Emblem, Promise, Law & Motto

Emblem

This is the emblem we all wear on our shirts today.  It’s the emblem of the World Organisation of the Scout Movement and we wear it indicate our membership of the Movement.

It didn’t always look like this.  Here’s a bit of history:

In 1897 Lord Baden-Powell began awarding a brass badge in the shape of the fleur-de-lis arrowhead to army scouts he had trained while serving in India during that year.  He later issued a copper fleur-de-lis badge to all participants of the experimental Scout camp on Brownsea Island in 1907.

Baden-Powell included a design for the Scouts’ badge in his work, Scouting for Boys, which was a simple fleur-de-lis with the motto “Be Prepared” on a scroll below it. His thinking was that the fleur‑de-lis was commonly used as the symbol for north on maps, and a Boy Scout was to show the way in doing his duty and helping others.

The plumes (or the 3 points) of the fleur-de-lis then became symbols for Service to Others, Duty to God*, and Obedience to the Scout Law. These three principles form the Scout Promise which is made by new Scouts as they join the movement. The fleur-de-lis was modified shortly after to include the two five-pointed stars, which symbolise knowledge and truth.

Baden Powell also said the addition of the two stars could represent the gleaming eyes of a wolf cub.

This relates to the two stars Cubs worked for during their programme and were worn on the Cub cap. Wolf cubs are born blind, so correspondingly new Boy Scout Cubs wouldn’t have the stars on their cap, but by the time a Cub was ready to go to Scouts his eyes would be fully opened and he would have two stars showing his development.  (This element of the Cub programme was replaced in 1967.)

As Scouting spread across the world, countries created their own versions of the Scout symbol, sometimes adding to the design to make it specific to their county, so in 1972 the World Membership Badge (the one we know today and is presented to members when they join) was introduced for all national Scout organisations which belonged to the World Organisation of the Scout Movement.

Here’s how it all fits together:

Moving on to more recent years it was decided that a new look would be appropriate for the digital age, so in May 2018, following worldwide consultation, a new Scout brand and visual identity was introduced for UK Scouting.  This kept the fleur-de-lis logo, but the new version was in a simplified and clear‑cut style (as shown below left).  This had the benefit of making the logo clearly visible in a smaller size, particularly useful for use on electronic devices, such as iPhones.  For this rebrand, care was taken that the heritage of Scouts was not lost and that a continued link to Baden-Powell’s first drawing remained.

The illustration on the right is from Baden‑Powell’s drawing in the book “Scouting for Boys” published in 1908.

The branding as we know it in 2021 is on the left.

Although this is the new branding which is seen on signs, books, clothing, social media and websites, UK Scouts continue to wear the World Membership Badge on their uniforms (see Uniform section for more information).

Note on the above:  The majority of information on the Scout Emblem has been ‘borrowed with pride’ from the UK Scout Association.

The Promise

The Scout promise which was published in “Scouting for Boys” (1908) is:

‘On my honour I promise that—

I will do my duty to God* and the King.
I will do my best to help others, whatever it costs me.
I know the scout law, and will obey it.’

The promise has changed a little over the years so that, in 2021 it is:

On my honour,
I promise that I will do my best
to do my duty to God* and to the King,
to help other people
and to keep the Scout Law.

The same Promise is used by the Explorer Scouts and all Leaders.

*The version of the promise we mainly use refers to doing duty to God.  However, to reflect that Scouting is a multi-national and multi-faith Organisation, there are different versions of the Promise which allows it to be made by members irrespective of their country, faiths or beliefs.  To support this there is a Promise for Christians (which we mainly use), Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Jews, Humanists and those with no beliefs.

In time, the introduction of Cubs and subsequently Beavers meant that that they also had to have a promise.  Like the Scout Promise, those for the Cubs and Beavers are available in multi-faith, multi‑national formats.

