Youth Groups: Postage Stamps


Figure 1.--These stamps show Hitler Youth boys and girls. The top stap was a stamp with a surcharge for charity issued in 1943 during World War II, it reads Day of the ???. Note the Hitler Youth flag in the top stamp and the Hitler Youth banner in the bottom stamp.

HBU is also collecting a variety of other information providing insigts into the uniforms worn by uniformed youth groups. One interesting source of information is postage stamps. The postage stamps provide some useful informattion as to how these groups are viewed in different countries. Not all youth groups have been extensively used for postage stamps. Certainly the Scouts were the most frequently depicted.

Organizations

HBU has obtained information about postage stamps commemorating the following youth organizations:

Boy Scouts

The youth group that has most commnly been depicted on postage stamps has been the Boys Scouts. More than 100 countries and dependencies have commemorated the Boy Scouts. Many countries, as Scouting has esisted for nearly 100 years now, have issued several stamps over the years. Various national uniforms are highlighted as well as changes over time.

Boys' Brigade

Britain has issued postage stamps commenorating the Boys' Brigade.

Boys Clubs

The United States has issued postage stamps commenorating Boys' Clubs.

Camp Fire

The United States has issued postage stamps commenorating Camp Fire.

Hitler Youth

The Third Reich existed for only 12 years. Even so, the Government issued different stamps commemorating the Hitler Youth.

Nationalist group

Italy's Fascist Government issued stamps honoring the Bailail, but I m not sure about the other nstionaslist groups with the exception of the Hitler Youth.

Young Pioneeers

The Soviets and eastern European satellite states issued stamps honoring the Young Pioneers.


Figure 2.--American Scout stamps are usually very serious, stressing patriotism and character. The stamp shows the uniform in 1960.

Chronology

One useful aspect of postage stamps is that they either have dates on them, or can be dated using stamp catalogs. Thus can be very useful in establishing the country involved and the year--every difficult to establish in many photographic images. Thus they can be useful in ascertaing uniform styles during specific periods.







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Created: September 29, 1998
Last updated: October 17, 2003



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