actually three farmers cottages knocked into one nearby with it's thatched roof and tastefully restored some years back with a lovely big garden.

Not being able to at the time to the larger planned gardens due to the coronavirus restrictions was a drag but having that on my doorstep to spend time around enjoying the view and seeing the birds and insects was just lovely.

I also got during lockdown a few original Wolf Cub annuals of which this is one that cover the sorts of activities Wolf Cubs did as well as having fascinating information and inspirational stories.

I'm not of what you might call a collectors mentality, keeping them under lock and key but I have them for what any boy then was grateful to have them for, as things that inspire me to "Do Your Best" and grow as that person.

Of meadows and flowers

Today we're moving more at fauna and flora in exploring that area and we'll start here with this restful meadow with clovers which I loved.

Things that grow along the edges and hedges of paths can be easily missed by an eye that's trained just on looking ahead but this was really colourful, attracting butterflies and bees.

Wild flowers in the wild are more my thing than cultivated and planted in groups but these seemed to have found each other on a grass verge overlooking the canal towpath.

This was impressive and not to creased from being blown about. I used the telezoon end of the lens to help throw the background out a little while remembering to lock the focus on the flower.
I prefer manual focusing for tasks like this.

There was much to see and more importantly the walk itself was calming for seeing open countryside, meadowland and flowers that I forgot about time altogether while out.

Wolf Cub Uniform

From time to time I post things around my Uniform which in part was the start point of the entire blog because uniform albeit then the discovery of my younger brothers Cub Uniform played a important part in my early regressive life in my mid teens. 

That is  standard bottle green jersey extremely close to what those sections in Scouting that didn't hold with the post 1967 changes still wear in Wolf Cubs and over time you'd of earned you badges to go on the right side arm.

That is the Wolf Cub membership badge, an original, to go on the wearers left when I persuade someone to sow it on.

These are my David Luke charcoal shorts because most cubs and wolf cubs didn't have a set pair supplied for cubs but used what you had for school.

Because I was brought up in the 1970's and through my entire boyhood our shorts were shorter than current shorts by a good margin, they were taken up to a four inch inside leg which is just a smidgen longer than what I wore as junior school boy which would of overlapped with the period I would of been in membership of. 

Pix credit: Albert Prendergast.

I also bought to go with it a pair of navy blue scout socks with green bands on the turn over top of the sort worn at the time.

To a point, authenticity in a practical sense comes into having a uniform in the context of "being" who you were so in that respect rather say buying a vintage jumper ready badged but not having my County and Scouting District badges on them I favour buying more or less the same thing new and adding the badges.

We are not in formal scouting where we are required to follow rules around where and what goes on them to the letter but they are uniforms that when we wear them help us channel the Spirit of that Eternal Boy as a Cub or Wolf Cub in practising scouting, helping us move along and making a difference for the good in the wider community.

From my point of view there's no need to collect and wear old uniforms in order to be us but when a uniform is worn help us resemble it thus my shorts are taken up so I look and feel like a boy of 8 1/2 to 10 1/2 of my era so while they are new, they are very authentic.