Wikipedia

Square knot insignia

See also: Advancement and recognition in the Boy Scouts of America

Square knot insignia are embroidered cloth patches that represent awards of the Scout associations throughout the world.

Square knot insignia
  • Square knot
    Square knot
  • Figure-eight knot
    Figure-eight knot
 Scouting portal

The Scout Association of the United Kingdom uses a "figure-eight" knot and many Scouting organizations of the Commonwealth countries follow suit. The World Organization of the Scout Movement uses military-style ribbons. The Boy Scouts of America a square knot made of colored ropes is depicted; the colors are generally dictated by the award the insignia is associated with.[1][2]

History edit

See also: Scouting § History

In the earliest days of the Scouting Movement military veterans were urged into service as Scoutmasters. The first Scout uniforms therefore resembled military uniforms. It was common for these veterans to wear their military decorations on their modified Boy Scout uniform — a national uniform was not to be developed until the early 1920s.[2]

Military tradition dictated that the actual medal from a military award was only worn on ceremonial occasions — at other times, it was replaced with a thin ribbon bar with the same ribbon style as found attached to the medal. This carried over to Scouting, whose awards were medals, similar to the military, but were most often worn as ribbons.

The first country to switch over from military ribbons to a unique parallel was the United Kingdom, which introduced its knot emblems in 1922.[3]

Boy Scouts of America edit

See also: Boy Scouts of America and History of the Boy Scouts of America

The Boy Scouts of America likewise moved away from allowing Scouters to wear military ribbons, but kept the style, introducing their own ribbons in place of medals in 1934. The BSA introduced its own square knot insignia in lieu of the military-style ribbons in 1947. The choice of the square knot as the common emblem was made by James E. West, who is said to have chosen it for its use as the knot associated with first aid, thereby reminding Scouts to continue to be of service to others.[2]

The first eight awards with square knot insignia in the BSA were the Eagle Scout Award, Quartermaster Award, Scouter's Training Award, Scouter's Key, Silver Beaver Award, Silver Antelope Award, Silver Buffalo Award, and Honor Medal.

Since the introduction of square knot insignia, over forty new awards have been added, then combined, and some retired. Currently, there are 32 nationally authorized square knot insignia representing various medals, medallions, certificates, plaques, and other awards.

There are a few cases of local Council-approved square knots and various popular unofficial or spoof knots.

In the BSA, Square knot insignia are worn in rows of three across the top of the wearer's left pocket. Though there is no rule limiting the number of such insignia that may be worn, some suggest limiting to three rows of three. When fewer than 3 knots are worn in a particular row, knots are generally centered to the pocket, or the row below them.[4]

Dates indicated in the chart below indicate the use of the square knot insignia for the particular award, and may not correspond to the history of the award itself. For example, the first Eagle Scout Award was presented in 1912, and there was a ribbon bar for it from 1934, and it was among the first eight awards given square knot insignia in 1947, so that later date is indicated.

Achievement Awards edit

These awards are generally earned by the Scouts themselves.
These represent the highest youth rank or achievement in each respective program of the BSA.

Insignia Title Started Description
  Arrow of Light (Cub Scouts) 1979  
  Eagle Scout (Scouts BSA) 1947  
  Eagle Scout with Life Membership in NESA 2008  
  Quartermaster Award (Sea Scouts) 1947  
  Silver Award / Summit Award (Venturing) 1999  

Distinguished service edit

These awards are generally granted via nomination and review; they cannot be earned or applied for by Scouts or Scouters directly.

Insignia Title Started Description
  Unit Leader Award of Merit 2010 unit-level quality leader recognition award
  District Award of Merit 1971 district-level distinguished service award
  Silver Beaver Award 1947 council-level distinguished service award
  Silver Antelope Award 1947 regional-level distinguished service award
  Silver Buffalo Award 1947 national-level distinguished service award
  Silver World Award 1976 international-level distinguished service award

Heroism edit

These awards are generally granted via nomination and review; they cannot be earned or applied for by Scouts or Scouters directly.

