Living History is an ongoing series showcasing just a small assortment of the more than 350,000 items housed at The Salvation Army Heritage Centre in Toronto. This month, we showcase its large collection of Scouting artifacts.

In consultation with Lord Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of the Scouts movement in the United Kingdom, General William Booth created a Salvationist Scouting program in the early years of the 20th century. The Life-Saving Scouts program for boys was introduced in England in 1913, followed by the Life-Saving Guards for girls in 1915. The original aim of the program was “to spread Christ’s Kingdom among all classes, as well as to those attached to our Corps and to train them.”

These programs made their way to Canada in 1915, and groups sprang up across the country. Branches for younger members soon appeared, with Chums for boys and Sunbeams for girls.

The participants went camping, earned badges, put on concerts and displays, helped their communities and practised new skills. According to the February 26, 1927, edition of The War Cry, programs included “physical drill, observation tests, healthy games, methods of First Aid, … life-saving, … cookery, needlework, home nursing and housewifery.” Guards passed through Second Class and First Class tests before striving for the General’s Tassel, the highest award for Guards or Scouts.

The Salvation Army has a long history with Scouts Canada, with a memorandum of agreement to work together reaching back more than 85 years. By 1961, membership in groups affiliated with Girl Guides, which had been established in the United Kingdom by Agnes Baden-Powell, younger sister of Lord Baden-Powell, had reached 3,824 Brownies, 2,810 Guides and eight Rangers.

The Life-Saving Scouts and Guards movement was also a fertile field for soldiership. Many soldiers and officers would testify that these movements were their first introduction to The Salvation Army.

The Heritage Centre boasts a wonderful selection of uniforms, sashes, hats, tams and other assorted paraphernalia, testifying to the rich influence that Scouting has had on The Salvation Army.

Main photo: Courtesy of The Salvation Army Heritage Centre; inset photos: Camilo Mejia 

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