The Boys' Brigade (BB) is an international interdenominational Christian youth organisation, conceived by the Scottish businessman Sir William Alexander Smith to combine drill and fun activities with Christian values. Following its inception in Glasgow in 1883 the BB quickly spread across the United Kingdom, becoming a worldwide organisation by the early 1890s. As of 2018, the Boys' Brigade claimed 750,000 members in 60 countries.
The BB inspired the formation of other similar brigade organisations serving particular denominations, regions, genders, ideals, other religions or even individual churches, such as the Church Lads' Brigade (1891), London Diocesan Lads' Brigade and Church Girls' Brigade (all Church of England and later amalgamated into the Church Lads' and Church Girls' Brigade), the pacifist Boys' Life Brigade (formed 1899 by the National Sunday School Union with strongest support amongst non-conformist churches), the Girls' Brigade, the Girls' Life Brigade, Bolton Boys' Brigade, Catholic Boys' Brigade (1894), Baptist Boys' Brigade and the Jewish Lads' Brigade (1895), inspiring a whole brigade movement.
Object, motto and emblem
The object of the Boys Brigade is "the advancement of Christ's kingdom among Boys and the promotion of habits of Obedience, Reverence, Discipline, Self-respect and all that tends towards a true Christian manliness." Except for the addition of the word "obedience" in 1893, the contents of the object has remained unchanged from the beginning. However, some countries, particularly those which permit girls on their membership roll, have re-worded the object for gender neutrality. For example, in Malaysia, the word "manliness" has been changed to "character".
When designing the Brigade's motto and crest, William Smith referred directly to in the King James Version of the Bible, "Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast...".
From this verse came the BB motto, "Sure and Stedfast", retaining the old spelling of the latter word. Today, some parts of the movement (only the UK and the Republic of Ireland) have adopted the modern spelling of "steadfast", whilst all others continue to use the older spelling.
The crest was originally a plain anchor, bearing the BB motto with a capital 'B' on either side. Upon the merger between the Boys' Brigade and the Boys' Life Brigade in 1926, the red Greek cross was placed behind the anchor to form the current emblem. The cross originally formed part of emblem of the Boys' Life Brigade.
History
The Boys' Brigade was founded in Glasgow by Sir William Alexander Smith on 4 October 1883 to develop Christian manliness by the use of a semi-military discipline and order, gymnastics, summer camps and religious services and classes.
By 1910, there were about 2,200 companies connected with different churches throughout the British Empire and the United States, with 10,000 officers and 100,000 boys.
Boys' Brigade Scouts, 1906–1927 Companies of The Boys' Brigade used manuals on scout training in their programmes. In May 1903, Robert Baden-Powell became a vice-president. Baden-Powell promoted the idea of scouting and outdoor pursuits in the Boys' Brigade and other boys' organisations and schools.Birch, A. E. (1959). The story of the Boys Brigade. Frederick-Muller. The Boys' Brigade formally began its boy scout scheme in 1906. Scout badges, Silver second class & Gold first class, were awarded in The Boys' Brigade.Badges of The Brigade Vol 1 2000 R. Bolton et al.
There were specialised Boys' Brigade Scout sections, which operated as part of a BB Company. They met at different times to train in scouting, who wore khaki or blue uniforms, neck scarves and the distinctive four dented broad brimmed fur felt hats.Badges of The Brigade Vol 1 2000 R. Bolton et al. Boys of the Bournemouth & Poole Battalion of The Boys' Brigade participated in Baden-Powell's experimental camp on Brownsea Island in 1907. Baden-Powell did not originally intend to start a separate organisation.
Many Boys' Brigade Scouts later made dual registration with The Boy Scouts Association. The 1st Bournemouth Scouts was run by the 1st Bournemouth Boys' Brigade as a 'BP' Scout group and never a 'BB Scout 'Section'. The Boys' Life Brigade, which merged with The Boys' Brigade in 1926, operated its own boy scouts and was a member organization of the National Peace Scouts with the British Boy Scouts.
The Boys' Brigade Scouts continued until 1927. Some former Boys' Brigade Scout units continued independently after 1927, or affiliated with The Boy Scouts' Association or British Boy Scouts. Two of the original Boys' Brigade Scout units continue as 1st Parkstone Scout Group and 1st Hamworthy Scout Group, both formerly sub units of the 1st Poole Boys Brigade.Eager, W. McG. (1953). Making men: the history of Boys Clubs and related movements in Great Britain. University of London Press.
Merger with Boys' Life Brigade, 1926 In October 1926, The BB united with The Boys' Life Brigade. The Boys' Life Brigade was formed in 1899, as a pacifist alternative to the BB, by the National Sunday School Union and was strongest amongst non-conformist churches. It substituted first aid drill for the military and weapons drill used in the BB. The merger prompted the abandonment of weapons and dummy drill rifles that had been used in the BB, due to the Life Brigade's objections to use of weapons or their representations. The BB anchor badge was altered to include a red cross of the Boys' Life Brigade.Boys of the Brigade Vol 1 1993 Robin Bolton
Prior to the amalgamation in 1926, the junior organisation of the BB was called 'The Boy Reserves'. After amalgamation, the juniors were called 'The Life Boys'. The name came from the fact that the junior reserve of The Boys' Life Brigade had been known as 'Lifeboys' (all one word). The Life Boys remained as the 'Junior Reserve of the BB until 1966, when the name was changed to 'The Junior Section'.
