Exhibit Spotlight: Scouting’s Patriotism During WWII

Article by Alexander Bennett, Museum Curator @ the World Scouting Museum

We have other webpages that contain information about Scouting’s efforts in WW2. Please use the buttons below to view those pages and learn more information! This information is included briefly here, but for the full story and picture, be sure to click the buttons below.

WW2 Sustainability
Unknown Japanese Soldier

When you think of World War II (WW2) do you think of Scouting? Maybe you should! Scouts around the US and the World answered the call from their countries in several ways. The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) alone numbered 1,500,000 boys and men who served the US in this time of need.

FDR’s First Request to the Boy Scouts of America During WWII

President FDR first reached out to the BSA in April 1941, requesting that Scouts distribute posters for Defense Bonds and Stamps. Ultimately, the Scouts would go on throughout the end of War distrubuting millions of posters. Some local Scouts participated in Local Stamp and Bond Subscription programs, but there was not a nationwide program like during WW1.

The Emergency Service Corps of the Boy Scouts of America

In the Fall of 1941, it was apparent that the US had an increased need for Emergency Preparedness. In October 1941, the BSA introduced the “Emergency Service Corps” program. These Scouts, who must be at least 15 years old, were specifically trained in helping out in emergencies.

More on the 1941 Emergency Service Corps Members

The first Emergency Service program was called the Emergency Service Corps.  It had two parts to it: the Corps member, who was an older Boy Scout or Senior Scout with certain training, and an Apprentice member, who had not yet completed all the training.

The 1941 Requirements for Emergency Service Corps Member:

  • 1. First Class Scout
  • 2. 15 years old
  • 3. Pass these qualification tests each year:
    •     a) Run 1 mile in 8.5 minutes
    •     b) Climb an 18-foot rope, hand over hand, in 15 seconds
    •     c) Tie the following knots with a 1/2 in rope or larger: Square, Bowline, Ant line hitch, Blackwall hitch, Two half hitches, Cat’s paw, Clove hitch, Bowline on a Bight, Sheet bend
  • 4. Hold the following merit badges:
    •     a) First Aid
    •     b) Safety
    •     c) Pioneering
    •     d) Personal Health
    •     e) Firemanship
    •     f) Public Health
    •     g) Lifesaving*
    •     h) Rowing*
  • The 1941 Requirements for Emergency Service Corps Apprentice
    • First Class Scouts who had not met all the above qualifications could be apprentices.
Scrap Metal Collecting

In the Summer of 1941, the BSA was requested to collect scrap aluminum to help the war effort. Scouts began going house to house, requesting owners to contribute all used aluminum-ware which they could spare without replacement. Between 1941 and 1945, Scouts collected over 420,000,000 lbs of various Scrap Metal for the war effort!

Musical Instrument Collecting

Musical Instruments were collected by the Scouts at the request of the US Army so that Servicemen at local bases could form orchestras. In 1942 alone, Scouts collected over 8,800 unused or underused instruments to arm the Army Orchestras.

Milkweed Collecting

Of all the services that Scouts performed during WW2, Milkweed Collecting was one of the largest and most important tasks. Kapok, a vital component for Life Jackets, became unobtainable. Luckily, native Milkweed Floss was a great replacement, and Scouts collected more Milkweed Floss than was known to exist! All that Milkweed Floss was used to make nearly 2 MILLION Life Jackets!

Other Items Collected
  • Clothes to Allies
  • Used X-Ray Film
  • Coat Hangers
  • New Razor Blades
Scouts, Gardening, and World War II

Scouts took on Food Production during the war effort as one of their major projects. Scouts and Scouters were encouraged to start Home Victory Gardens with the “Food for Freedom” slogan. In 1943, the FDA ran a nationwide recruiting drive for summer farm help known as the “US Crop Corps”.The Youth Division, called the “Victory Farm Volunteers,” included thousands of Scouts. Special Insignia was issued for all the members of the Victory Farm Volunteers.

Waste Paper Collecting

Paper was something we really needed during WW, the military had over 2,800 items that used paper alone. Throughout the war, Scouts were called upon to help collect waste paper. The first request came in 1942, but as soon as the Scouts had collected so much paper, they gummed up the works and had to take a break! By November 1942, they were called again to collect more paper. By the end of December 1942, 300,000 lbs of waste paper had been collected by the Scouts.