Insignia Title Started Description
  Medal of Merit 1952  
  Heroism Award 1983 discontinued late 2012; reinstated, February 2018
  Honor Medal 1947  

Leadership and training edit

These awards are generally earned by the Scouters themselves.

Insignia Title Started Description
  Den Leader Training Award 1989  
  Scouter's Training Award 1947  
  Scouter's Key 1947  
  Commissioner Award of Excellence in Unit Service 2011  
  Doctorate of Commissioner Science 2008  
  Philmont Training Center Masters Track Award 2008  
  Professional Training Award 1980  

Specialized achievements edit

These awards are generally earned by the Scouts and Scouters themselves.
In one case (James E. West Fellowships) nomination by others is also possible.

Insignia Title Started Description
  Youth Religious Emblems[5] 1971  
  Distinguished Conservation Service Award 2020 replaced William T. Hornaday Awards  
  James E. West Fellowship 1993  
  International Scouter Award 2002  
  William D. Boyce New-Unit Organizer Award 2005  
  Alumni Award 2011  

Specialized service recognition edit

These awards are generally granted via nomination and review; they cannot be earned or applied for by Scouts or Scouters directly.

Insignia Title Started Description
  Adult Religious Awards[6] 1973  
  Order of the Arrow Distinguished Service Award 1976 distinguished service to OA
  Distinguished Commissioner Service Award 1987 unit/district/council distinguished commissioner service
  Community Organization Awards[7] 2002  
  Venturing Leadership Award 2004  
  Scouting Service Award [8] 2017 Incorporates - Whitney M. Young Jr. Service Award, Scouting ... Vale la pena! Service Award, Asian American Spirit of Scouting Service Award, American Indian Scouting Association Grey Wolf Award, Special Needs Scouting Service Award

Discontinued edit

These awards have been completely discontinued or combined and represented by current award knots.

Insignia Title Started Ended Description
  William T. Hornaday Medals 1991 2020 Superseded by Distinguished Conservation Service Award
  Skipper's Key 1947 1949 Superseded by Scouter's Key
  Exploring Ranger Award 1933 1951 Superseded by "Ranger" bar
  Air Scout Ace Award 1950 1954
  Exploring Silver Award 1954 1958
  Exploring Awards Knot[9] 1954 1998
  William H. Spurgeon III Award[10] 1989 2007 recognition for individuals and organizations contributing significant leadership to the Exploring program[10]
  Scoutmaster Award of Merit 1987 2010 Superseded by Unit Leader Award of Merit
  Venturing Advisor / Varsity Coach Award of Merit 1999 2010 Superseded by Unit Leader Award of Merit
  Pack Trainer Award 2006 2011 Superseded by Scouter's Training Award[11]
  Cubmaster Award 1989 2012 Superseded by Scouter's Key
  Cub Scouter Award 1989 2012 Superseded by Scouter's Training Award
  Den Leader Coach Award 1989 2012 Superseded by Den Leader Training Award
  Webelos Den Leader Award 1989 2012 Superseded by Den Leader Training Award
  Tiger Cub Den Leader Award 1992 2012 Superseded by Den Leader Training Award
  George Meany Award 1987 2011 Incorporated in Community Organization Award
  Sea Badge 1989 2012 Superseded by Seabadge Trident pin
  Asian American Spirit of Scouting Service Award 2003 2016 Incorporated in Scouting Service Award
  ¡Scouting…Vale la Pena! Service Award 2003 2016 Incorporated in Scouting Service Award
  Whitney M. Young Jr. Service Award 1989 2016 Incorporated in Scouting Service Award
  Speakers Bank Award 2007 2011 Discontinued

The Scout Association (UK) edit

See also: The Scout Association

The British Scout Association introduced the idea of a cloth 'knot' insignia in 1922, modeled after the military use of ribbons to represent medals and other citations. Many of the Scouting organizations of the Commonwealth of Nations either copy the British system or simply use the British awards and insignia.

