Figure 1.--These Cubs are having fun at a donkey sanctuary in 1979. There was little change in the uniform, but the longer hair styles and the shorter shorts help to identify English Cubs in the 1970s.

One of the few changes in the English Cub uniform occurred in the 1970s. English boys started wearing shorter cut shorts, showing the Continetal styling that was becoming more common for general boys wear in England. Most Cubs used the same grey shorts they wore to school for Cubs also. Thus this was not a change in the actual uniform itself, but more changing styles for the school and other shorts worn by English boys. One Scouter in 1976 confirms that the Cub uniform uniform in the 1970s changed very little, except his group changed from green (apparently a local variation from the percribed uniform) to grey socks most other English Cubs were already wearing. Cubs almost always wore plain grey kneesocks. The official kneesocks no longer had stripes at the top. Some boys wore turn-over-top kneesocks with the official green garter tabs. More commonly Cubs wore the less expensive kneesocks without the turn over top cuff at the top. Cubs had commonly worn school sandals for many activities. For the first time in the 1970s you began to see Cubs wearing running shoes instead of sandals. This was not part of the official uniform, but the running shoes were much more popular than sandals with the boys. Cubs in 1977 were given the option to wear long grey trousers. There had been increasing pressure for this as there had been for scouts 10 years before. It was not universally popular.

Activities

We do no have a lot of specific information about Cubing activities in the 1970s. The Cubs here are visiting a donkey sanctuary. We note thamany of the more traditional Cubbing activities began to disappear in the 1970s and efoorts began to update the program.

Uniform Trends

One of the few changes in the English Cub uniform occurred in the 1970s. English boys started wearing shorter cut shorts, showing the Continetal styling that was becoming more common for general boys wear in England. Most Cubs used the same grey shorts they wore to school for Cubs also. Thus this was not a change in the actual uniform itself, but more changing styles for the school and other shorts worn by English boys. One Scouter in 1976 confirms that the Cub uniform uniform in the 1970s changed very little, except his group changed from green (apparently a local variation from the percribed uniform) to grey socks most other English Cubs were already wearing. Cubs almost always wore plain grey kneesocks. The official kneesocks no longer had stripes at the top. Some boys wore turn-over-top kneesocks with the official green garter tabs. More commonly Cubs wore the less expensive kneesocks without the turn over top cuff at the top. Cubs had commonly worn school sandals for many activities. For the first time in the 1970s you began to see Cubs wearing running shoes instead of sandals. This was not part of the official uniform, but the running shoes were much more popular than sandals with the boys. Cubs in 1977 were given the option to wear long grey trousers. There had been increasing pressure for this as there had been for scouts 10 years before. It was not universally popular.

Letters to Scouting Magazines

Letters to Scouting Magazine put both sides of the argument, such as one cub leader who wrote, "A boy's knees are infinitely replaceable. They grow back again but unless the Committee of the Council have discovered a marvellous new cloth from which trousers can be made, the knees in long trousers will never grow back again. No definite pattern of long trousers will be marketed. Not only will the Cub Scout Section have lots of Packs where half the boys are in long trousers and half in shorts, but we will have different shades of grey as well." Which is more or less what happened.