A new Boy Scout in Kilt

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

I don't know anything about this photo other than its title, "Keith Martin, Boy Scouts of America". Seemed like it deserved a showing here.




Found a companion pic entitled, "Boy Scouts of America, 1936"

Surely you know where it came from? Perhaps you'd share that with the rest of us?

[HarborSpringsPiper]

Surely you know where it came from? Perhaps you'd share that with the rest of us?

With pleasure. I just discovered this collection of photos entitled "Old Bands" associated with the website "School of Piping", out of Australia, and these two pics are at the end of the slideshow. http://schoolofpiping.com/photo_albu...nds/index.html

I have no idea what the story is behind these kilted BSA members or why they are in this collection of pics. Is this a pipe band and we just don't have a view of the pipers? Drum corps only? IDK. Wish it gave us some info about where this was and who they were besides obviously being BSA.

There are many other photos of pipers and pipebands on the index at the top of that page as well. I did post the link "Pipers of Past Years" in the Celtic Music section here at XMTS and these are classic.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Thanks for posting the added information. The Troop 90 Highlanders band was sponsored by St. Peter's Episcopal Church in San Francisco, California. It was established (I believe) in the 1930s, and was disbanded by the mid-eighties.

Sadly, as time marched on to the beat of it's own drum, the band became less uniformed and dwindled in size. It was one of probably a dozen (now defunct) bands in the San Francisco area.

BTW, your postings of pipers and pipe bands of the past is brilliant! Everyone should go take a look.

[HarborSpringsPiper]

I must say these are nice goat hair sporrans these boys are sporting. The campaign hats are working too! If there were pipers, they must have had to pin-up the left brim of their hats, a la Aussie-style, unless they were wearing other head gear. Broad-brimmed hats and drones never work very well together for me.

Thanks for the additional info and les bons mots, too!

[longhuntr74]

Awesome pics!! Love them.

[macwilkin]

I must say these are nice goat hair sporrans these boys are sporting. The campaign hats are working too! If there were pipers, they must have had to pin-up the left brim of their hats, a la Aussie-style, unless they were wearing other head gear. Broad-brimmed hats and drones never work very well together for me.

Thanks for the additional info and les bons mots, too!

I've seen film from WWII showing two Kiwi Pipers playing as a troopship from New Zealand was leaving for North Africa; both pipers are wearing the distinctive Kiwi "lemon squeezer" slouch hat without the brim turned up.

Regards,

Todd

[Matty Ross]

Personally I think if you have a problem with Scouts in Kilts YOU have a problem because the rest of us think it's great. Here is a pic of me recieving my Silver beaver.

[Galician]

I was fascinated to see that one of the bands from nearly 40 years ago was sponsored by General Motors.

[HarborSpringsPiper]

I was fascinated to see that one of the bands from nearly 40 years ago was sponsored by General Motors.

GM Canada. They were a prominent Grade 1 band out of the Metro Toronto area in the early to mid 1970s. This is essentially the group that went on to become the 78th Fraser Highlanders under Bill Livingstone. Bob Worrall had played with them under P/M George Campbell and if I recall, they had a bunch of members who had previously played with Toronto Police PB as well.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Personally I think if you have a problem with Scouts in Kilts YOU have a problem because the rest of us think it's great. Here is a pic of me recieving my Silver beaver.

Personally, I don't think there is a problem. BSA National HQ has made it clear that the Boy Scouts of America is NOT a heritage organization and for that reason ethnic clothing (kilt included) is not an authorized part of the Scout uniform. You may have a problem with that, but the tens of thousands of others (adults and kids) involved with Scouting in the United States don't have a problem with that. They follow the rules.