The influence of PATROL FLAGS on early OA patch/flap designs

I got to re-reading my 1942 edition of the Boy Scout Handbook this weekend (my daughter conveniently pulled it off the shelf for me, which got me to looking at it again), and an interesting section on Patrol Flags, got me to thinking about their possible influence, on early OA patch/flap designs!

The 1942 handbook is a good line of demarcation for this comparison - after all, the OA is still 6 years away at this point, from being an OFFICIAL part of the BSA program, and OA patches at this time, are practically non-existent! Therefore, it will be interesting to see, whether I'm imagining the whole thing, OR... whether some correlation CAN be drawn, from the suggested designs for Patrol flags, and the earliest OA pieces.

Then, as now, the large Metro councils (limited really to the northeast & California in 1942) usually did their own thing, so I don't think you can go there for the best comparison. Boy Scouting however, being an inherently 'conservative' movement, probably didn't stray too far, when it came to ideas for usages of totems and color schemes - particularly in the smaller/more rural councils. The same cannot be said today, what with Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles, 'HALO,' Spiderman, & other such themes appearing regularly on OA flaps. In fact, I would dare say, that the National Council - especially through the one publication that bound all Scouts together - the Handbook - had the greatest influence in such matters, until at LEAST the early 70's. THEREFORE, let us begin then, with the 1942 Handbook's section ON Patrol flags, as found on pp.85 & 86.

Here are those two pages of Patrol totems, yells, descriptions, and suggested color schemes (click to enlarge). Some of these suggested color schemes, even survived into the age of the full-color Patrol emblem, used in the 70's & 80's. Now not ALL of them were utilized, of course; I'm fairly certain that VERY few 'pink & white' Rattlesnake Patrol flags were EVER made. Having been in the Rattlesnake Patrol of Troop 301 in the late 70's, I well remember the brown & orange patrol emblem that succeeded it!

But as I USED to be a Beaver (and a good ol' beaver, too! ;-)), the reason this whole notion struck me as an area for research, was the suggestion for the Beaver Patrol flag's color scheme - blue & yellow. The FIRST thing that popped into my mind was, Tittabawasink Lodge #469's OA flaps!

Now granted, 469 was a Michigan Lodge, and "Maize & Blue" ARE the colors of the U of M there in Ann Arbor. It's CERTAINLY not beyond the realm of possibility, that a well-placed graduate of the U of M, could have had some influence upon the Lodge picking THOSE colors for their flaps. But 469 was also a rural Lodge, in the far northern part (lower peninsula) of the state - I DARE say however, that the handbook's suggestion for the Beaver Patrol flag, might have been MORE than just a passing influence upon the design.


Some of the other totem designs are not too difficult to imagine. Surely Coloneh Lodge's black crow was simply a logical choice, as I've never seen a green or red crow! And while either a brown or white buffalo makes perfect sense, consider the red & white color scheme suggestion, for a Buffalo Patrol flag in the '42 Handbook, and compare that to the primary use of the red & white in these early flap designs! Coincidence? Maybe not...





Brown & red are suggested colors for the Bear Patrol - witness here these early brown & red bear examples, with a preponderance of brown & red on the patch - even the writing & the borders on these flaps/patches, is occasionally brown &/or red!








I rather thought the otter in the 76 F6a was a slam-dunk, both in the drawing shown in the handbook, AND the design/color scheme of the otter on the flap! Upon further review, I also thought this might explain the predominant yellow background, found in fully- embroidered 345 flaps.

I'll leave it to the reader, to simply look at the charts above, & then draw their own conclusions, as regards other flaps and color schemes (I hope by now at least, I'm establishing at least a 'plausible' pattern, that anyone else can follow - there is a fine line between 'establishing evidential precedence,' &, 'beating a dead horse,' so I'll leave it at this point!). I think you could also make the case, that while - for instance - "Herons" are not mentioned specifically as Patrols in the '42 Handbook, you could make the leap easily enough, from "Stork" to "Heron," and thus you end up with a LOT of blue &/or white schemes in 119 & 349 flaps, such as these examples.

Now here's another sort of example, that REALLY gets to be FUN! My old Lodge - Itibapishe Iti Hollo #188 - has a beaver for its totem, even though, it's never made a beaver patch/flap, in its 67 year history! Nonetheless, consider the predominant color scheme of their early F series flaps (along with the border); once again, you see the blue/yellow pattern being followed, with no immediately discernible reason as to WHY. My postulation again is, that this guide in the Scout Handbook, had a GREAT deal of influence - perhaps even greater than we realize - either consciously or subconsciously - on why these color schemes in particular, got chosen!

Now granted, 256 color was probably not POSSIBLE, when most of these flaps were made. Even 'Crayola 64' color would have been tough to accomplish in the 50's & 60's. Therefore, the types & amounts of colors that COULD have gone into a reasonable patch design at THAT time, were somewhat limited. Even the famous Malibu 566 shark, didn't come along, until the early/mid 70's. So the question that arises becomes, why not a simple red & white flap for 469, for instance, instead of blue & yellow? Amiskwi 505, for instance, used a lot of red & white in their (Brotherhood) flaps, & utilized a Beaver totem in their design.

I use this last example, simply to show that I'm not sold hook, line, & sinker on this theory, as CLEARLY not EVERY Lodge followed this train of thinking in the design of their patches BUT... since not EVERYBODY has a WWII handbook or earlier these days, and can check this info readily for themselves, & as many newer collectors wouldn't necessarily have even known to think of such a connection, I simply throw it out here, as a possible understanding, of WHY some patches ended up looking the way they did! Moreover, finding the designer of the Coloneh 137 F1, or Tittabawasink Lodge's flaps, is getting tougher & tougher these days, if NOT impossible, due to the fact that MANY of those early Lodge patch designers/artists, are probably no longer with us; we can't exactly sit down, & pick their brain on these matters anymore! What stories I'm sure they could tell us, but such is not to be.

Therefore, adhering to the standard investigator's credo (that the simplest explanation, is usually the best), and drawing some basic conclusions from what I've presented here (in considering "alternative causality," I can't FIND anything else from the day, that would have been as EASILY accessible OR plentiful, than Patrol flags, to refer to as inspiration for early OA patch design/color schemes. That's not to say I think the book SHOULD be closed on the matter - rather, if YOU can point to something MORE plausible, I'd LOVE to hear about it - I think it would merit investigation!), I think a GOOD case can be made, that early Scout Handbook suggestions for PATROL emblems, likewise led to a fair number of design & color schemes, for early OA patches.

Bob McCanless
Pittsburgh

p.s. - Thanks once AGAIN, to John Pannell at OAimages.com, for letting me borrow some of his flaps, & saving me a lot of time & trouble, from scanning my own! :-)