1957 Jubilee Jamboree artifacts

The design of this neckerchief and its patch tells the complete story of why 33,000 scouts from 88 countries gathered in 1957.

• Neckerchief Body: The neckerchief is a solid, dark blue, a common and traditional color for scouting and for the host nation, the United Kingdom.
• Embroidered Patch: The patch is a masterwork of symbolic design, combining all the event’s themes:
  • The Red Rose: This is the Tudor Rose, the traditional floral heraldic emblem of England, the host nation of the Jamboree.
  • The Fleur-de-lis: The gold fleur-de-lis at the center is the worldwide symbol of the Scout Movement.
  • The Initials “BP”: These stand for Lord Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting.
  • The Three Dates: This is the most important part, as they explain the “Jubilee” celebration:
    • 1857: The 100th anniversary (centenary) of Baden-Powell’s birth.
    • 1907: The 50th anniversary (Golden Jubilee) of the founding of the Scout Movement (the first camp at Brownsea Island).
    • 1957: The year of the Jamboree itself.

In short, this single neckerchief commemorates the dual-celebration of 50 years of Scouting and the 100th birthday of its founder, all hosted in the founder’s home country. It is a perfect and complete snapshot of that historic event.

This was the official neckerchief worn by all scouts and leaders who made up the American contingent to the 1957 Jamboree.

• Neckerchief Body: The main body is a bold red fabric.
• Border: The neckerchief is trimmed along the two outer edges with a wide, patriotic border of white and navy blue. The combination of the red body and the border creates the full red, white, and blue of the American flag.
• Emblem: The emblem is screen-printed on the back point. It is a large shield featuring:
  • Text: “BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA” in white text on a blue scroll at the top.
  • Main Image: A prominent, detailed American bald eagle with its wings spread.
  • Background: The background of the shield consists of vertical red and white stripes.
  • Country ID: The letters “USA” are printed in white near the bottom of the eagle.

This neckerchief was the primary uniform identifier for the BSA contingent and was a highly sought-after item for trading with scouts from the over 80 other nations attending the Jamboree.

• Neckerchief Body: The main body is a soft blue fabric.
• Border: The neckerchief is trimmed with white cotton sewn to the body
• Emblem: The emblem is a white canvas shield trimmed in red thread with a blue and silver sewn image of George Washington kneeling and praying emblematic of his winter at Valley Forge. Washington is surrounded by a circle of 13 blue stars.

Likely no more than 200 of these neckerchiefs were made for use by the 38 Scouts and Scouters representing the Valley Forge Council attending first the Valley Forge National Jamboree in July 1957, then traveling with the US contingent to the Jubilee Jamboree in Sutton Park, England in August. These neckerchiefs were worn on the SS Fairsea that transported the US contingent to and from England, but would not have been worn at the Jubilee Jamboree in Sutton Park.

This neckerchief was proudly worn by the Canadian scouts who traveled to England for the 50th-anniversary celebration of Scouting in 1957.

• Neckerchief Body: The main body is made of solid yellow or gold fabric. This bright color was chosen to represent one of Canada’s national colors and was a common choice for contingent neckerchiefs due to its high visibility.
• Emblem: The neckerchief features a single, square, fully embroidered patch sewn onto the back point.
  • Field: The patch has a red field (background), which is the other main national color of Canada.
  • Charge: The dominant feature is a large, golden maple leaf. The maple leaf was, and remains, the principal national symbol of Canada, widely used decades before the adoption of the current flag in 1965.
  • Text: The word “CANADA” is embroidered in white or silver across the bottom of the maple leaf.
  • Border: The patch has a thick black border that provides a strong contrast against the yellow neckerchief fabric.

This neckerchief is a historically significant item, as it uses the iconic maple leaf emblem that was the heart of the Canadian identity in the mid-1950s.

This is the official contingent neckerchief worn by scouts from the Bedfordshire Scout County, representing the host nation of the United Kingdom at the 1957 Jubilee Jamboree.