Another paper drive was conducted in 1944, with Scouts and Scouters collecting over 200,000 lbs of paper. General Eisenhower would sponsor another paper drive in March and April of 1945, where another 600,000,000 lbs of waste paper were collected.

During the period of WW2, Scouts collected a total of 1.44 billion lbs of waste paper. Special awards were given during the 1944-1945 paper drives to Scouts who collected over 1,000 lbs of paper.

Book Collecting

Scouts cooperated with the American Library Association (ALA) to aid their “Victory Book Drive”. Going door to door collecting books and magazines to be sent to American soldiers overseas for reading. By the end of WW2, Scouts had collected over 3,000,000 books!

Dispatch Bearers

Scouts were called in, like during WWI, to serve as Dispatch Bearers for the US Government. 3,000 Scouts armed with Official “Dispatch Bearers Identification Cards: distributed missions of posters and pieces of Government War Information.

Other Services to the Nation

Scouts served many other roles during WW2. The list below lists some of the ways Scouts helped their country and community.

  • Fire Watchers w/ Forest Service
  • Country-Wide Messenger Service w/ the US Office of Civilian Defense
  • Built over 100,00 model airplanes, ships, and boats that were used for training Servicemen to identify the different types of Allied and Axis Planes and Ships
  • Performed Services on the Local Level
War Service Award

The War Service Emblem was a Nationally Supplied Award that was issued by Local Scouting Councils to Cubs and Scouts who rendered war service deemed above average. Local Councils established the standards for giving out these awards, and recommendations for the recipients were made by Unit Leaders. The emblem was either cloth or metal and was worn on the uniform above the left pocket.

Unknown Japanese Scout/Soldier on Bougainville Island

We have an amazing display about this event on Bougainville Island. Learn more by clicking the button below to be taken to its own webpage.

/offUnknown Japanese Soldier of Bougainville Island

Learn More about the Sea Scouts at Dunkirk from these Links:

Scouting & WW2 Displays at the World Scouting Museum

Here are displays available to see in person at the World Scouting Museum, 1615 Washington Street East, Charleston, WV 25311. If you enjoy this Exhibit Spotlight, be sure to visit the World Scouting Museum to see them in person and learn more soon!

The Boy Scouts of America: Helping Our Country in Time of Need Poster Text

To save some time, I have used an Image OCR tool to grab the text from the poster. Unfortunately, it has caused most of the text to be uppercase, unless I needed to make edits for clarity or to fix mistakes made by the OCR software. Please excuse the capital letters. If you are looking to help us out, please retype this with the correct capitalization and send it to the WSM Museum Curator at wsmwvcurator@gmail.com

WORLD WAR II

WORLD WAR II GAVE THE SCOUTS ANOTHER CHANCE TO PROVE TO THE NATION THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SCOUTING MOVEMENT. EVEN BEFORE THE UNITED STATES ENTERED THE WAR, SCOUTS PROVIDED SERVICE TO THE GOVERNMENT BY COLLECTING SCRAP METAL AND PAPER, AND DISTRIBUTING BOND POSTERS. 

ON DECEMBER 8, 1941, WALTER HEAD, THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA, AND JAMES E. WEST, THE CHIEF SCOUT EXECUTIVE, SENT A TELEGRAM TO PRESIDENT FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT ASSURING HIM OF THE “FULL AND WHOLEHEARTED COOPERATION OF THE ENTIRE ACTIVE MEMBERSHIP OF OUR ORGANIZATION NUMBERING 1,500,000 BOYS AND MEN.” AFTER NOTING THE SERVICE BY THE BSA IN THE PAST, THE TELEGRAM CONCLUDED BY STATING “IT WILL BE OUR EARNEST PURPOSE TO EMBRACE TO THE FULL MEASURE OF OUR CAPACITY ANY AND ALL OTHER OPPORTUNITIES TO RENDER FURTHER SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY”

FINANCING THE WAR

PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT FIRST SOUGHT HELP FROM THE BOY SCOUTS IN APR, 1941, A LITTLE OVER SEVEN MONTHS BEFORE THE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR. HE REQUESTED THAT THE BOY SCOUTS DISTRIBUTE POSTERS FOR DEFENSE BONDS AND STAMPS, FROM THAT POINT UNTIL THE END OF THE W., THE BOY SCOUTS DISTRIBUTED MILLIONS OF POSTERS IN SOME AREAS, SCOUTS PARTICIPATED IN LOCAL BOND AND STAMP SUBSCRIPTIONS, BUT THEIR DRIVES WERE NOT ON A NATION-WIDE BASIS AS HAD BEEN THE CASE IN THE WORLD WAR I.

