Guides badge
 

Not sure if this the right place to post, but can anyone tell me if this is a pre-Independance badge. I think post 1947 the insignia would have incorporated either theChakra or the lion capital as in other official badges.

The Bharat Scouts and Guides of India were formed in 1950 and use the badge design as per the attached image. I have no documentary proof about the badge you have shown, but I would anticipate that it was in use pre-1947 and upto the point that this one was issued.

Hi Wooffy

Id agree with you on this, whilst I don't have the metal badge illustrated I do have several cloth badges on green for scouts and red for Rover Scouts with the joint scout and guide badges on them.

Regards Phil.

Thank you gents!
Googled a lot, but nothing coming. I guess it is a pre-47 badge, but would have liked to know more..

I do have an India Scouts 'For War Service' silver badge for 1941.

Regards,
Sunil

Can't give specific date for India but found this :

"Soon it appeared with a cut-out 5-pointed star in the middle of the top leaf , each of the inner and outer points of the star being said to represent one of the then 10 Guide laws, as an extra aid to remembering them."

"In 1932 it was altered again, this time to have a straight stem and stalk rather than a curving one."

"In 1968 it changed once again, now having a much narrower scroll"

So , cut out star , straight stem and wide scroll would date your badge somewhere between 1932 - 1950/51.

https://lesliesguidinghistory.webs.c...misebadges.htm

Thanks Mike Vee!

Bharat Scouts and Guides have several web sites including, of course, a Shop. Current badges seem to feature the Lions of Ashoka and, in the case of a Commissioner, the spinning wheel, but I haven't been able to find and archival site specific to Guiding in the subcontinent. :(

http://scoutshopindia.in/h/Badges/Search

Don't know if theres much scouting/guiding in India these days. Can't recall the last time I saw a kid in the uniform either in Mumbai or Bangalore.

I enjoyed being a boy scout though was never too good with knots. What I liked the most was the uniform.

Hi,
According to this site http://www.vintagegirlscout.com/intI.html your India guides trefoil promise badge was adopted in 1951. Prior to this they would have worn standard UK issued Guides badges (i.e. scroll reading 'Girl Guides' adopted 1932)

Regards
Steven

I think that site has simply got the date on the wrong picture .

On 15 August 1951, the All India Girl Guides Association joined the new "unified" Bharat Scouts and Guides and would have adopted their badge.

According to one site I looked at, as of 2008 and 2005 respectively there were 1.8 million Scouts and 1.2 million Guides, but those numbers have undoubtedly changed since then. :)

Hi Guys

I have head a look at the site in Mike Vee's post and the purple badge is for Commissioners, the green for Scouts and the red is for Rover Scouts. I have all 3 in my Indian scouts collection.

Regards Phil.

Hi,
I agree, the date on the picture is confusing. I found a picture I had from a GG magazine dated 1944 showing a few countries promise badges. The Indian GG badge c.1944 was the same as the then UK badge. This same badge was used in the colonies as well. So my assumption is that the GG promise badge with 'INDIA' title is post 1947 to 1951 when they joined the Bharat Scouts.

Regards
Steven

Thanks for the info , it is beginning to look like this was a very short lived badge.

Thanks for this Steven. very useful. By any chance is it possible to have a better scan of the pages so I can read them. Maybe as two single pages. But don't bother if it's too much trouble.

This badge has turned out to be a nice find. Steve, do you have any info on the Boy Scout India 'On War Service' silver badges which were issued during WW2. I have one with the date stamped on the back. There are others with the date on the front of the badge.