Patrol Names in Cambridge

Cambridge District Scout Archive

Patrol names have gently altered through the years.  No local rules have been located although the patterns may be stronger than just trends.  The clear influences are BPs original sketches, the badges available and the 1949 book on Senior Patrol names.

The first four patrol names on Brownsea Island were: Bull, Curlew, Raven, Wolf.

No District wide list of patrol names has been found. Much of the following observations are taken from the lists of Guides, Rangers, Scouts and Senior Scout patrols competing in the ‘??? Query’ trophy and other district Patrol competitions.   (This is the title of the competition not a residual note to the compiler.)  The patrols quoted are examples of the range.

From the 1911 Scouting for Boys BP wrote ‘It is a good plan to choose only birds and animals in your district’.  Thus we find in 1911

• Kangaroo patrol          1^st Cambridge which did appear in the emblems (below)

C. 1920  ‘Then as woodcraft ideas spread we gave up exotic patrol names and used those of native birds and spread whose calls would be “natural”, we thought, so Lions became Owls; Wolves became Pewits and the rattlesnake call (“rattle a pebble in a potted meat tin”) vanished in-to history.’  WTT Archaeology  1978

Other names crept in: Moorhen, Crow and Jackdaw were in use in 1913.

Those not yet recorded in Cambridge from the emblems sketched by BP include Merlin, Tiger, (which are still available as patrol badges) and Mongoose, Cat, Jackal, Peacock, Horse, Bear, Stork, Hyena, Ram, Hippo, Rattle snake, and Wild Boar.

A list of all the flashes and badges depicted by www.scoutcollecting.co.uk are at the bottom of the page. 

The Badger was added in May 1912

 Scouts                                    1940’s, 1950’s

In 1941 The Scouter announced new patrol names; Kestrel, Merlin, Skua and Snipe, ‘particular interest to (the newly formed) Air scouts’.  

In 1942 on the formation of War Service Scouts patrol names such as ‘Edwards VC’ and ‘Tobruk Patrol’ were floated in The Scouter.  We have no records from Cambridge of War Service Scouts Patrol names used here. 

Cambridge Scout patrols in 1945 – 1955 were largely birds, with increasing numbers of British animals, particularly in the large troops at the 5^th & 60^th.  The 7^th had 8 patrols all bird names in 1950.  Names used in the District include

• Seagull
• Chough
• Owl
• Swift
• Peewit
• Pheasant
• Falcon
• Eagle
• Kestrel
• Woodpigeon
• Badger
• Otter
• Hound
• Squirrel

And by 1955   

• Bulldog            1^st
• Lions                5^th
• Panther           26th
• Wildcats

The 1^st had a Patrol ‘Sea Dogs’.  It is not known why birds were favoured at this time when of over 50 badges half were animals, half birds.

A number of names not on the original list were adopted; Chough, Kittiwake, Fulmar, Cygnet, and by 1955 Penguin of the 42^nd/29^th, Flamingo and Martlet of the 12^th.  Gannet was made available later but has not been used whereas Kittiwake and Fulmar have all been used but not formally added.  Maybe they did not enter or win competitions.

1960’s, 1970’s

Cheetah and Moby have been identified, the later from a Wisbech Troop, ‘Monkeys’ was used in a Patrol competition

Conflated names

Occasionally names such as Liger or Tigon have been used where two Patrols have temporarily merged for a camp.  These have not been identified in Patrols.  ‘Made’ patrols are sometimes specifically excluded from competitions.

1966    Advance Report

It is of note that the 1966 Advance Report, recommendation No. 75, stated

• ‘That the present system of Patrol names be continued but that the inappropriate be avoided’

suggesting that an element of foolishness had crept into selecting names.  Records of any names considered inappropriate have not been located in Cambridge.

Rovers                         1930

Cambridge Rovers (30^th) Patrol/ Crew names – 1930

• Wolves
• Wakes             presumably as in ‘Hereward the’

The Emmanuelle College Rover patrols (c late 1920’s as recalled 1953) were Lions and Rams and some College Patrols existed up to c. 1952/53.   Records exist for Swallow Patrol (Pembroke Patrol) and Dove Patrol (Gonvile and Caius) College patrols, but College based patrols are not detailed in the University scout periodicals.

Senior Patrols                        1949

The Senior Scout Patrols, which were formed in 1946, originally had names from the existing patrol list.  They used Seagull and Beaver and if they occasionally wandered as far as Albatross were not very different.

