Boy Scouts in War Time .... interesting to read what these young boys did and were prepared to do ... ( pardon the pun ! ) but I was amazed at some of the stories here ! http://www.greatwardifferent.com/Great_War/Boy_Scouts/Boy_Scouts_Text.htm http://www.past-to-present.com/showitems.cfm?CategoryID=5763548 Boy Scouts of America did their "bit" too ! 1917 - The day after war was declared on Germany, under the slogan "Every Scout to Feed a Soldier," BSA members were urged to plant vegetable gardens. In two plant-growing seasons, 12,000 Scout farms were established. At the same time, the BSA pledged to aid the American Red Cross and promised cooperation with the U.S. Navy by organizing Scout coastal patrols to watch for enemy ships. The BSA's most significant service during WWI was the sale of Liberty Loan bonds to help finance the war effort. Five bond drives were held, and, in each case, Scouts were called upon to follow up the regular canvas by adult volunteer salesmen. They sold a total of 2,238,308 bonds worth either $147,876,902 or $355,000,000, depending on the information source. Scouts also sold war savings stamps to a value of either $3 million or $53 million, again depending on the source. During WWI Boy Scouts collected peach pits and nut hulls which were burned to make charcoal for gas mask filters. More than 100 train carloads were gathered. Another WWI Good Turn involved a national census of standing black walnut trees. Its wood was prized for gunstocks and airplane propellers. The BSA located 21 million board feet, or enough to fill 5,200 railroad cars. Scouts served as dispatch bearers for government agencies and delivered 30 million (or 300 million, depending on source) pamphlets during WWI. Scouts also aided the American Red Cross and the United War Work Committee.
Theres weekly orders and stories of the Scouts exploits in my local papers of 14-18 a number of them and their scoutmasters were sadly KIA. Ady
