Scouting in the 70th (1932-1968)

5  The Scouting Ethos

For many people who grew up during the 1932-1968 period, Scouting inspired a spirit and ethos that instilled long-term loyalty and devotion to the movement. Moreover, several ‘Old Boys’ have stated that Scouting was the most important experience of their teenage years. Many factors were involved in creating the Scouting spirit and it is difficult to do full justice to how Scouting influenced many individuals, especially those that were in the movement when Baden Powell was alive. The following factors all played a part.

  Firstly, teenagers and teenage culture were mainly inventions of the 1950s and 1960s. Before that, it did not exist. When the Boy Scout and Boys Brigade organisations were founded, it was accepted that 17 and 18 year olds were still classed as boys and that they only became men once they had gained responsibilities for family or in society. Moreover, as teenagers were not identified as a distinct section of society, very little commercialism, marketing, entertainment or popular music was aimed at them. The main influences on teenagers were family, school, church and voluntary youth organisations such as the Boy Scouts, Girl Guides and Boys Brigade. In terms of entertainment, teenagers either chose traditional boyhood pursuits or entertainment directed at adults such as reading, cinema, theatre, wireless and dances. There were no mobile phones, computers, video games, television, pop music or social media. Youngsters normally entertained themselves and spent much of their leisure time outdoors, often getting up to mischief. For many, Scouting was an exciting contrast to the normal weekly routine and offered opportunities for ‘adventure’. It also offered opportunities to travel further afield at a time when there was relatively little private transport and when most people got around by cycle, train and ferry.  Consequently, many Scouts spent the vast majority of their spare time on Scouting since there was not much else on offer. Scouting filled a void. However, that on its own would not explain the appeal of Scouting. It was a voluntary organisation and youngsters could leave as easily as they joined, if Scouting failed to maintain their interest.

   So what was the appeal of Scouting? In the 1930s, Scouting was a successful and rapidly expanding movement that had been in existance for over 20 years, and was still fresh and revolutionary in its outlook. Baden Powell – the Mafeking hero of the Boer War - was respected by adults and revered by the Scouts who followed him. The public and the media had come to realise the benefits of Scouting, while important and influential figures leant their support to it both at local and national levels. Scouting was highly visible in local and national media with regular articles on BP and the Scouting movement. It was also highly visible on the streets of local communities with uniformed Scouts regularly seen walking or cycling to their troop nights, setting off for mysterious adventures in the country clutching their Scout staves and hauling trek carts, or marching on church parades. Success breeds success and this is a powerful draw on the young, so it was not unusual to be in a Scout Group along with all your pals from school. Scouting had achieved the almost impossible trick of combining mass appeal for the young with the approval of the adult world. Therefore, there was a powerful draw for youngsters to join, but youngsters can also be notoriously fickle so what was it that kept many in a movement for 10 years or more?

   A successful movement has to have activities and games which appeal to youngsters on a number of levels. Scouting offered activities which were fun and physically demanding, but which were also educational and inspirational. At Troop nights, boys had regular opportunities to take part in physically demanding games and activities with their friends, and with boys of different ages under the watchful eye of Scout Masters who ensured that things did not get out of hand. Moreover, Scouting activities appealed to the imagination and adventurous spirit of boys. Activities such as hiking, camping, tracking, signalling, pioneering, survival skills, and navigation not only provided boys with fun and physical activity, it allowed them to imagine themselves as future explorers or adventurers. No doubt, there were numerous Scouts with a secret daydream that some future shipwreck would deposit them in a remote part of the world where they could make use of the skills they had. More realistically, there was always the possibility of being called upon to rescue someone from drowning or from a fire. The fact that newspaper stories occasionally recounted some example of Scouting bravery or initiative helped to fuel these dreams and expectations. Scout Annuals, diaries, books and magazines were available in abundance and sold well even into the 1960s. Merchandise aimed at Scouts included sheath knifes, camping gear and hiking equipment. As late as the 1960s, a brand of shoe was marketed to Scouts with a hidden compass in the heel that they could wear to school. This all added to the magic and mystery of Scouting. It was not like normal day to day life. There were strange customs, traditions and terms. There were salutes, badges and signs which made a Scout feel as if he was in a secret society - a kind of cliquishness. It all added to a Scout feeling that he was part of something special and important. This was further consolidated by the fact that there were ‘Brother Scouts’  in virtually every country in the world.

  Scouting also appealed to a boy’s idealistic nature. This was personified by the Laws and the Promise. Every Scout had to know these off by heart and was expected to 'do his best' to live his life by a knightly code of honour. Scouts were expected to be have high standards of reliability and trustworthiness, and to know things which other boys did not. And it was not only a Scout's Patrol Leader and Scoutmaster that had these expectations; the same expectations were held by parents, teachers, police and the general public as a whole. It was a lot to live up to and part of the challenge of Scouting. Indeed many Scouts would have been mortally insulted if Scouting had been described to them as a 'youth movement'. It was far more than that.

  Baden Powell described Scouting as a game with a serious purpose, and that was what it was. It was fun, but Scouts learnt how to do interesting and exciting things, as well as learning about themselves and caring for others. One of BP's most brilliant innovations in Scouting was the concept of the Patrol Leader where older boys aged typically 15-17 had duty of care for younger Scouts through the patrol system. It was a responsibility that was taken very seriously and with a dedication that many would have doubted possible prior to Scouting. It was also brilliant in that it gave older boys a sense of ownership. They were the ones in charge and so BP deliberately adapted peer pressure to work for the benefit of Scouting and society. He knew perfectly well that a younger Scout would listen far more seriously to his P.L. than to an adult. A 16 or 17 year old P.L. was viewed by a 12 year old Scout, not only as an older brother Scout, but someone to aspire to, someone to hero worship. 

   Many Scouts gained a fascination for all things Scouting whether that be taking part in Scouting activities, visiting a Scout shop, meeting Scouts from other troops, visiting jamborees, communicating with Scouting penpals, or collecting Scout badges or stamps. The list could go on and on. Scouting was a lifestyle and an aim in itself. It was a fantasy and it was different. That represented much of its appeal. The genius of the movement was in instilling moral values in youngsters without moralizing. Boys joined Scouting because it was totally different from normal society and learnt practical skills that often appeared to have no direct relevance to normal life. And yet, by participating in Scouting, they were also accumulating many generic skills that were ‘picked up’ without always appreciating the fact; for example, leadership, teamwork, commitment, responsibility to name but a few. By applying those skills to Scouting, Scouts were unconsciously practicing those attributes for the time when they would enter society and the work place.