• Neckerchief Body: The main body is light blue (powder blue) cotton.
• Border: The neckerchief is trimmed with a bright orange-gold border. These two colors, light blue and gold, are the official livery colors of Bedfordshire.
• Emblem: The patch on the back point is a simplified, embroidered version of the Bedfordshire Coat of Arms:
  • Top (Chief): This blue field features a stylized golden eagle (sometimes described as an osprey) carrying a white fish. This symbol represents the River Great Ouse, which flows through the county.
  • Bottom (Field): The main shield features vertical stripes (known in heraldry as “paly”) of black and white. This is a simplification of the official county arms, which show “paly wavy” (wavy lines) of black and white, a detail almost certainly simplified for the sake of a clean embroidery design.

This is a fantastic piece of memorabilia from the host nation’s contingent.

This neckerchief was worn by the scouts and leaders representing the County of Surrey, located south of London, at the World Jamboree.

• Neckerchief Body: The main body is solid black fabric. Black is the primary background color used on the official Coat of Arms for the County of Surrey.
• Border: The neckerchief is trimmed with a bright orange-gold border. Black and gold (or yellow) are the traditional livery colors of the Surrey County Council.
• Emblem: The embroidered shield patch sewn onto the back point is a direct, albeit simplified, representation of the Surrey County Council Coat of Arms (granted in 1948).
  • Crown: The top of the shield is topped with a Saxon Crown, symbolizing the historical royal connection of the region (Wessex).
  • Lions/Leopards: The shield features three gold lions/leopards and three gold fleurs-de-lis, arranged in a specific pattern. These symbols are rooted in the ancient arms of the county, referencing royal associations and the county’s identity.

This is a classic example of a County Scout contingent using its official civic heraldry to create a unique and highly tradable item for the World Jamboree.

This neckerchief was worn by the scouts and leaders representing the London Scout County, who participated in the local organizing and hosting of the World Jamboree.

• Neckerchief Body: The main body is a solid, dark navy blue or black fabric.
• Emblem: The embroidered shield patch is sewn onto the back point and is a simplified representation of the heraldry associated with the City of London and the London Scout County.
  • Text: The scroll at the bottom clearly reads “LONDON BOY SCOUTS”.
  • Field: The main shield features a blue field with two wavy horizontal lines of white and red. These wavy lines are often associated with the River Thames which flows through London.
  • Top (Chief): The small, square top section (the chief) contains a series of five silver or white swords. In heraldry, these are the Swords of St. Paul, which are famously incorporated into the Coat of Arms of the City of London.
  • Color Scheme: The dark blue, white, and red color scheme is deeply patriotic and associated with the UK and its capital.

This neckerchief is a specific piece of local British contingent memorabilia from the host region, making it highly desirable among collectors.

British Boy Scouts Association Hat Pin: This large, silver-colored metal pin is the standard hat pin for the British Boy Scouts Association worn by leaders or younger scouts. It features the Boy Scout fleur-de-lis, two stars, and the “BE PREPARED” motto.

(left and right) British Hat Plume / Hackle: Both the pin with the green plume (left) and the open-work pin (right) are hat/beret badges for the Senior Scout Section of the British Boy Scouts Association (for scouts aged 15-18 at the time). The green plume and the “S” superimposed on the fleur-de-lis were the specific distinguishing insignia worn on the hat or beret by Senior Scouts in the British contingent..

(center) Official Jubilee Jamboree Neckerchief Slide: This is the commemorative slide for the Jamboree. It appears to be made of brownish metal (often a pot metal with a bronze finish). The design perfectly matches the event’s theme: the “BP” for Lord Baden-Powell, the fleur-de-lis for World Scouting, and the year “1957” to mark the 50th anniversary of Scouting (1907-1957) and the 100th anniversary of BP’s birth (1857-1957).

(left) British Boy Scouts Lapel Pin: This is a smaller version of the larger British hat pins, designed to be worn on a uniform lapel or as a tie tack by leaders or members.

(center) Iranian National Organisation of Scouting: This small, gold-colored metal pin would have been worn by the contingent members who attended the 1957 Jubilee Jamboree.

(right) South African Contingent Pin: This is the contingent pin for South Africa. The emblem in the center is the Springbok, the national animal of South Africa and the central symbol of their Boy Scout association. This would have been worn on their hat or lapel.

This is the official beret badge for the VVKS (Vlaams Verbond voor Katholieke Scouts), the Flemish (Dutch-speaking) Catholic Scout association of Belgium. This large, gold-colored, open-work metal pin features the VVKS emblem, a fleur-de-lis with two stars, set within an open shield.