We provide fun, challenge and adventure to over 1400 young people in North Lancashire – #SkillsForLife
We provide fun, challenge and adventure to over 1400 young people in North Lancashire – #SkillsForLife

On Patrol (Wolf Cubs)

Daily Mail (Hull), Thursday, January 1, 1914:-

A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU!

The following New Year message has been received from Sir Robert Baden-Powell: 

“Scouts, I want you to do me a good turn this new year !

“Will each one of you get hold of another boy and train him how to be a Scout ?

“We are going to start a new corps, one for small boys between nine and eleven.  They will be called the Young Scouts or the Wolf-cubs.

You can get your younger brothers to join these, so that when they reach the proper age they can come into the Boy Scouts.

“I will write for you in ‘The Scout’ what the Young Scouts have to learn, and you can then teach them yourself, or you can have a boy over eleven to be a Tenderfoot.

“Good luck to you, and good camping in the coming year !  — (Signed) 

“Robert Baden-Powell, Chief Scout.”

The Gloucester Journal, Saturday, February 21, 1914:-

Gloucester Boy Scouts’ Association.

Junior Branch Organised.

A fully attended meeting of the B.P. Scout-masters of the district was held on Saturday last in St. Mary de Crypt Schoolroom.  The District Commissioner, Lieut.- Col. G. D. Timmis, presided, and was supported by the Secretary, Mr. Eric F. T. Fowler.  The newly organised junior branch of the Boy Scout Association, the members of which will be known as “Wolf Cubs,” was sanctioned by the District Commissioner. Membership is open to lads between the ages of eight years and twelve, when they are transferred to the ordinary branch of Scouts. The uniform differs from that of the Scouts in many ways.  The District Scoutmaster will take charge of this junior troop, and will arrange for meetings to be held from six to seven or eight on two evenings in the week.   

Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser, Monday, April 13, 1914:-

Rally of Scouts in Manchester.

Secret of Success

Sir R. S. Baden-Powell at the Grammar School.

At Manchester Grammar School, on Saturday there took place the opening session of an important Scoutmasters’ conference of three days’ duration, which is being attended by scoutmasters from all parts of the United Kingdom.  Sir Robert Baden-Powell, the Chief Scout, and Lady Baden-Powell were present, as well as many of the leading men of the Boy Scout movement.

The object of the conference was a free interchange of opinion on matters of troop administration and kindred topics, and in this respect it should prove of great value to the participants.  Viewed as a conference, it was a somewhat refreshing change after experience of others of the genus.  Not only were those present the type of men whom it is good both to see and here, but the proceedings were marked by a commendable absence of excessive verbosity.  Each speaker had something to say, and his remarks were, as a rule, both pertinent and brief.

The morning session was presided over by Mr. J. L. Paton, High Master of the Grammar School, and the Lord Mayor of Manchester (Alderman McCabe) was present to welcome the assembled scoutmasters on behalf of the city .

When the Chief Scout rose to address the conference, he received, needless to say, a tremendous ovation.  In referring to the present position of the movement, and its now world-wide scope, Sir Robert said that during the past year, two or three steps forward had been taken which were of vast importance for their future.  

The first was the introduction of junior scouts – the “wolf-cubs” – which had been started because of the great demand for such an innovation from outside.  Elementary school teachers were amongst the first to suggest it to them, and since they started with the “wolf-cubs” the result had been perfectly wonderful. An enormous number of those patrols and troops sprang up in all directions, even before they had mapped a definite line of training out for them.  He saw unlimited possibilities in the movement, he proceeded, and one great help forward was the appreciation that the movement had won from authorities and all kinds of men.  Politicians – although he hated politics – (laughter)- men of education and the heads of  different religions had all testified to the value of scouting during the past twelve months.  They had had  interesting conferences recently with the Society of Friends, the Peace-Society, the big Sunday School movement of the Wesleyan’s, and other bodies – all of which were of value in showing that they were really being taken seriously on every hand, and had great possibilities of being of still greater value to the country in the near future.  

(Continues . . .) 

The Western Times (Exeter, England), Tuesday, June 27, 1916:-

Sir R. Baden-Powell’s ‘Wolf Cubs’

Lieutenant-General Sir R. Baden-Powell, presiding on Saturday as Chief Scout at a conference of Scout Masters, explained the scheme for the formation of corps of the junior scouts to be called “Wolf Cubs.”  The proposal, he said, was to train boys between the ages of eight and twelve preliminary to their becoming Boy Scouts.  His idea was to require from each “cub” the promise to do his duty to God and the King and to do a good turn to somebody every day, and when the cub-master was satisfied that the recruit knew the scout signs and the Wolf-Cub salute, he would be entitled to wear the badge.  The uniform would be a dark green cap, green or blue jersey, and dark blue shorts.