Gallantry edit

Insignia Title Started Description
  Bronze Cross Year Desc
  Silver Cross Year Desc
  Gilt Cross Year Desc
  Cornwell Scout Badge Year Desc

Meritorious Conduct edit

Insignia Title Started Description
  Medal for Meritorious Conduct Year Desc
  Chief Scout's Commendation for Meritorious Conduct Year Desc

Service edit

Insignia Title Started Description
  Silver Wolf Year Desc
  Silver Acorn Year Desc
  Award for Merit Year Desc
  Chief Scout's Commendation for Good Service Year Desc
  Chief Scout's Personal Award Year Desc
  Commissioner's Commendation Award Year Desc
  Length of Service Decoration Year Desc

World Organization of the Scout Movement edit

Insignia Title Started Description
  Bronze Wolf Award 1935 The World Organization of the Scout Movement offers only one award to scouters, the Bronze Wolf Award and it is considered the highest honor that can be bestowed on an adult scout leader throughout the world. There is approximately one award given for every 2,000,000 scouts.

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Square knot insignia.
  • "Awards Central". Scouting.org. Boy Scouts of America.
  • "Awards-Knots". U.S. Scouting Service Project, Inc. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
  • Crowl, George. "Illustrated History of BSA Square Knot Evolution". BSA Badge History.
  • Crowl, George. "Knots, Pins, and Insignia of the Boy Scouts of America". Crowl Family Webpages. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  • Kauffmann, Michael. "Scouter Knots". MeritBadge.org. Archived from the original on March 10, 2019.
  • Walton, Mike. "Knot Emblems of the BSA". Badge and Uniform Site.

Further reading edit

  • Whitman, Gary (2014). Ribbon Bars & Knot Awards of the Boy Scouts of America (7th ed.). CreateSpace. ISBN 978-1499201277.

References edit

  1. ^ "Guide to Awards and Insignia". Boy Scouts of America. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c "Square Knot Insignia used by the Boy Scouts of America". October 1, 1999. Archived from the original on May 14, 2010. Retrieved June 10, 2007.
  3. ^ Crowl, George (2005). Knot Awards of Non-US Scouting Associations (11 ed.). Jersey Village, TX. p. 5. Retrieved March 27, 2022.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^ "In the Loop: A Guide to Square Knots and How to Wear Them". October 20, 2012. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
  5. ^ As of March 2018, there were 36 religions and denominations that sponsored religious emblems programs for youth, many with different emblems for different ages of youth. This knot represents any of those.
  6. ^ "Adult Religious Awards". US Scouting Service Project. As of March 2018, there were 34 religions and churches or denominations which sponsored awards for adult service to scouting in that faith. This knot represents any of those 34 distinct awards, which are not offered by scouting, but by the church or religion itself.
  7. ^ "Community Organization Awards". Boy Scouts of America. As of March 2018, there were 20 secular community orgaanizations which sponsored awards for adult service to scouting in that organization. This knot represents any of those 20 distinct awards, which are not offered by Scouting, but by the community organization itself.
  8. ^ "Scouting Service Award Combines Five Awards into One Cool Square Knot". February 17, 2017. Retrieved February 27, 2017. As of March 2018, there were 5 distinct awards represented by this knot, each focused on service to a particular, traditionally under-served demographic: African-American, Asian-American, Latino-American, Native American, and Special Needs youth.
  9. ^ This knot has represented several different awards, many overlapping: Silver Award 1954-1986; Ranger 1978-1996; Ace 1978-1996; Explorer Achievement Award 1986-1995; Young American Award 1995-1996; Exploring G.O.L.D. Award 1995-1998.
  10. ^ a b "William H. Spurgeon Award" (PDF). Exploring. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  11. ^ "Update on Training Awards for Adult Unit Leaders". jayhawkcouncil.org. Archived from the original on June 12, 2020.
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