Scouting - Old Time kit

[John Fenna]

I have just been going through some old photos and turned up these photos of my Grandfather in his Scouting days in the early 1900s.
I understand he was posing for an Official Scouting Photo - showing off how to wear the kit.

I am not sure how much camping kit would go in the "Trek Cart" but that looks like a pretty thin collection of kit for camping!
In 1955 the kitlist was

This taken from "Mid Moor and Mountain" by Melville Balsillie and Jim Westwood and published by the Scouts Assoc.
A great little book that lots of good info from "Whither Shall We Go" - hiking at home and abroad and "How Shall we Do It" kit lists, recipes, kit and gear (including patterns for clothing , tents, sleeping bags and rucksacks) and trouble-shooting
Here is a rucksack pattern they give


Amazon have copies from as little as 40p!
I hope that this is of use to folk

 

[Goatboy]

He looks a fine Scout Mr Fenna,
Well turned out and ready for the world. I often think it's sad that the "lemon squeezer" hat fell out of favour here. I remember wanting one as a Scout (still do if I'm honest).

The lightweight camping list would probably have the parents running for their lawyers these days; "How will little Timmy survive?!?" But you yourself have camped out with less if memory of your trip reports serves me well.

Will have a look on Amazon for the book. One of the thing I like about my Kindle is that it allows me to download books that are either out of print or just plain too expensive to get in hardcopy. I've build up a reasonable collection of historical camping and exploring tomes that way and I always glean something new from these old books.

Cheers for posting up, he must've been a very good Scout to be picked as an example.

Cheers,
GB.

 

[Steve27752]

Excellent John, thanks for posting, I love the fact that the packing list includes a tea towel as we still include it on our kit list
I am off to group camp next weekend and my bag will be a bit bigger than your Grandfathers. And not homemade with tools 'borrowed' from Blacks.
However, I will be wearing a Lemon Sqeezer hat.

 

[John Fenna]

He looks a fine Scout Mr Fenna,
Well turned out and ready for the world. I often think it's sad that the "orange squeezer" hat fell out of favour here. I remember wanting one as a Scout (still do if I'm honest).

The lightweight camping list would probably have the parents running for their lawyers these days; "How will little Timmy survive?!?" But you yourself have camped out with less if memory of your trip reports serves me well.

Will have a look on Amazon for the book. One of the thing I like about my Kindle is that it allows me to download books that are either out of print or just plain too expensive to get in hardcopy. I've build up a reasonable collection of historical camping and exploring tomes that way and I always glean something new from these old books.

Cheers for posting up, he must've been a very good Scout to be picked as an example.

Cheers,
GB.

I have 2 "Lemon-squeezer" hats myself (from my Scoutleader days) and they are great headwear!
And you are right - I have camped out with less (much less!) but I prefer more (much moor!) for comfort!

 

[cranmere]

I have one of my Dad's old Scout diaries dating from back in the late 1920s. He used to tell all sorts of stories about the things they did, I wish I'd had a tape recorder at the time. He was also the person who made me enthusiastic about wild places, and was also the person who taught me to make a lot of my own gear.

 

[tombear]

Because of the current interest in the Great War ( ok you could get them before but there's now a proliferation ) you can buy new made D shape mess tins should any one to go old Sc(out)hool. We used them from at least 1813 until about 1939 in various forms so they must have had something going for them. I rather fancy a 1813 version...

atb

tom

 

[Goatboy]

Because of the current interest in the Great War ( ok you could get them before but there's now a proliferation ) you can buy new made D shape mess tins should any one to go old Sc(out)hool. We used them from at least 1813 until about 1939 in various forms so they must have had something going for them. I rather fancy a 1813 version...

atb

tom

I'm going to stop reading your posts Tom... I've now just been off looking and found some. They are speaking to me...

 

[tombear]

Shiny!

these are the sort I fancy.

http://www.militaryheritage.com/images/messtin2.jpg

not cheap but there may be other makers. Sadly my friends the tinsmiths only do stuff from the Revolutionary War

 

[Goatboy]

I think it was maybe yourself that put me onto these chaps? LINK Where I got my mate a nice candle tin as part of his Christmas. (I wanted too many things from the site so try to stay off it)

 

[Bowlander]

Times haven't changed that much, had the kit list for Beaver camp this weekend:

Camp Kit List

All beavers to arrive in uniform       

Items to bring

Cake/Biscuits to share        *

Sleeping Bag/Roll mat        *

Fleece Blanket         *

Pillow          *

A few changes of clothes, underwear, socks, shorts, long trousers (no jeans)  *

Clothes for canoeing and footwear that you dont mind getting wet  *

Warm jumper         *

Wash kit and small hand towel will do      *

Waterproof jacket/trousers       *

Hat          *

Strong footwear/Wellingtons/Crocks (useful for slipping on at night)  *

Drinks bottle         *

Torch/head torch and spare batteries       *

Sun Cream         *

Midge Repellent        *

Camp chair         *

Thick black bin bag or similar for wet/dirty things    *

 

[sgtoutback]

awesome thank you for posting. Brings back memories.

