Overview
Original Date: 1957
Type: Uniform
Era: 1953-1960 Boy Scout Years
Condition: Very Good
Description
This shirt tells a story of my summer of 1957 when I attended two jamborees – the 4th National Jamboree at Valley Forge and the Jubilee Jamboree at Sutton Park in England. The newspaper clipping is an incredible piece of documentation that confirms every detail of this story!
Image
Historical Context
This piece of my personal history is the perfect companion to the South African uniform as one was swapped for the other. I proudly wore this shirt to the two jamborees as a member of the Valley Forge Council contingent of 38 scouts and leaders assembled to represent the council and our nation at the two significant jamborees.
Physical Details
👕 The Shirt Itself
This is the standard-issue dark green Explorer Scout uniform shirt from the 1950s. It features a button-up front and two button-flap breast pockets, and it was the uniform I wore as part of the combined National/World Jamboree contingent.
🎖️ Patches and Insignia
Left Sleeve (Wearer’s Left)
- “VALLEY FORGE, PA.” Council Patch: This curved patch (or “arc”) at the shoulder identifies me as a member of the Valley Forge Council.
- Troop Numeral “31”: The red patch with white numbers identifies this troop as Troop 31. I’m not sure of the logic of “31” as this was a special troop formed by the council to attend the two jamborees.
Right Sleeve (Wearer’s Right)
- Explorer Emblem: The large, round, red, white, and yellow patch at the shoulder is the standard Explorer Scouts, B.S.A. identification patch, indicating membership in Scouting’s senior branch.
- “Eagle Patrol” Patch: The custom-made, irregularly shaped white patch featuring an eagle in flight. This was the unique patch our patrol had made to signify that all its members were Eagle Scouts.
Pockets, Rank, and Event Patches
- Above Right Pocket: The “EXPLORERS, B.S.A.” identification strip. Above it is the round patch, the official patch for the 1957 National Jamboree at the Valley Forge National Park featuring George Washington kneeling in prayer at Valley Forge.
- On Right Pocket: The official U.S. Contingent patch for the 1957 World Jubilee Jamboree. This shield-shaped patch featuring a flying bald eagle superimposed on the colors of the American flag was worn by all American Scouts who attended the event in England.
- On Left Pocket: The Eagle Scout badge. This shield-shaped patch, the highest rank in Scouting, identifies my personal achievement. This is a great honor, and being part of an entire patrol of Eagle Scouts is exceptionally rare.
Provenance & Personal Connection
Source: One of my personal shirts worn to the 4th National Jamboree at Valley Forge, PA in July and the Jubilee Jamboree at Sutton Park, England in August of 1957
Personal Notes: I was very grateful to my parents who sent my brother, Sam, and me to these two jamborees in 1957. How they afforded it I don’t fully understand as my father was an engineer for the Philadelphia Electric Company; we were a middle class family. I think they afforded it because scouting meant so much to our family as my father, his brother, my brother, and I were all Eagle Scouts who learned and experienced so much from scouting; this was an important experience to my brother and me.
Related Artifacts
- 1957 Valley Forge National Jamboree artifacts
- 1957 Jubilee Jamboree artifacts
- 1957 World Badge Collection
Questions or want more information about this artifact? Contact me
Last Updated: November 16, 2025