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From Scotland
In the summer of 1911, Mrs. Low started a Girl Guide Company in Glen Lyon, a lonely valley in Scotland, whre there were only seven girls to be mustered, and one of them had to walk six miles to the meeting.

Mrs. Low always had her house full of young people. Her nieces and older friends were encouraged to play games with the Guides. The young Guardsmen (Army officers) she knew were also pressed into service: teaching the girls drill marching, mapmaking and signalling with flags from one hill to another.

Mrs. Low set the Guides to raising poultry and to spinning and weaving, frist learning how to do these things herself. She found a market in Londonn for the Scottish homespun the girls made, so they were able to earn money at home instead of having to migrate to the cities for factory work.

Adapted from Twenty-Five Years of Girl Scouting, Katherine O. Wright, New York: Girl Scouts, Inc., 1937. (out of print)

From Denmark
Guiding started in Denmark in 1910 when some girls joined a Boy Scout Company. Within a few years, the girls had their own organization. Patrols held their own patrol meetings without any supervision from grown-ups (and still do), which is the reason Danish patrol leaders were and are usually older than the other Guides in the patrol.

Adapted from Trefoil Around the World, London: World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, 1958.

From Birmingham, England, circa 1909
Our uniform was a navy skirt, dark green blouse, black tie and shoulder knots, khaki hat adn linen haversack; we always carried poles. We had no club house, but met every Saturday in a littel wood at the edge of the golf links. there we cooked our lunch and usually climbed a tree to eat it, and evolved a pulley system fro getting the food up the tree. The games we played were usually First Aid games, in which we had to find teh patient, treat her, and carry her home on an improvised stretcher over barbed wire, streams, etc. We also loved stalking games, especially if they involved jumping over streams.

Adapted from The Story of the Girl Guides, Rose Kerr, London: The Girl Guides Association, 1957.

From Liverpool, England, circa 1909
When the girls got at loggerheads with each other, the captain made them put on boxing gloves and settle their differences in cold blood. This really was very effective and stopped tale bearing, etc.

ibid, p. 45.

From Cambridge, England, circa 1910
A few girls in town, inspired by the sight of their brothers in Scout uniform, attempted to imitate them. Some ladies who heard of this asked Miss Gaskell to find out something about the new movement of Girl Guides and to start it in the town. Soon six eager little girls and three rather frightened grown-ups met to discuss the matter. The girls arrived, dressed ingrey shirts, khaki hats borrowed from their brothers, colored skirts, pale blue ties, and most important of all, carrying poles. They were far more knowledgeable than their eldgers and told them: "We will teach you all about it; we've learnt it from our brothers."

ibid, p. 55.

From India, circa 1932
Guiding in Inda started in 1911. In the early days, the Guide companies consisted of European and Anglo-Indian girsl but in 1916, Indian girls came into the movement and gradually Indian ways of doing things enriched the programme.

"There was a fine feeling among the Indian companies and they did many splendid things. One company, during a famine, asked their Captain if they might go without food for one day every week so that some poor children might be fed; the four patrol leaders begged to be allowed to live in a hut in the compound so they might take in and care for four orphan babies; this permission was willingly granted.

"There were, of course, difficulties in plenty - controversies about uniform, misunderstandings on the part of the parents - but the obstacles were surmounted one by one. The history of the years from 1913 to 1922 is a record of achievement against great difficulties for officers and Guides alike; it is also a record of the growth of a new feeling among girls and women, which brought together Anglo-Indians and Europeans, Hindus, Moslems, Madrassis and Pubjabis, in the one circle of fellowship."

Adapted from The Story of a Million Girls, Rose Kerr, London: The Girl Guides Association, 19367. (out of print)

From Brazil
Brazil was the first South American country to start Girl Scouting - on August 13, 1919. The Bandeiranttes named themselves after the pioneers of Brazil (Bandeiras) who explored the hinterlands. The Brownies (first organized in 1927) are called Fadas (fairies), the Seniors, Guias (Guides).

Here is an account of camping, circa 1932: "The day begins, in camp, at six in the morning, when the bell (a beautiful bronze church bell) rings the reveille. 'Sursum Corda' calls out the camp Commandant; 'Habemos ad Dominum' answer sleepy voices, as everyone tumbles out of bed. At 6:30 there are fiften minutes of gymnastics to finish waking us and to warm us up a bit, for the early mornings, before the sun appears, are cold, and at seven o'clock, Mass is celebrated, if fine, on the open-air altar, the Guides in horsehose formation giving the responses. After Mas, the National Flag and the World Flag of the Guides are hoisted on the flagstaffs which flank the altar; the Commandant givves out the instructions and the Guide Law for the day, and breakfast is served at a large stone table under a gorgeous shrub of red bougainvillea. The next hour is devoted to household duties, each patrol taking turns daily in the kitchen, pantry, housework and garden (this last combined with Chapel). Then comes the best part of the day, according to teh almost unanimous opinion of the Guides - bathing in the swimming pool. Lunch is served, whenever the weather permits, under the eucalyptus trees, and a siesta of an hour following the clearing up."

