World War I broke out on 9th August 1914 and Baden-Powell was asked if the Scouts will help in recruiting The Scouts to help the local communities during scouting.

The Scouts were given different skills, different jobs, such as helping in the farming, and helping send messages from communities, from public buildings, from police stations to anywhere that needed a telegram sent. Not many public buildings had telephones, don’t forget. So scouts were asked to be the messengers.

In 1914 when the First World War was happening, Scouts were aged 11 to 18. So the average age for a Scout helping out in World War I was between the age of 14 to 18 years old.

Sea Scouts.

They were set up two years after scouting was started in 1909. They had lots of different jobs. So Sea Scouts, as we know, predominantly by the sea. No, lots of Scouts were in a city and they would be training on lakes, and rivers, and canals. And the Sea Scouts went to the coast and helped the local coast guard. They would be firing signaling for the ships warning ships at sea and also listening to messages coming in and out. Interestingly, the Sea Scouts would run next to the coast guard and the patrol leaders will give the task to the troops, they will make sure the tasks were completed and up now to a high standard.

The Sea Scouts were never paid for helping out, they were given a subsidence and that would be for such things as food, for traveling, and accommodation.

Scouts

Scouts that we know today. What was their role? Many groups scrapped their summer holiday camps and worked on farms. They would harvest vegetables, they would harvest flax. Now flax was then produced into make a strong material such as tents and equipments, and even they were used to cover the wings of airplane craft.

Now Scouts were used as messengers. They would cycle between government buildings to police station to other buildings that needed telegrams sent to them, that needed letters sent to them. Also, Scouts, they did a lot of fundraising. One Cub pack spent all day collecting acorns, and that was then sold for animal feed. A Scout group in Belfast collected bottles, that raised over 600 pounds.

Now Scouts, as we know, one of their finest skills is first aid and they helped fundraise the Scout Ambulance. Scouts were asked to be stretcher bearers and use their skills in first aid not only for civilians, but for injured army personnel. Now the brave Scouts that fought and helped during the war were awarded bravery awards. Former Scouts up to 19 Victoria Crosses were awarded to them. Now the Victoria Cross is the highest military decorated award that anyone can be awarded.

Scouts are out and about. One of the words that we know, out in Scout. They were a public message, they were out there all the time doing day jobs and doing this and doing that. Now B-P, as we know, loved to draw, and he was asked by the government to come up and help recruit people. One of his most famous posters, Number 115, this was helped to recruit people and it was known, Are You In This?

He also come out with a second poster, Number 121. This is known as Everyone Should Do His Bit.

My actual Scout group took part in the war. Whether it’s true or not, I don’t know. It’s not written down in the records, but it’s been handed down from generation to generation that my Scouts looked after a local lake so it didn’t get polluted. Whether that’s true or not, I don’t know. But it’s a great little story for my group to say that they took part and helped in the war.

A task that you could do, a bit of homework, how many Scouts from your group took part in the war? Do you know anybody? Do you know any family members? Not just the First World war, the Second World War, but the Gulf War and the wars that are continuing on today. Maybe there are Scouts that you know. Just take some time out on November the 11th at 11:00am, wear your poppy, and your Scout scarf, and remember those lives that are sadly lost due to war.