Robert Baden Powell founded the scout movement a few years before the 1914-18 War, and it was not long before troops
were established in schools, sometimes in tandem with a cadet corps. The original scout uniform was inspired by
'BP's' adventures in South Africa during the Boer war and was considered to be a healthy alternative to the rather
heavy and restrictive boys' clothing of the era.
What may now appear to be ridiculously long shorts were an innovation in the early 1900s when boys were more likely to be clad in woollen stockings and knee-length 'knickerbockers'. Indeed, scout dress offered unaccustomed freedom to an Edwardian boy who normally spent his leisure time encased in a thick tweed norfolk suit and stiff Eton collar.
The most striking features of the scout uniform were the neck scarf and the characteristic broad-brimmed hat. The neck scarf is still with us but the scout hat gradually disappeared from view after 1945, being replaced by the rather more practical beret.
In the postwar years the spartan outdoor look of the scout uniform was retained, with shorts and short-sleeved shirts - as typified by these cover pictures from scout annuals of the 1950s. This eventually led to a gathering tide of complaints from those in the movement who considered that the rather old-fashioned uniform, in particular the shorts, acted as a disincentive to recruitment, especially amongst older boys. Extracts from letters to scouting magazines serve to illustrate differing opinions regarding shorts.
By the 1960s British schoolboys were abandoning short trousers at the age of 11 or 12, instead of 14 as had previously been the case, and felt awkward having to wear shorts as scouts. There were also complaints about the unsuitability of the uniform for a British winter. Eventually, in 1967, it was decided to institute radical changes in the traditional scout uniform.
The scout's shorts were replaced by fawn-coloured long trousers and the short-sleeved khaki shirt superseded by a long-sleeved dark green shirt. Just the beret, belt and scarf were retained from the time-honoured uniform of old. Recent years have seen further innovations in the scout uniform, with a general relaxation of dress regulations and the introduction of sweatshirts for some activities.
Scouts can also undertake specialised air and nautical pursuits. Troops of air scouts and sea scouts are found in some schools, with members wearing a different uniform to that of ordinary boy scouts. The picture above shows scouts before the uniform changes of 1967: the boy scout in the middle is flanked by an air scout and a sea scout.
This photograph shows air scouts from a school troop in today's uniform. Robert Baden Powell would no doubt be taken aback to see scouts camping outdoors wearing long trousers - the wheel has turned full circle since Edwardian days.
A recent TV programme marked the introduction of a new-style scout uniform for the new millenium by looking at scoutwear in Britain during the past century. Click on the pictures below to view uniforms from different periods.
The Eton Suit.....School Cadet
Detachments
The Traditional English Schoolboy
Bluecoat Schools.........School Uniforms Miscellany
Military Foundations.....Uniforms in Close-up.....Main Page
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