Boys' Brigade Uniforms: Garments

Figure 1.--This English Boys' Brigade band wears a blue campaign cap with a metal badge. They are performing at Queen Elizabeth's golden jubilee celebration in London during 2002. Image courtesy of the MD Collection.

The Boy's Brogade uses most of the same uniform garments as the other uniformed youth groups, but this was not always the case. We note that many early photographs of Boys' Brigade members show them wearing only a few uniform items rather than the full uniform. This was true even before World War II (1939-45). Boys during the first year of the Boys' Brigade only wore a rosette as a badge, and the officers wore a detinctly civilian-looking bowler hat. The following year the cap, belt, and haversack were brought together as the first uniform. The idea was to have a very basic uniform that every boy could afford. The boy bassically wore his on clothes, but added a few in expensive items to give the unit a uniformed look. The pill-box in common use during these days had no chin-strap and fitted close to the head, but it had two distinguished rows of white braid worn at a jaunty angle. Soon afterwards the proper pill-box was brought in and the officers turned to the Glengarry-like campaign cap for their headgear. Afterwards the forage cap, haversack and belt were introduced. Eventually a full uniform was approved. The Boys' Brigade uniforms are much more standard around the world than Scout uniforms which have adopted uniforms incorporating various aspects of national dress. The Boys' Brigade uniforms is generally blue foraging caps, blue shirt, and blue pants. Initially short pants were generally worn, but most groups now wear long pants. Shorts and knee socks are still commonly worn in New Zealand. Many Boys' Brigade units have pipe bands, reflecting the Scotish origins of the organization. The bands generally wear kilts. Regular Scottish Boys' Brigade members have also worn kilts, but HBC is unsure how common this was. We note early Boys' Brigade members from Scotland wearing kilts, but we do not know how common it was. There have been some destinctive styles. The Brigade for a while used the pillbox cap, principal group to do so. The most common headwear assocaited with the Boys' Brogade is the camapign, perhaps a aftifact of the Boys' Brigade Scottish origins. The Brigade in both Britain and other countries has generally used blue garments, except for the kilts worn in Scotland and with band groups. The Brigade also used white belts, including while shoulder straps, although thus gear is no longer used. Blue kneesocks have commonly had white stripes on the tuirn over top socks. Mostly black shoes have been worn.

Uniform Approach

The Boy's Brogade uses most of the same uniform garments as the other uniformed youth groups, but this was not always the case. We note that many early photographs of Boys' Brigade members show them wearing only a few uniform items rather than the full uniform. This was true even before World War II (1939-45). Boys during the first year of the Boys' Brigade only wore a rosette as a badge, and the officers wore a detinctly civilian-looking bowler hat. The following year the cap, belt, and haversack were brought together as the first uniform. The idea was to have a very basic uniform that every boy could afford. The boy bassically wore his on clothes, but added a few in expensive items to gice the unit a uniformed look.

Non-uniform Items

Specific Garments

We have some information on the specific Boys' Brigade uniform garments.

Headwear

We note that Brigaders commonly wore pillbox caps, a popular army style, in the late 19th and early 20th century. This appears to have continued into the 1910s. After World War I, the Glengarry-style campaign caps become more common and are still associated with the Boys Brogade today. We do not yet, however, have a precise timeline. The pill-box cap in common use during the early days had no chin-strap and fitted close to the head, but it had two distinguished rows of white braid worn at a jaunty angle. Soon afterwards the proper pill-box was brought in with chin straps and the officers turned to the Glengarry-like campaign cap for their headgear.

Tie

Many Boys' Brigade uniforms include a tie, usually a plain blue tie. Sometimes open collar shorts are worn.

Suits

Brigaders for manybyears wore suits with their Brigade uniform items. The Boys' Brigade is the only uniformed group that I know of wear many boys wore three-pece suits to go camping. Seems incredible, but many did until a full uniform was adopted. We notice many styles of suits. Single breasted suits were the most common. Norfolk suits were also popular.

Shirts

Boys in the early years of the Boys' Brigade wore all kinds of shirts. Often you can not tell much about the shirts as they always wore suits, often three piece suits, for meetings and even camping. Eton collars were a popular style for boys in the late 19th and eraly 20th century and some Brigaders wore their uniform with a detachable Eton collar. Almost all Boys' Brigade uniforms, once a full uniform was introdued involved a long sleeved blue shirt in varying shades and designs. We have noted many different shades of blue, but all the Brigade uniform shirts we have noted to date have been blue. Some have had mititary styles like flap pockets.

Trousers

Most Boys' Brigade uniforms trousers are varying shades and designs of blue short and long trousers. We have also noted black long trousers. Initially short pants were generally worn, but most groups now wear long pants. Shorts and knee socks are still commonly worn in New Zealand.

Kilts

Many Boys' Brigade units have pipe bands, reflecting the Scotish origins of the organization. The bands generally wear kilts. Regular Scottish Boys' Brigade members have also worn kilts, but HBC is unsure how common this was. We note early Boys' Brigade members from Scotland wearing kilts, but we do not know how common it was.

Belts

We note Brigaders commonly wearing white belts, often with shoulder straps. Many boys had belts with destintive Boys' Brigade belt buckles. Some boys seemed to have worn sashes looking like belts with shoulder straps. Sometimes these were white leather belts. We note that some boys wore dark leather belts with white canvas shoulder straps. Other look mote like sashes. We also note some boys will what look like pouches, usually white. This continued until well after World War II. We do not have sufficient information or images yet to develop more precise time-line details.

Hosiery

Blue kneesocks have commonly had white stripes on the turn-over-top socks.

Puttees

Some boys wore puttees with their Boys' Brigade uniforms. Puttees are a long strip of cloth wound spirally around the leg from ankel to knee which was common for World War I British soldiers. The term is of Hindu origin, one of many clothing ternms entering the English language as a result of the British colonial role in India. This was most common during the World War I era. Puttees are being worn for training activities. The Boys' Brigade after all was organised on military lines with drill, marching etc so puttees would not be out of place at that time. They helped to protect the legs of the long pants that many boys wore. A British readeer tells us, "I'd also point out that the puttee style leggings were not that unusual at the time: they were also worn by farmers, gamekeepers etc to protect their trousers and stop stones getting into their boots when out and about in the country. In other words, they are not necessarily military puttees."

Shoes

Mostly black shoes have been worn.

Haversack

The haversack was an early item of the Boys' Brigade uniform. A haversack is a soldier's bag for rations. Like many military terms it has French origins. The Boys' Brigade haversack was the small white pouches that many boys wore on their belts. I'm not sure what they kept in their haversacks, probably not rations (food).