Boy Scout kilts

[O'Callaghan]

I live in a council where many leaders think just the uniform shirt is OK, and they'll wear jeans or slacks instead of uniform pants. The Council is trying to get all of the registered leaders to wear the uniform correctly, including the uniform pants, especially in front of the boys. (The arguments against puchasing/wearing them are: "They're too expensive", "I don't want to get them dirty", "They don't fit right", etc.)

That's how it is here. Certainly very few of the boys wear them.

I have read of an incident a few years back where a registered leader (volunteer) wore the uniform shirt with camouflage pants to a high-profile (read - the press were involved) council event. On his way in, he was asked by his Council Executive (the local top-level professional BSA staffer) to change into uniform pants or remove the shirt. The gentleman refused and was subsequently escorted off the premises by the police and barred from further membership and participation in any other Scouting event in that council. An extreme example, to be sure, and we don't know if there were extenuating circumstances (past history?), but the Executive was within his rights to do so.

That's a different issue, though. The BSA don't allow wearing of 'military uniform' items with BSA uniform, and they count camouflage as military uniform. They do take a very serious view on this, as there are a few people (thankfully very few) who treat the scouts as if it were a paramilitary organisation, and the BSA don't want them in their organisation, period. Of course, if someone had been hunting and just kept on his hunting trousers but put on a BSA shirt he would also fall under this policy, but they would say that he ought to know better.

Kilt-wearing in other Scout Associations around the world (Ireland, the UK, etc.) is subject to their own regulations. There is no over-arching authority regarding uniforming.

Absolutely. The UK rules on this are complicated, and I have already posted on that subject.

Disclaimer: I'm not a scout leader, but my wife is, and she has her woodbadge.

[Spartan]

His best friend in his life was a MacLaren (The Boy) and if he was in the possesion of a kilt he would have gotten it from him. This MacLaren is the one who was with him at Brownsea, not the one who donated Gilwell.

Iang

Are there two MacLarens? According to A History of Wood Badge in the United States, published by the Boy Scouts of America, Gilwell Park was donated to the Boy Scout Association in 1919 by District Commissioner W. DuBois MacLaren, and is maintained by the British Boy Scout Association. (p. 8) The first Wood Badge Course was held there September 8-19, 1919. (Brief History of Wood Badge) The course fee was £5.

"The Gilwell neckerchief displays the tartan of the clan MacLaren, to commemorate in perpetuity the generosity of Gilwell's donor." (p. 9)

Interestingly, this unidentified photo, presumably taken at Gilwell, appears on p. 11 of the book.

[Pleater]

Yes there were two MacLarens.

Our 'local' one is Kenneth MacLaren, Brownsea Island is in Poole harbour - I can almost see it from the back bedroom window of our house. I think it would have been visible from the upper windows when the house was first built, just over 100 years ago, but in the years between the wars the area became more built up and we no longer have the view of the whole harbour.

We could see it from the top of the scaffolding when the roof was repaired - we did some painting whilst it was available and the view was worth the climb.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[dadgad]

Just to add another picture of kilted scouter. That was at Baltimore Area Council's Powder Horn course last spring.

[rocscotjoe]

I was at the 1969 Jamboree too! I see the patch on the right shoulder of the scouter on the right, wearing the black watch like kilt. Attended as a scout in '69 and as a SM in 2001. Wish I'd had a kilt for the 2001 Jambo. I wore a Japanese Scout beret for our International program...

Seosamh

[Skipper1]

I was a cub, a scout,a venturer and then scout leader for 20 years. I never realized that my gilwell necker had the Maclaren tartan on it. Well you learn something every day. As an aside, my first necker was made of the Maple Leaf Tartan, designed to celebrate Canada's 100 years of confedration. It was the same year my pack was creaated.

[rocscotjoe]

I was a cub, a scout,a venturer and then scout leader for 20 years. I never realized that my gilwell necker had the Maclaren tartan on it. Well you learn something every day. As an aside, my first necker was made of the Maple Leaf Tartan, designed to celebrate Canada's 100 years of confedration. It was the same year my pack was creaated.

I went through Wood Badge NE-V-126 and that was the first I learned of the Gilwell Wood Badge neckerchief having a scrap of McLaren tartan. Of course, in Cubs, the Webelos neckerchief is a colorful tartan! Origin? I don't know!

[fluter]

I went through Wood Badge NE-V-126 and that was the first I learned of the Gilwell Wood Badge neckerchief having a scrap of McLaren tartan. Of course, in Cubs, the Webelos neckerchief is a colorful tartan! Origin? I don't know!

I believe the Webelos tartan was designed for that purpose. If I'm thinking of the correct one, it's listed as Cub Scouts of America. I believe that it was after my time (1964-ish).

http://www.tartanregister.gov.uk/tar...s.aspx?ref=819

[rocscotjoe]

I believe the Webelos tartan was designed for that purpose. If I'm thinking of the correct one, it's listed as Cub Scouts of America. I believe that it was after my time (1964-ish).

http://www.tartanregister.gov.uk/tar...s.aspx?ref=819

My Cubbing days were about the same time, maybe just a little later. I am an Eagle Scout, Class of '74, NE-V-126 (I used to be an Eagle...), and Brotherhood Member of OA, Ty-Ohni Lodge (inactive currently).

Growing up in BSA I have some very mixed feelings about uniforming. There were always those who took uniform inspections to nearly military standards, but I also took (and still take) great care to mke sure my badges were correctly placed. Uniform pants, for young guys, can be an issue as they are expensive and you outgrow them so quickly. Uniform exchanges make a difference, and not looking askance at hand-me-downs from my cousin made it work too.

Kilting and Scouting? I am all for it! Scouting is a International brotherhood and I think anything that promotes cultural understanding and appreciation is a positive. Where I draw the line is the use of clearly military apparel such as camo. Tartans and Rep ties may have military roots, but they do not send the same message (intended or not) that camo does.

My $.02!

Seosamh

[AZ_Scouter]

When the "top officials" were consulted about wearing the kilt, which country are we talking about?

I do not think that BP ever wore a kilt. In his time the use of a kilt was used only in the military or by the highland Scots. Not even lowland Scots would wear one.

I would be very grateful to anyone who can provide me with a picture of BP in a kilt or provide written evidence that he ever wore on.

Iang