Wood Badge Patrol Colors

[nolesrule]

Seems to me that more than 8 patrols and the schedule probably starts to get unwieldy. Or it could just be tradition.

[ScoutBox]

Funny. We Bobs were Orange...

 

Even the Patrol Patch for the Bobwhite is Orange..

 

I'm using orange..

[Roadkill Patrol]

I learned at my WB course that Baden-Powell's ideal scout troop size was 48 (8 patrols of 6 scouts) when I asked why there was a limit on the class size.

[jaredthebear]

No, there are no official colors for patrols. Each area, council, and staff tends to promote traditions that are not official. The only thing in relation to patrols that is official is the eight critters and their Gilwell order, and that only applies to the BSA.

 

JDL49- the colors listed in the first handbook have no bearing since they were abandoned long before the first U.S. Wood Badge was held in 1948, and then the patrols were different than today.

 

Your friend in all things Scouting,

Jared the Bear

Wood Badge Course Director WE7-589-1-09

[JMBadger]

6 members per patrol is so everyone is a patrol leader for a day at least once. (That's straight from the syllabus)

 

The only thing I can find regarding 8 patrols is that that is what the syllabus says is optimal "based on experience." The game played at the end of day 2 expects 2 groups of 4 patrols each (if there are only 7 patrols, staff is supposed to make their own patrol to create an 8th). There are 8 "teamwork puzzles" in the second weekend.

 

And there are 8 critters in the song.

[jaredthebear]

There was a time when courses were not limited to eight patrols, but today there is a limit of 48 participants per course making up eight patrols set forth by National. For past courses that had more than eight patrols it was up to the course director to choose patrol names. Tradition has the raven as a ninth patrol, but I personally know ravens, wolves, bobcats, cougars, and moose.

 

Today there can only be eight patrols and they have to follow Gilwell order. If there are not enough participants for eight patrols then seven, and so forth, can work. I was on one course that only had five. As patrols are eliminated, due to lower participant numbers, Gilwell order must be maintained. This means a course cannot have an antelope patrol unless there are eight patrols, a buffalo patrol without seven patrols, etc.

[JFL49]

Some additional history. The Sage Venture web site notes that patrol colors were in use until 1929:

 

http://www.sageventure.com/history/changes/#ribbon

 

The patrols for the first Wood Badge course were the same patrols as today, held at Schiff Scout Reservation, July 31 to August 8, 1948. That course had Beaver, Bobwhite, Eagle and Fox patrols. The second course was held at Philmont, October 2-10, 1948, with the same four patrols represented. See pages 24 and 26 of this link:

 

http://www.scatacook.org/WB/WB-Book-Part1.pdf

 

 

[BDPT00]

 

"Gilwell order must be maintained."

 

What if we skipped Beavers and Bobwhites, and sang Eagles thru Antelopes? Would that not maintain Gilwell order? For that matter, we could skip something in the middle and still stay maintain the order.

BDPT00

 

 

 

[jaredthebear]

This is from the Wood Badge Administrative Guide page 27:

 

"All Wood Badge for the 21st Century courses utilize the traditional Wood Badge

patrol names, which were selected from animals found in North America: Beaver,

Bobwhite, Eagle, Fox, Owl, Bear, Buffalo, and Antelope. The order of patrol

names may not be changed and other patrol names may not be substituted."

 

The order is Beaver 1st, Bobwhite 2nd, etc, etc.

[nolesrule]

"What if we skipped Beavers and Bobwhites, and sang Eagles thru Antelopes? Would that not maintain Gilwell order? For that matter, we could skip something in the middle and still stay maintain the order. "

 

My course last year had 5 patrols...Bobwhite, Owl, Bear, Buffalo, Antelope. We maintained Wood Badge order throughout the course. We just skipped over the missing critters, although Beaver, Eagle and Fox were represented on staff.

[jhankins]

The message we were given at the Area leadership training conference this past year is that courses must always start with Beaver, and follow Gilwell order to the Antelope patrol depending on enrollment.

 

Courses can be expanded to 56+ participants with Scout Executive approval, but that requires altering the syllabus to give everyone the chance to be patrol leader. When we pointed that out to the powers that be, we were told to expect some kind of notation regarding that with the "revamped syllabus."

[Kudu]

Patrol Shoulder Knots are still worn in some parts of the world. Generally they consist of two colors, except for the very oldest Patrols which are represented by a single color (Wolves being the exception for some reason).

 

Some examples of Patrol Shoulder Knots on modern Traditional Uniforms:

 

http://inquiry.net/uniforms/traditional/index.htm

 

Traditional Placement:

 

http://inquiry.net/uniforms/traditional/placement.htm

 

Diagrams of Patrol critters (used on Patrol Flags, not Patrol Patches):

 

http://inquiry.net/patrol/flag/index.htm

 

More readable version, with downloadable critters:

 

http://www.scoutbase.org.uk/library/clipart/logos/patrol.htm

 

Yours at 300 feet,

 

Kudu

http://kudu.net