English Boys' Brigade: Awards, Medals, and Shields

Figure 1.--Boys' Brigade units competed in various competitions to win shields. These might be sports competitiions like football. This is the Ipswich 2nd Boys' Brigade showing off the shield they won. We do not know what the copeition was. This was a post card back portrait. It is undated, but was probably taken about 1910. The boys seem to be wearing suits with mostly Eton collars. Most have knickers and long stockings. Notice how most of the boys wear their caps cockled to the side.

HBC has noted Brigaders wearing a variety of badges and medals. The most obvious are the cap badges which boys appear to have worn from the 19th century. There are also award badges. We are not sure what all of these awards are. Brigaders in the 1910s and 20s. The medals look quite similar. Some appear to be medals awarded to band members. We are positive about this, but medals worn on the left breast by band members would seem to be band medals. The band medals look just like military campaign mdals. We have noted some boys wearing World War I medals. These are presumably medals awarded postumouly to the boys' father. We do not note Brigaders wearing merit badges until much later. I'm not sure when they were introduced, but we notice Brigaders wearing merit badges on their sleeves in the 1970s. These look quite similar to Scout merit badges.

Cap Badges

HBC has noted Brigaders wearing a variety of badges and medals. The most obvious are the cap badges which boys appear to have worn from the 19th century. They have varied over time. Usually they were th Boys' Brigade badge. Some Brigaders wore caps with their unit numbers. Brigade badges were worn on both pillbox and campaign caps.

Band Medals

HBC has noted Brigaders wearing a variety of badges and medals. We are not sure what all of these awards are. Brigaders in the 1910s and 20s. The medals look quite similar. Some appear to be medals awarded to band members . We are positive about this, but medals worn on the left breast by band members would seem to be band medals. The band medals look just like military campaign mdals. A HBC reader reports, "I think in this case that they are almost certainly Band medals. One of the young boys in the back row is wearing one and I suspect he would have been too young to serve in the army. Also, if that was say his fathers war medal then I suspect he would have worn it on his right breast. I think there is some convention to follow about where you wear medals."

World War I Medals

We have noted some boys wearing World War I medals. These are presumably medals awarded postumouly to the boys' father. Boys presumably would have worn these on their rifgt breast in hnor to their fathers.

Award Badges

There are also award badges. We do not note Brigaders wearing merit badges until much later. I'm not sure when they were introduced, but we notice Brigaders wearing merid bdges on their sleeves in the 1970s (figure 1). These look quite similar to Scout merit badges.

Shields

Boys' Brigade units competed in various competitions to win shields. These might be sports competitiions like football. We do not know what other types of contests were held in shield comptitions. We believe the traditions of shields was a standard school tradition. We see quite a few of these shields in the photigraphic record. This is the Ipswich 2nd Boys' Brigade shield winners showing off their shield (figure 1). We do not know what this copeition was.

Created: July 18, 2002
Last updated: J10:50 AM 8/7/2011