Historical Boys' Organization Uniforms: Purchasing the Uniform

Figure 1.--After World War II, few American boys who wanted to participte in Scouting were unble to do so. At the same time, mby boys began wearing non-unifrm items with the uniform, especially jeans. This varied from unit to unit. This was not very common in the 1950s, but we begin to see it more commonly in the 60s. This of course meant thst fewer official items had to be purchased. Gere we see a group of Scouts at a camp in the late-1950s. Some camps had very strict uniform rules. his camp appraeent did not. Put your cursor on the image to see the rest of the group.

We have found some information on buying youth groyp uniforms on some of the many different organizations. This has varied ovr tme and from organization to organization. The ethos developed at the various organizations exhibited a range of attitudes toward uniforms. The British Boys' Brigade had a few uniform items at first and not a full uniform. Thus the boys could participate without buying an expensive uniform. The German Wandervogel had a rather infomal approach. The British Boys Scouts had a much greatr insistence on a formal uniform. This was widely repeated in other Scout organizations around the world. This raised the question of purchasing the uniform and largely restricted membership to middle-class boys. Comapnies manufacturing uniforms paid a royalty tontheScout association. This of course changed when totalitarian countrues countries began founding their own youth groups. Here participation was mandatory, rather like school. But parents were still expected to purchase the uniforms. Some unifoms were provided, but mostly parents purcased the uniforms. The Hitler Youth also gave great attenion o the unifirm. A royalty from uniform purchases was a part of he Hitler Youth funding mechanisms. The Soviets gave less attention to theoir youth group, the pioneers, than the NAZIs, And low incomes made attention to the uniform difficult. Attitudes changed after World War II. Scouts began paying less attention o the uniforn, akhough this varies from cpuntry to country. And the local Scout leaders also had an influence. Rising income levels in Euope and American meant that few boys who wanted to participte could not do so. At the same time uniform standards began to decline. We see many American boys, for exa,ple, wear jeans with their uniform. The same is true in many other countries. This of course meant that purchasing the uniform was very inexpensive. At the same time we saw the Soviet giving more atention to youth unoforms. The Soviets provided low-cost camp uniforms in the stores, And for specil events, parade uniforms were passed out to the children. These did not need to be purchased.

American Scouts

Scouting only a few years after it was founded in Brirtain, appeared in America. It was an immeiate suces. Boys not only liked the activitie, but also the idea of wearing a uniform. Parents for the most part purchased the uniforms. And this Scouting as in Britain was a middle-class movemnt. Scouting was sopopular that boys from low-income families also wanted to participate. We note many accounts of Scouts getting odd jobs so they could purchase their uniforms. This was mostly in the early years when Scouting was enormously ppular and youth activities more limited than is currently the case. This was also the case during the Depression (1930s). hen I was a Cub Scout in the 1950s we all had full, proper uniforms which we were very proud to wear. We note that latter in the 1970, many Cubs wore jeans rather than the official Cub pants. Jeans were chosen not only because they were popular, but because they were blue.

British Boys' Brigade

The Boys' Brigade (BB) was the first uniformed youth group. It was founded in Glasgow, Scotland (1883). The Brigade was thoughtup by Sir William Alexander Smith to use drill and activities appealing to boys to help build Christian values. The initial program involving extensive drill was not as appealing to biys as the outdoors Scout activity program would prove two decades later. We suspect that there was more parental involvement in the boys joining the BB ans few we examples of the boys getting odd jobs to purchase the needed items. The BB as conceived by Smith had a basic approach to a unifirm. They did not have a full uniform, only a few items like a cap and white belt with an attached shoulder strap was worn by the boys. We do not have many written accounts, but suspect thst parents bought the uniforms. If the churches chipped in for some boys we are not sure. So there was very little for the parents to purchase. Thus virtually any boy could participate. Buying a uniform was not required. Memberhip was built around churches. And we believe included many working-class boys, altgiugh we have not seen this specifically addresed in the literature. Most BB units are ttached to churches and thus have similar social-clas orientations to the churchs. Smith unlike Baden-Powell did not have a military background. So the idea of a military-like uniform was not part of the BB program. Eventually a blue uniform wasadopted, but we do not see many fully uniormed groups until after World War II. Increasing prosperity meant that purchasing uniform was a relatively minor matter for even working-class families.

