Figure 1.--This photograph shows the EON Skapaneis uniform. The boys look to be about 7-8 years old. Note the salute which looks like the German NAZI and Italian Fascist salute.

There were three different uniforms for the EON boys, depending on the diffent organizationl level. A lot of children (boys and girls) remember that they were very jealous of EON members walking or marching around with their clean and impressive uniforms at the time when they had no shoes to wear. A lot of boys joined EON because of their impressive uniforms. We only have limited information on the garments worn by EON members at this time, based on the available photographic record. And our archive is just based on black and white images so we can not yet conform the color of the various uniform items. Despite the Government support for EON, there were costs associated with joining. EON did not give the uniforms free to the children. This meant that not all boys could afford to join EON. Boys who couldn't afford uiforms could ask their mothers to sew them. (In Germany, companies made a lot of money selling Hitler Youth uniforms and equipment which parents had to buy, especially when membership was made compulsory. Children from poor families, however, could receive poor uniforms if their parents could not afford to buy them.) Thus EON, while more broadly based than Scouting, was not the same kind of mass youth movement as was the case in Germany and Italy.

Levels

There were three different uniforms for the EON boys, depending on the diffent organizationl level. A lot of children (boys and girls) remember that they were very jealous of EON members walking or marching around with their clean and impressive uniforms at the time when they had no shoes to wear. A lot of boys joined EON because of their impressive uniforms.

Younger group

There is seem to have been a uniform for little boys and girls ages 4-7. We are not sure what this group was called. This uniform had a blue smock and white ankle socks instead of the trousers.

Fallagites

The "Fallagites" wore a formal uniform with blue long baggy trousers with straps around the ankles, blue shirt, white tie, white belt and a type of forage-cap with the EON badge.

Skapaneis

The "Skapaneis" had a uniform better suited suited for activities, especially during the summer. The uniform was blue short trousers and knee socks instead of longs. In this uniform the socks and tie were sometimes not used.

Garments

We only have limited information on the garments worn by EON members at this time, based on the available photographic record. Hopefully we can provideva more etailed assessment as our archive expands. And our archive is just based on black and white images so we can not yet conform the color of the various uniform items. Both boys and girls wore the same caps, a rarity in youth groups. It was a campaign cap with a large badge at the front. The uniform was a military looking uniform which some of the menbers wore with a white tie. This may have been for formal occassions. Some of the children had white belts. We also note dark belts with shoulder straps. The boys motly wore short pants and the girls skirts. Except for skirts, the boys and girls wore similar outfits. We see some of the boys wearing long pants, and perhaps knickers. Hosiery varies. We bote both knee socks and long stockings as well as no hosiery at all. Footwear varied, but some of the children wore spats with what look like long pants gathered at the ankles to look like knickers.

Membership

Despite the Government support for EON, there were costs associated with joining. EON did not give the uniforms free to the children. This meant that not all boys could afford to join EON. Boys who couldn't afford uiforms could ask their mothers to sew them. (In Germany, companies made a lot of money selling Hitler Youth uniforms and equipment which parents had to buy, especially when membership was made compulsory. Children from poor families, however, could receive poor uniforms if their parents could not afford to buy them.) Thus EON, while more broadly based than Scouting, was not the same kind of mass youth movement as was the case in Germany and Italy.