The Cub Promise is almost the same as the Scout Promise, the one we make being:

I promise that I will do my best
to do my duty to God* and to the King,
to help other people
and to keep the Cub Scout Law.

The Beaver Promise is very straightforward, being:

I promise to do my best and to be kind and helpful and to love God*.  This promise has been made by Beavers since that section was introduced to the Scout Association in 1982.

The Law

 Here’s the Scout Law as we know it in 2021 (the same Law is also used for Explorer Scouts and all Leaders):

1. A Scout is to be trusted.
2. A Scout is loyal.
3. A Scout is friendly and considerate.
4. A Scout belongs to the world-wide family of Scouts.
5. A Scout has courage in all difficulties.
6. A Scout makes good use of time and is careful of possessions and property.
7. A Scout has self-respect and respect for others.

Baden-Powell wrote the Scout Law in his book “Scouting for Boys” published in 1908 and, as you’ll see below, the original Law wasn’t always as simple as it is now.

We don’t have a copy of the 1908 publication, but we do own two other versions – one is for Leaders (it dates back to 1948), the other is the Boys’ Edition, which is from 1956.  Both our books are on display at our events with the Scout Law pages tagged on each.  In the Boys’ Edition the Scout Law gives the headings only, whereas the Leaders’ version gives much more detail as to how each Law is to be interpreted/carried out.

We didn’t want the books handled too much, so extracted the Scout Law from the Boys’ version in 1956 – here it is:

1. A Scout’s honour is to be trusted.
2. A Scout is loyal to the Queen, his Country, his Scouters, his Parents his Employers, and to those under him.
3. A Scout’s duty is to be useful, and to help others.
4. A Scout is a friend to all, and a brother to every other Scout, no matter to what country, class or creed the other belongs.
5. A Scout is courteous.
6. A Scout is a friend to animals.
7. A Scout obeys orders of his Parents, Patrol Leader, or Scoutmaster without question.
8. A Scout smiles and whistles under all difficulties.
9. A Scout is thrifty.
10. A Scout is clean in thought, word and deed.

Question:  Which version of the Scout Law would you prefer to follow – 1956 or 2021?

The Cubs also have a Law which is:

Cub Scouts always do their best,
think of others before themselves
and do a good turn every day.

The Beavers do not have a Law of their own, but through their meetings and badgework they learn about doing their best, thinking of others and doing good turns.

The Motto

The Scout Motto is:  Be Prepared.

The Motto was written by Baden-Powell in 1908 and published in “Scouting for Boys”.  In the first part of that book he explains the meaning of the phrase as:

“The Scouts’ motto is founded on my initials, it is: BE PREPARED,

which means, you are always in a state of readiness in mind and body to do your DUTY;

Be Prepared in Mind by having disciplined yourself to be obedient to every order, and also by having thought out beforehand any accident or situation that might occur, so that you know the right thing to do at the right moment, and are willing to do it.

Be Prepared in Body by making yourself strong and active and able to do the right thing at the right moment, and do it.”

Be Prepared is also now the Motto for the Cubs. Their previous motto was ‘Do Your Best’, which is still referred to at their meetings.

• Did you know that:
  Do Your Best Motto has been around for a long time, as if you go to the ‘Scouting in the War Years’ section you’ll see a series of Bulletins written by the 2nd Bengal Rover Services Crew.  One of the Bulletins mentions ‘DYB!’, which stands for Do Your Best.

The Beaver Motto as we know it in 2021 is Be Prepared, which brings all Sections in to alignment.

• Did you know that:
  Be Prepared was not always the Motto for Beavers, as from 1982 (when Beavers were introduced) up until 2002 the Motto was ‘Fun and Friends’?

After membership of the Sections has been formalised by each Beaver, Cub, Scout or Explorer making their Promise and reciting the Law and Motto, they become fully fledged members of that Section and can start working through their badges and develop their skills and knowledge.  It’s now the enjoyment of Scouting begins.