British Scouts

We note affording the uniform was a problem in Britainfor many boys. And Britain was the wealthiest country in Europe. Still working-class families lived at a below Ametican levels. This substantially limited the number of childten who could partocipate in youth groups and youth group activities. The British Boy Scouts (BBB), a rival for Baden-Powell's Boy Scout Association (BSA). Sir Francis Vane worked in working-class areas and began pbuying the iniforms many parents could not afforsd. This was the reason that Vane quickly went bankrupt and the BBB largely collapsed. The Bitish BSA solved part of the problem by making grey shorts part of the uniform for Cubs and khaki shorts for the Scouts. These were items that many boys already had. Grey shorts were commonly worn to school. Khaki shorts were xommon summer-time wear.

German Wandervogel

The German Wandervogel had a rather infomal approach. Wandervogel was a loosely irganized organizarion. And the ethos was in part a reaction to milutarization and authority. The youths involved loved to go out into the country and sing as well as to recite poetry. The uniform was chosen primrily fot apractical, hardwearing outdoors dress. Mahy of the members had the items ot culd purchase them inexpensively.

German Weimar Youth Movements

Weimar Germany had the largest and most diverse youth group in Europe. It was amazinglu diverse, but splintered by ethnic, political, and religious differences. It was, however, a middle class youth movement. Right-wing and left-wing groups sponsored youth movments, but they were more for teenager than children and they were focussed primarily on political objectives rather than providing fun and healthful activities for the children. As far as we know, parents of all the differnt groups had to buy the unifimns.

German Youth

The Hitler Youth organiztion expected parents to properly uniform the children. Some parents were very poor and others did not like the NAZIS, using poverty as an excuse. Some uniforms were proided, but we do not know how common they were. We belive that most of the children wanted the uniforms, which was a powerful motivation for most parents if they could afford it or did not despise the NAZIS abd the brown-shirted SA Stormtroopers. One former Hitler Youth boy, Henry Metelman recalls how is father refused to buy a brown-shirt uniform. He could have gotten in troubleif his reason was dislike for the NAZIs. But apparently after embeassing Henry and othe unifomed mmbers of the unit, the HJ provided them shirts. Another HJ boy, Jost Hermand, tells us that the uniform and associate gear was expensive. This was in part because the companies that made official uniform items paid a royalty, in this regard it was similar to the Boy Scouts. We do not have details yet on the size of the royalty.

Italian Bailla

Italian children had to join the Fascist Balilla after Mussolini seized control of Italy. The Scouts were banned and the only youth group permitted was the Bailla. As with the Scouts, parents were expected to purchase the uniforms and equipment. Italy was a poor country, especially in the South, and we believe that not all children participated. Here we are not yet sure, but we have seen some authors reporting that subtantial numbers of children did not participate, we think mostly children from low-income families. We see Balilla officials passing out uniforms and clothing to some of the children at camps. The Fascist youth organization Balilla had several changes throughout its history. So also the ceremonies changed over time. I am attaching an image a Facist from a propaganda movie taken at a Balilla camp in the suburbs of Rome (July 1931). Renato Ricci, chief of the Balilla organization, is putting new clothing on a group of children from poor families attending the camp. We do not know if the Bailla alsoorovided uniforms to the children participating in regular Bailla units and activities.

Soviet Young Pioneers

We know less about the Soviet Young Pioneers. We see few well uniformed units before World war II. This was in part becuse of the poverty prevalent in the Soviet Union despite propaganda clasims of aworkers' paradise. We know the Soviet Union gave enormous effort to building a mass edication system. We are less sure about how much attention was focuded on the Yp. We get the impression that before the War there was more attention given to teengers than children. After the War we note examples of the YP passing out parade uniforms. In addition lowo cost uniforms were offered in Soviet stores. These seem to be primarily camp uniforms.