Vintage Neckerchiefs

[MDScoutMom]

I'm hoping I can get some help here...I'd like to get some idea of what the neckerchiefs were like as first issued. Were they the full square type? Did they have just the B.S.A. inside that white diamond at two corners or did they have the broken approximate 1.5" line around the edge? What about colour, and when did the changes take place? From what I can see they are all smaller triangles now, IF the troop chooses to wear it at all. I had ordered the Ries book and hoped to find this information in there, but alas, my post office was it's usual bumbling self and lost it. Thanks very much to anyone who can help me with this.

[Mr. Boyce]

In the 70s, most scouts would buy a neckerchief, the red with black logo and strip, when they bought their uniforms. THEN at the various events, camporees, etc., you could buy or receive a neckerchief. So I've got a stack.

 

THEN, the nice thing was you'd have a bunch of different neckerchiefs, and you'd just pick out whichever one you wanted to wear. Kind of like having a bunch of neckties in your closet. You like the blue, you go with the blue; feel like red or yellow or green, you go with those ones. These were usually triangles. I don't own any square ones.

[Mr. Boyce]

One VERY cool thing was a red, white and blue neckerchief our scoutmaster put together; his mother sewed them, I think. VERY COOL, with an eagle on the back.

[MDScoutMom]

Thanks for your answers.

 

As we are a family of WWII reenacters and my son is too young to join a unit like the 3rd I.D., he portrays a WWII Scout, using his current rank for his portrayal. He has a proper uniform (actually dated to 1938 by the previous owner's papers), but the triangle shaped green/yellow stripe neckerchief has a slight tear that I do not want to make worse. Thus, I am looking for a proper vintage replacement. I already have a large red/black stripe full square neckerchief....I am wondering if that would be correct for the period.

[ScoutWithNecker]

Scout Mom,

The original neckerchiefs were all full-square. The dimensions changed slightly through the iterations. The first neckerchiefs had a contrasting border (not arrow shaped) and the first class emblem at the corners. Later neckerchiefs had the arrow-shaped borders with the National Headquarters Logo in the corners. In the 1930's the classic one-color or contrasting bordered neckerchiefs with the tenderfoot emblem and BSA in corners were in place. They were made from a resilient but soft cotton pongee. By the 1940's a coarser cotton material was used and half or triangular neckerchiefs began to make their appearance. These became standard by the 1950's as the old full-squares became history. The only later change was the introduction of the embroidered polyester neckerchief in the early 1970's, later replaced with a pomyester cotton blend. And over the course of time the dimensions became smaller.

I have a large collection of old full-squares from the 1930's and 1940' that I would be willing to share with anyone who will treat them with the respect they deserve and promise (Scouts Honor) to preserve them.

Ed

[AT1988]

Our troop adopted the 32" square navy blue cotton neckerchiefs about one year ago. The boys look like they stepped out of a Norman Rockwell painting. I sew them myself and top each one off with a single 3" iron-on new style BSA white decal in one corner.

[Horizon]

What is the size of the current necker vs. the vintage necker? One of my Patrols wants to make Patrol neckers of the "old size you could use to make an arm sling" that they hear from vintage Scouters.

 

Guidance?

[infoscouter]

Supply has recently reintroduced some neckerchiefs which they claim are the "old" dimensions.

 

"Design reverts back to the standard larger size offering a variety of uses, as a sling, signal, bandage, belt, patrol ID, and more. Standard size is now 49.5 inch X 35 inch X 35 inch. Available in five solid colors featuring Universal Emblem embroidery and stitched-edge trim in complementary color."

 

Item # 64054-64058

 

[Eagle92]

Too bad they picked some ugly colors for the retro sizes. Too bad they didn't start with adult neckers, i.e. Cub Scout Leader, NCS, etc.

[MDScoutMom]

Ed,

Thank you so much for your information. My son is so proud of his WWII Scout portrayal and was very upset when the neckerchief that came with his uniform started to fray. I purchased a red cotton full square 35" one off ebay but because it is more than twice as big as his old one, it doesn't fit through the woggle! This is his joy in collecting that he and I share together. I can promise you that he treats every bit of these items with care. I would be most interested if you could help him out with the neckerchief, feel free to private message me.

He was talking to me the other day about using it to get his Collecting merit badge. One of our local troops had a hobby show recently and he showed up in his WWII uniform and set up a display - his most personally prized item is his grandfather's merit badge sash (a perfect reference for a WWII era Scout). He put a uniform on a dummy with the sash on it, minus the Eagle badge; my husband asked that not be out due to its sentimental value.

I am going to see if I can download some of his pictures in uniform to photobucket, I will post it when I do. His campaign hat does not have a badge yet because I THOUGHT his troop would help him more when asked to get his requirements checked off for 1st class, so we were waiting to buy that hat badge. I think I will have to go to Mitch Reis' site to get a 2nd class hat badge because he needs to finish up just ONE item - the water rescue - and his current troop told he would have to wait for June.