EMERGENCY SERVICE CORPS

BY THE FALL OF 1941. WITH W. LOOMING ON THE HORIZON, ET HAD BECOME APPARENT THAT THERE WAS A NEED FOR INCREASED EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS BY THE UNITED STATES. IN OCTOBER OF THAT YEAR THE BOY SCOUTS INTRODUCED A NEW PROGRAM CALLED THE -EMERGENCY SERVICE CORPS.. THE CORP WAS COMPRISED OF BOYS AT LEAST 15 YEARS OLD WHO WERE SPECIAL, TRAINED IN HELPING OUT IN AN EMERGENCY. IN ORDER TO JOIN THE EMERGENCY SERVICE CORPS, ASCOUT RAD TO BEAT LEAST FIRST CLASS, BE IN FINE PHYSICAL SHAPE, AND HAVE THE WRITTEN PERMISSION OF HIS PARENTS AND SCOUTMASTER

SCRAP METAL COLLECTING

DURING THE SUMMER OF 1941, THE BOY SCOUTS WERE FIRST REQUESTED TO COLLECT SCRAP ALUMINUM SCOUTS AROUND THE COUNTRY. CONDUCTED A HOUSE-TO•HOUSE CAMPAIGN REQUESTING THAT HOME OWNERS CONTRIBUTE ALL USED ALUMINUM-WARE WHICH THEY COULD SPARE WITHOUT REPLACEMENT. THE SCRAP ALUMINUM, ALONG WITH OTHER SCRAP METALS COLLECTED THROUGHOUT THE W., WERE USED FOR DEFENSE PURPOSES AND FREED UP NEW METALS FOR MILITARY USES DURING THE PERIOD BETWEEN 1341 THROUGH 1945. SCOUTS COLLECTED OVER 420,000.00 POUNDS OF SCRAP METAL FOR THE W. EFFORT.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT COLLECTING

AT THE REQUEST OF THE U.S ARMY, SCOUTS COLLECTED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS SO THAT ORCHESTRAS COULD BE FORMED BY SERVICEMEN AT LOCAL BASES. DURING THE DRIVE IN 1042, OVER 8,800 INSTRUMENTS WERE COLLECTED.

MILKWEED COLLECTING

ONE OF THE MOST DRAMATIC COLLECTIONS W. THAT OF MILKWEED FLOSS, WHICH WAS NEEDED TO REPLACE THE UNOBTAINABLE KAPOK FOR LIFEJACKETS. SCOUTS WERE SO DILIGENT THAT THEY COLLECTED MORE FLOSS THAN WAS KNOWN TO EXIST, ENOUGH TO /.LAKE NEARLY 2 MILLION LIFE JACKETS

OTHER COLLECTING

OTHER ITEMS THE SCOUTS COLLECTED IN SUPPORT OF THE WAR EFFORT INCLUDED CLOTHING TO SEND OVERSEAS TO OUR LIES, USED X•RAY FILM, AND COAT HANGERS. AND NEW RAZOR BLADE

GARDENING

As in World War I, FOOD PRODUCTION WAS ONE OF THE BOY SCOUTS’ MAJOR PROJECTS THROUGHOUT THE WAR. CUBS, SCOUTS, AND SCOOTERS WERE ENCOURAGED TO START HOME VICTORY GARDENS UNDER THE SLOGAN “FOOD FOR FREEDOM IN 1043. THE. The Food and Drug Administration ran a nationwide recruiting drive for summer farm help, known as the SCROP CORPS, “A YOUTH DIVISION CALLED VICTORY FARM VOLUNTEERS- INCLUDED THOUSANDS. 01 SCOUTS SPECIAL INSIGNIA WAS ISSUED FOR ALL MEMBERS