Establishment of recreational camping Drawing from his military experience, William Smith, Knighted in 1909, introduced the concept of camping into the Brigade to allow boys and officers to remain in contact when other activities ceased for the summer break.
The notion was initially ill-received due to concerns for the boys' safety. A mother was quoted saying, "Camp! My children have always had a roof over their heads, and as long as I live, always will!". They did have a roof over their heads because William Smith proceeded with the idea and 1st Glasgow Company held its inaugural one-week camp beginning on Friday, 16 July 1886, at Auchinlochan Hall, Tighnabruaich in a hall. In later years they took to canvas camping on a site at Portavadie in the Kyles of Bute.
The First Glasgow attended summer camp at the same location until the summer of 1974, when Portavadie was selected as the location of a proposed yard for the construction of oil production platforms. The new camp is located only 100 yards away at Stilliag farm. This camp site is now used by many companies of the BB every summer for their camping trip.
The initial reservations towards camping did not last. A tradition developed, where the boys who were marching home on the last day of camp would be greeted by cheers from residents and were each presented with a bouquet of flowers. Camps soon became one of the most anticipated events in the year and early publications of the Boys' Brigade Gazette contained many accounts of camping experiences.
Sir William Smith's plans and notes for his first camps have been preserved, and have been used by many other campers.
Sections in the BB
Age groups are typically based on school years, so boys in the same year group would be promoted to the next section together, regardless of the dates of individual boys' birthdays. In some companies, sections may merge or there may be minor variations to the normal age boundaries, to accommodate excessively large or small groups of boys or a lack of leaders. Boys might also move to their next section before the end of the year to allow a smoother transition.
Australia has three different age groups, known as "sections": Anchors – 5 to 7 years Juniors – 8 to 11 years Seniors – 12 to 18 years 'Alpha' – 12 to 14 'Omega' – 15 to 18 New Zealand has three sections: Anchor - 5 to 7 years Adventure - 8 to 10 years Delta - 11 to 18 Delta Jr - 11 to 13 Delta Sr - 14 to 18 Malaysia has four sections: Pre-Juniors – 6 to 8 years Juniors – 9 to 12 years Seniors– 12 to 18 years Primer– 18 to 21 years
(All Malaysian Boys' Brigade companies may accept girls into membership with the approval of their respective sponsoring authorities.)
United Kingdom has four sections: Anchor 5 to 8 years (companies need special permission to accept boys younger than 5 years old) Juniors – 8 to 11 years Company – 11 to 15 years Seniors – 15 to 18 years Officers company and over
(Companies may choose to run a Girls' Association alongside or in combination with these sections)
In the United Kingdom and Ireland The BB is divided into four Regions. Each region is then further divided. In Scotland and England & Wales The BB is divided into Districts and then Battalions. In Northern Ireland the BB is divided into 13 Battalions. The Battalions provide a local grouping of companies. The Battalions are normally based on Cities or Counties. Each Battalion has its own local structure that organises events and training on behalf of the member companies, each with its own Battalion President and Executive Team who assist the President in running the Battalion.
Amicus Groups United Kingdom Amicus was launched in 1994, and is intended to either run as an alternative to the Seniors programme or even without any other Boys' or Girls' Brigade sections operating. Unlike other sections which may be for boys only in many companies, Amicus is always run as a mixed-gender group. The Amicus concept emphasises involvement of all its members in decision-making concerning the running of the section, such as the content and whether a uniform is to be worn. The section is overseen and supervised by leaders aged over 18, who have received training from the Boys' Brigade and may deliver parts of the programme.
Leadership Officers (adult leaders) Leaders in training are Warrant Officers, attaining the rank of Lieutenant after completing additional formal training in youth leadership. To avoid unnecessary leader hierarchy, all qualified officers are Lieutenants. The post of Captain of a company is a brevet rank. Those in the position revert to Lieutenant when they cease to be in the position. Similarly, other positions such as the company Adjutant (second to the captain), are considered appointments rather than substantive ranks.
Boys bearing the rank of Staff-Sergeant are non-commissioned officers, but act within the company as Officers.
Boys as non-commissioned officers
An older boy can gain promotion from Private to become a Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO). There are four NCO ranks available, each being awarded when a boy is of a certain minimum age and reaches a high enough standard of leadership:
Lance Corporal – L/Cpl (minimum age 14) Corporal – Cpl (minimum age 15) Sergeant – Sgt (minimum age 16) Staff Sergeant – S/Sgt (minimum age 17) Warrant Officer – WO
NCOs often play an important role in the Boys' Brigade, helping the officers and other adult helpers with organising activities and awards classes, particular in the Anchors and Juniors sections. NCOs wear chevrons on their upper right arm.
Staff Sergeants act within the company as officers and do not stand in the ranks. As Staff Sergeants are boys of the Brigade, they can still partake in company activities and competitions, and still earn awards and badges. The uniform of Staff Sergeants is slightly different from that of the normal boy or NCO, they will still wear a blue shirt.