Boys' Historical Uniform Headgear: Berets

Figure 1.--The youth group most commonly wearing berets is the Scouts. This Cub wears a beret. I had thought he was French, but he may be German Cub. I'm not sure about the specific association. Note how large the beret is.

The beret until after World War II was primarily a French garment. I do not know of any other Scouts that wore berets before World War II (1939-45), although they might have been worn by Belgian Scouts. Boys clothing in Belgium also followed French styles. English Scouts adopted the beret--black ones. Quite a number of other couts adopted the beret, including Scouts in Japan, Korea, Thailand, many Caribbean countries (because of the British influence), and many other countries. Even some American Scouts wore berets--red ones, although it was never the official head gear. The beret is now the most commonly worn headgear by Scout groups around the world. Interestingly they are worn in many countries that boys would not normally evern considering wearing a beret. The youth group in these coubntries most associated with the beret is the Scouts. I have little information on other youth groups wearing the beret

Belgium

Belgian styles often follow French styles. Belgian Scouts have worn berets. Some nationalist groups are also believed to have worn them.

France

The country most known for wearing berets is France. Some French Scouts wore berets from a very early stage of the Scouting movement in France. Vichy inspired natioanlist groups like Les Compagnons de France and the Équipes Nationales during World War II also wore berets. After World War II, both French Cubs and Scouts wore beretsm but the practice varied among the different French Scouting associations.

England

I know of no English youth group wearing berets until the Boy Scouts adopted them after World War II. They were also adopted by the Baden Powell Scouts. Only English Scouts adopted cthe bderet. The Cubs continued to wear the traditional peaked cap until the 1990s when it was made optional.

Figure 2.--Many German Scouts were wearing berets by the 1970s.

Germany

HBU knows of no German youth group wearing berets before the Hitler Youth absorbed or banned rival youth groups in 1933. The Hitler Youth had a variety of head gear, biy never berets. After World War II when some Scout groups adopted berets. HBU does not have details on when they were adopted or which associations. They appear to have been quite common among German Scouts by the 1970s.

Italy

The Fascist Bailial had there own specialised caps and the members did not wear berets. No information available on Italian Scouts at this time.

Soviet Union

The Young Pioneers, the only permissable youth group in the Soviet Union, did not wear berets. I also do not believe thaey were worn by Pioneer groups in Eastern Europe. I'm not sure why the Communuists did not like berets.

Spain

Berets wre once commonly worn in Spain. HBU at this time has no information as to how commonly they were worn by youth groups.

Switzerland

At this time no information is available on berets worn by Swiss Scouts. Some information is avaiable on berets in general. Berets in Switzerland were primarily worn in Romandie, the French speaking area of Switzerland. They were last popular during the 1950s-1960s, The so-called "Bérets basques" were quite popular, especially with mothers. Many boys age 6-14 did wear them during the autumn and spring. During winter bérets were replaced by woolen knitted headbands covering ears called in French "serre-tête" (Head-embracer?) also currently used for skiing. There was as well for younger boys a similar garment yet covering top-sides-back of head, hood type. With the arrival around 1950 of the duffel-coat and it's hood that reached quickly an enormous popularity, usage of bérets basque declined rapidly.

United States

The beret has never been commonly worn by American youth groups. American Scouts have never ciommionly worn berets. Some Scout grous, however, did adoopte red berets which were semi-official items in the 1970s-80s. They are now almost never seen. It is always Scouts and never Cubs that wore the red berets.