WASTE PAPER COLLECTING

DURING WWII, THERE WAS A TREMENDOUS NEED FOR PAPER. THE MILITARY USED PAPER FOR OVER 2,800 ITEMS, INCLUDING DRAFT CARDS, CONTAINERS FOR FOOD RATIONS. PROTECTIVE BANDS FOR BOMBS• T.GETS, SHELL AND CARTRIDGE BOXES, CONTAINERS FOR BLOOD PLASMA, DAILY WORK PLANS. AND BOXES FOR FIRST AID SUPPLIES  MANY TIMES DURING THE W. YEARS. THE SCOUTS WERE CALLED UPON TO, COLLECT WASTE PAPER IN EARLY 1942. THE SCOUTS CONDUCTED THEIR FIRST NATIONAL PAPER DRIVE. THEY WERE SO SUCCESSFUL THAT BY APRIL 1942 THE MARKET WAS COMPLETELY OVERSTOCKED HOWEVER, THE HUGE AMOUNT OF PAPER COLLECTED DURING THE EARLY MONTHS OF 1912 WAS SOON EXHAUSTED AND IN NOVEMBER OF THAT YEAR, THE SCOUTS WERE ONCE AGAIN ASKED TO CONDUCT A NATIONWIDE PAPER DRIVE AS BEFORE, THIS DRIVE WAS A HUGE SUCCESS WITH THE SCOUTS COLLECTING OVER 303.000.000 POUNDS OF WASTE PAPER P-4 DECEMBER OF TIME U S AT WAR A MAJOR PAPER DRIVE W. AGAIN CONDUCTED IN 1944 WITH A SIMILAR RESULT p4 THAT DRIVE. SCOUTS AND SCOUTERS COLLECTED OVER 200,000,000 POUNDS OF PAPER.  ONCE AGAIN IN 1945. THE SCOUTS WERE REQUESTED TO PARTICIPATE IN A PAPER DRIVE SPONSORED BY GENERAL EISENHOWER DURING MARCH AND APRIL. Of 1945. SCOUTS COLLECTED OVER 600.000.000 POUNDS OF PAPER_ DURING THE w. YEARS. THE SCOUTS COLLECTED A TOTAL OF 1 44 BIL LION POUNDS OF WASTE PAPER SPE., AWARDS WE RECEIVED DURING THE 1914 AND 1915 PAPER DRIVES TO SCOUTS WHO COLLECTED OVER 1.003 POUNDS OF PAPER 

BOOK COLLECTING

AS IN WORLD WAR I. THE SCOUTS COOPERATED WITH THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION IN THEIR -VICTORY BOOK DRIVE ‘SCOUTS WENT DOOR-TO-DOOR COLLECTING BOOKS AND MAGAZINES TO BE SENT TO AMERICAN SOLDIERS OVERSEAS BY THE WAR’S END. SCOUTS HAD COLLECTED OVER 3.000.000 BOOKS 

DISPATCH BEARERS

AS IN WORLD WAR II. SCOUTS WERE ASKED BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES TO HE, AS GOVERNMENT DISPATCH BEARERS, THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND SCOUTS EACH ARMED WITH AN OFFICIAL -DISPATCH BEARERS IDENTIFICATION CARD, DISTRIBUTED MILLIONS OF POSTERS AND PIECES OF GOVERNMENT INFORMATION.

OTHER SERVICES TO THE NATION

THE OTHER PROJECTS UNDERTAKEN BY THE BOY SCOUTS IN SUPPORT OF THE WAR EFFORT WERE MANY AND VARIED. SCOUTS SERVED AS FIRE WATCHERS AND HELPED OUT THE FOREST SERVICE WITH ITS FIRE PREVENTION CAMPA/GNS, WORKED JOINTLY WITH THE OFFICE. OF CIVILIAN DEFENSE TO DEVELOP A COUNTRY-WIDE MESSENGER SERVICE_ BUST OVER 100.000 MODEL AIRPLANES. SEWS AND BOATS USED FOR TRALNLVO SERVICEMEN TO IDENTIFY THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF ALLIES AND AXIS PLANES AND SHIPS. AND PERFORMED SERVICES ON THE LOG, LEVEL TOO NUMEROUS TO MENTION 

WAR SERVICE AWARD

THE WAR SERVICE EMBLEM w. A NATIONALLY SUPPLIED AWARD. ISSUED BY LOCAL COUNCILS TO CUBS AND SCOUTS WHO RENDERED WAR SERVICE DEEM. ABOVE AVERAGE LOCAL COUNCILS ESTABLISHED THEIR OWN STANDARDS FOR AWARDING THIS EMBLEM, WHILE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR RECIPIENTS WERE MADE BY UNIT LEADERS. THE EMBLEM, EITHER CLOTH OR METAL, WAS WORN ON THE UNIFORM ABOVE THE LEFT POCKET 

WW2 Poster Photos Gallery

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April 2026 FinalDownload

YouTube Videos on Scouting and WW2

Sources used for the Exhibit Spotlight, Podcast, YouTube Video, and Newsletter

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