ibid, p. 317

From the USA
Six troops were soon under way in Savannah, Georgia, some with six or seven members, and some with sixty or seventy. Before Mrs. Low left for England again, she secured Miss Edith D. Johnston as first Executive Secretary of the Guides - a bewildered secretary, to whom Mrs. Low said by way of farewell: "Here is the English Girl Guide handbook. It will tell you what you need to know, and if it doesn't, ask the girls and use your common sense!"

Miss Johnston reports: "When she left us, we ... studied the English handbook. We planned our meetings with its help. We worked upon the requirements for Tenderfoot and Second Class work. We played games on our vacant lot. We took hikes, kept bird notebooks, and greatly enjoyed our nature study. We formed an inter-camp basketball league. And we made our own uniforms! It woud be almost impossible to convey to you just what a triumph those uniforms were to us."

Adapted from Twenty-five Years of Girl Scouting, Katherin O. Wright, New York: Girl Scouts, Incl, 1937. (out of print)

From the Netherlands
During World War II in occupied Holland, one ten year old Dutch Brownie was a regular companion of English and American aviators escaping through her town. She rode with each one on a street car or bus, chattering busily in Dutch so that her silent "uncle" couldn't get a word in if he tried. She delivered hundreds of airmen ssafely to other underground agents. She was comparatively safe because no one was likely to suspect a pigtailed ten year old. No one ever did.

Adapted from Brave Girls, Harriett C. Philmus, New York: Girl Scouts of the USA, 1947. (out of print)

From Liberia
Liberia has had an interest in Girl Scouting sincethe very earliest times. It was represented at the first international conference held in Oxford, England, in 1920, and in 1928, was one of the 28 founder members of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.

In 1920 however, correspondence with the World Association lapsed, although Guiding continued in some parts of the country. During World War II, interest faded in favor of a women's defense organization. But in 1955, communication was re-established through the efforts of Miss Susan Berry, a woman who had grown up in Guiding under the dedicated efforts of Mrs. C. Adeline King, Founder of Girl Guiding in Liberia.

Since that time, Guiding has been flourishing as can be seen in this report, "... the Guides have been rendering services through their various Guide Companions; visiting the deaf and dumb school in Virginia and spending some time with them. Taking gifts to the old citizen's home and entertaining them. Planting vegetables at the Camp site for eating. Arts and crafts also play a part in their meetings .. flower designing and arrangement, crocheting, sewing, making pot holders, rugs and toys seem to arrest their attention and they take delight in doing them."

One of the young women in the group called together by Susan Berry is the present Chief Commissioner of the Liberian Girl Guides Association, Mrs. Lucretia Thomas. Liberia was restored to full membership in WAGGGS at teh 22nd world conference in England in 1975.

Excerpted from reports

From Iran
The Girl Scout movement began in Iran as part of the Boy Scout movement in 1925. In 1957, Girl Scouting became completely separate with women leaders, though Iranian Scouting continues to operate as a joint association.

The Iranian Scouting organization has a strong training program with special adaptations for rural agricultural areas. The program for girls includes studies in science, language and geography; and in such vocational skills as sewing, cooking and beauty shop operations. Girl Scouts carry out many projects, particularly during three special weeks: Good Turn Week, Job Week and Evaluation Week.

The Girl Scouts of Iran became full members of WAGGGS in 1969.

In 1978, the Girl Scout Section hosted the 23rd World Conference of WAGGGS. There has been no news of active Guiding in Iran since 1978 and was therefore dropped from WAGGGS in 1987.

Excerpted from reports and Trefoil Around the World.

From Belgium
In Belgium during the war, one Girl Scout set up her own makeshift soup kitchen in a homemade cart, in which she travelled around to different parts of the city, setting up shop wherever she saw the need. Her little alcohol stove was used for boiling water for tea and for heating weak soup when she could get it. It was a small taks, but the grateful thanks of the wounded and homeless went with her wherever she went for the comfort of a hot drink and cheery word.

No one suspected that on her way home at night, this little Scout woudl drop quantities of clandestine newspapers on the doorstep of a Girl Scout courier to distribute at night to patriotic Belgians, who eagerly awaited news of the outside world.

Adapted from The Story of the Girl Guides, Rose Kerr, London: The Girl Guides Association, 1957.

This document may be ordered from the San Francisco Bay Girl Scout Council by asking for form #485. It is part of The Story of Girl Scouting and the World Movement, same form number.

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