What uniform is this boy wearing?
Q Can you please identify the uniform this boy is wearing from this slightly out of focus photograph. The back of the photograph is inscribed ‘Leonard Warran’, who we believe to be my grandmother’s halfbrother, born in Plymouth on 23 April 1896. Because the boy looks to be aged around 10 to 12 years old, it would help me to confirm that this is indeed Leonard, if your expert could say whether the uniform can be dated close to the year 1908.
Mike Stenton
A With the kind input of Peter Ford, the recently retired Heritage Research Officer at the UK headquarters of the Scout Association, I can confirm that this boy is an early member of the Boy Scouts, which was founded by Lieutenant General Robert Baden-Powell in 1908, the same year he published his book called Scouting for Boys. Lord Baden-Powell (who found fame as the defender of the town of Mafeking during the Second South African, or Boer War of 1899-1902) came up with the concept to develop boys aged from 11 to 15 years of age to practice good citizenship, chivalrous behaviour and skill in various outdoor activities. Earlier in 1900, as the inaugural Inspector General of the British South African Constabulary, Baden-Powell personally designed the iconic tall bush hat for the mounted police force, which he then later adopted for the Boy Scouts.
DE-MILITARISING SCOUTING TERMINOLOGY FROM 1912 ONWARDS
In addition to the recognisable Boy Scout hat, the young lad in the photograph displays typical army surplus kit, which was cheap and serviceable, such as his water bottle and ammunition pouch fitted to his belt, the latter most likely containing a first aid kit. His tall staff is typical of those used by the Scouts for hiking. His shirt and trousers are of the darker khaki colour, which was in accordance with Baden-Powell basing the original uniform and rank structure on that of the early twentieth century British Army; whereas later it changed to the much lighter khaki shirts you see today.
Nothing underlines this more than the original Boy Scout rank structure of ‘Lance-Corporal’ etc, seen here as a single white chevron,In 1912 this rank was changed to Assistant Patrol Leader, when the chevron became a straight stripe worn over the shirt left breast pocket, thus the photograph can be dated between 1908 and 1912.