 

[Geebe]

I like the fact that an outdoor jacket is 'optional'
They were made of sterner stuff in those days!

 

[tombear]

I think it was maybe yourself that put me onto these chaps? LINK Where I got my mate a nice candle tin as part of his Christmas. (I wanted too many things from the site so try to stay off it)

It sounds like me!

ive just had a quick exchange of messages with my mates the tinsmiths over in the U S and back in the 90s they did do some D shaped mess tins for some folk reenacting the War of 1812 but from the lack of info at th time they were based on a Great War one, which was more elaborate, rounded and so difficult to make by hand I sent them a copy of the page from Turners book and I've sparked their interest. So I've got in touch with another mate who writes on this sort of stuff for the Armourer and what not to see if he has any more info on extant early D shapes. If owt comes of it ill let you know.

ATB

Tom

 

[bearbait]

For those interested there is a collection of old Scouting manuals at The Dump.

 

[petrochemicals]

He rather reminds me of the park ranger from yogi bear!
The kit list may not have changed much but the kit has. I imagine the tent would have made a vango force ten look flimsy. Very interesting ta

 

[Minotaur]

He looks a fine Scout Mr Fenna,
Well turned out and ready for the world. I often think it's sad that the "lemon squeezer" hat fell out of favour here. I remember wanting one as a Scout (still do if I'm honest).

The lightweight camping list would probably have the parents running for their lawyers these days; "How will little Timmy survive?!?" But you yourself have camped out with less if memory of your trip reports serves me well.

Will have a look on Amazon for the book. One of the thing I like about my Kindle is that it allows me to download books that are either out of print or just plain too expensive to get in hardcopy. I've build up a reasonable collection of historical camping and exploring tomes that way and I always glean something new from these old books.

Cheers for posting up, he must've been a very good Scout to be picked as an example.

Cheers,
GB.

You did used to be able to buy that sort of stuff from the Baden Powell Scout association. The belts rock as they are not a solid belt they have a ring either side to hang things from. A dangler sheath knife would work perfectly from one of these belts. His looks right however I wonder if they were used by the military or boys brigade?

Two strange things I noticed in the picture he has the staff upside down and it is the wrong height. I was always told that your staff should come up to your nose. The rings on the staff are for sighting (you do some maths and you can work out the height of trees etc) so you would want them near your eyes so other way up. The height of the staff is about Paklour style stuff they could do with it. Jumping fences and rivers etc. Never seen anything written about this sort of use of the staff except the odd picture using it as a third leg to get over a gate.

I believe the hats are on similar lines to what the US Marines wear, so if you could find one of those somewhere however you might want to read about how much of a pain in the neck they are to look after.

It is also interesting that he does not wrap his lanyard in with his neckerchief or that he does not use a woggle. Wonder at what point that became the thing to do?

Also on a personal note that he has his knife etc on his left side, were most of us would swap the axe and knife over. Hard to tell however it also does not look like he has a handy hank of rope either.

Would be very interesting to know the exact date on this picture as if it between 1908 and 1916 you could be looking at local scout uniform before the association existed.

On the kit, you wore your uniform almost all the time so you would be surprised how little else you would need. I believe a lot of the lightweight hiking stuff comes from this period were you would have 2 of a lot of items, wear one and wash one. Also they were used to a much more boring diet than us and could hunt as well.

The whole uniform had multiple uses. For example the neckerchief as sling which they cannot do anymore as they have made them smaller.

 

[John Fenna]

more on the staff
http://scoutingrediscovered.com/campcraft/rediscovering-the-scout-staff
and woggle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woggle
Our Sea Scouts used a Friendship knot, not a woggle...

 

[petrochemicals]

my grandad had loads of photos, just not much really specific. boy oh boy he sure loved scouts. made it to my moms house so these are from 1930s

some musical instruments, you must have a flag pole to muster by, and you can't forget about your mother. a photo from 1910 is a rare thing for my grandads family. the only one i can find is set up from a photo parlour!

 

[cranmere]

My Dad taught me to make a braided leather woggle, the sort made from a strip of leather with 2 slits cut in it. In exchange I taught him to make Turk's heads. We used to use a worn limpet shell, you find the sometimes as a complete shell ring with the point of the shell worn away.

 

[cranmere]

Interesting links John, thanks. I loved one of the pictures showing you how a staff could turn into a whole survival kit.