Scout and Guide Scarf Colours

Cambridge District Scout Archive

The clear identification and provision of the colours envisioned or required for a scarf has not always been straightforward. Early attempts at a ‘sky blue’ were compared with an overcast day in Liverpool. A formal and fixed chart is of great use, even if they vary between manufacturers.

The Cambridge Scout Shop held two sets of scarf colour swatches, one clearly Scout colours, the other presumably Guide colours.  From context they are from around 2012.

Scout	Scout No.	Written notes	Girl Guide
Gold	21	Same as  g/g	Gold
Black	2	Same as  g/g	Black
Sky blue	3	Same as  g/g	Cambridge
Emerald green	4	Same as  g/g	Emerald
Grey	5	Same as  g/g	Silver grey
Brown	6	Same as  g/g	missing
Khaki	7
Lemon	8	Same as  g/g	Bunting yellow
Maroon	9	Same as  g/g	missing
Fellowship	*	Same as  g/g	(cyan)                 missing
Navy blue	10	Same as  g/g	Navy
Orange	11	Saffron for g/g	Saffron
Purple	12	Same as  g/g	Purple
Royal blue	13	Same as  g/g	Royal
Beaver	*	Same as  g/g	Turquoise
Scarlet	14	Same as  g/g	Scarlet
Scout Green	15	Same as  g/g	Scout Green
Dark Red	17	Peony g/g	(peony)              missing
Green	18	Mid green for g/g	(mid green)      missing
White	20	Same as  g/g	White
			Hyacinth
			Violet

The notes are written on the Scout swatch card, linking Scout and Guide colours, although some names vary.   Visually the swatches do match in colour and material.  Some colours are missing from the GG swatch or the swatches are not contemporary.  Those in brackets are referred to on the Scout swatch but missing on the Guide swatch.  The Scout swatch is mounted on a card and apparently complete, those of Fellowship and Beaver having no number but in place.

From Cambridge point of view the naming of Sky blue as Cambridge blue is of note.  Cambridge scarf colours tend to avoid the use of Cambridge blue as a term, although it is frequently used.

The number 1, 16 and 19 are not used on this card and have not yet been identified.

JWR Archivist Sept 2022