Discussed in August 1946 the Boy Scout association published two books of Patrol names for Senior Scouts in 1949.  Each listed six names of Pioneers.  These have all been identified in Cambridge from the 40’s and 50’s except Stevenson.  No alternative names were observed alongside these twelve and the five added later.  Original names appear to have been completely replaced.

• Francis Drake              12^th 5^th 19^th
• David Livingstone        26^th
• George Darwin           5^th
• Orde Wingate     26^th 13^th 5^th 60^th
• Gino Watkins      54^th 5^th  1^st Histon
• George Mallory          60^th

• Walter Raleigh                        5^th 12^th
• James Cook                 √
• George Stevenson
• Wilfred Grenfell          5^th 12^th  60^th
• Robert Falcon Scott     1^st Histon
• R J Mitchell                 7^th   23^rd

A further five names added later,

• Eric Liddel,
• Guy Gibson,                 54^th
• Lord Somers,
• Edward Wilson            54^th
• Hon Roland Philips

The Patrols had square colours halved diagonally.  The books provide both a patrol symbol and a reason for the colours. The colours are often chosen based on a less than fundamental connection. See at  http://scoutcollecting.co.uk/ssshop4-badges-senior_scouts-membership. 

The books can be read at http://www.thedump.scoutscan.com.  Some names are more settled in the collective memory than others and the selection robustly reflects the times.

1967   

The new list of Patrol names and coloured badges were to be worn with the first named colour facing forward.  Eight colours were identified that could be reversed so that Patrol names not on the list could be used.

Rangers and Guides

In comparison the Rangers elected to use ‘tribe’ names e.g.

• Cherokee
• Mohican
• Mohawk
• Maori

and also in 1949 ‘Explorers’ a Patrol name rather than a category.

 The Guides used flowers and like the Scouts used birds.

• Little Owl
• Blue Tit
• Robin
• Nightingale
• Chaffinch
• Robin
• Swallow

• Heather
• Thistle
• Cornflower
• Gorse
• Pimpernel

And also from the ??? Query competition

• Bunnies.

Tammy Proctor in her book ‘On my honour; Guides and Scouts in Interwar Britain’ wrote ‘To stem criticism … and to combat perceived threats to womanliness, Guide patrols used feminine symbols such as flowers for patrol names badges.  Many wanted to be Ravens and Wildcats, not daisies and violets.’  

Some of the plants were at least prickly. The selection of birds is gently different, the Guides selecting birds that are generally smaller and with the exception of the Little Owl, which is a round bundle of feathers, not raptors.  Even the swallow, often confused with the swift, would lose out in most ‘Top Trumps’ categories. 

Change and tradition

 It is not known from Cambridge history if patrol names persisted beyond the badge availability or were resurrected in new or revived troops. Names other than those supported by Scout shop badges have all remained well within the traditional field suggested by the original silhouettes.   

 There are no references to the use of the abstract option of 1981 badges and the colour option of the 2001 badges, these coming into being after the records.  The abstract options were specifically included ‘so that existing patrol names not included in the list given can be retained or so that new names may be used.’

Summary

Patrol names change slowly with the growth of a troop or at a point of major change.   Troop history and iconography are not lightly altered.  BP’s original selection did pretty well.

List

Shoulder flashes and badges: list from www.Scoutcolling.co.uk

 The gaps such as buffalo 1967 – 1981 suggest that the collection is not complete.  The 1984 POR confirms the 1981 – 2001 list.

Non standard names          Peregrine, Chough, Wildcats, Moorhen, Kittiwake, Cygnet, Swallow, Rams, Magpie, Owl, Wasps, Aardvarks and Fireflys. A number of these are from camp records and may be one off camp patrol names.

Patrol Calls

 George V, agreed to carry out the review. On 4 July 1911 the largest gathering of boys that England had ever seen, 30,000 scouts,  assembled in Windsor Great Park.  At  3 o’clock B.P. mounted on a black horse raised his hand. The rally came to the alert and George V, with his attendant Princes and generals, among them the Duke of Connaught and Lord Roberts, rode into the circle; For half an hour the King rode round to inspect the Rally. Then he took his place at the saluting base, under the royal standard. Then followed the most spectacular point of the rally. The whole circles of scouts rushed forward, shouting their patrol calls. Then, at a predetermined line, they stopped. B.P. called for three cheers for the king; up went a forest of hats on staves and a chorus of’ “God Save the King”. This was indeed a great day for B.P. and the Scouts. 

WTT Archaeology

JWR Archivist Jan 2019