Figure 1.-- Here is the cover of The Scout annual for 1951. It was a thick publication like a telephone directory. It was a compendium of previous publications bound into one book.

The Scout annuals tended to be popular early in the Scout movement. I'm not sure when the first one was published. We note that by the 1960s the Cubs annuals were more common. I think Scout-age boys began to see these annuals as more appropriate for younger boys. We know the Scout annuals were still being made in the 1950s, but I am not sure to what extent they were published afterwards. Here is the cover of The Scout annual for 1951. It was a thick publication like a telephone directory. It was a compendium of previous publications bound into one book. It's interesting to note the vast amount of advertisements that it contained. It was edited by F. Haydon Dimmock and published by C. Arthur Pearson, Limited. As far as we can tell, the Scout Annual was basically a conpendium of the perodical The Scout. I am not sure that this was always the case, but it appears to have been the case for many if not most years.

Chronology

We know the Scout annuals were still being made in the 1950s, but I am not sure to what extent they were published afterwards. Here is the cover of The Scout annual for 1951.

The Scout

The Scout, a weekly tabloid publication - 'The Only Weekly Official Organ of the Boy Scouts'. It later became a monthly magazine.

Editor

These Scout Annuals were edited by Rex Hazelwood, who was also editor of the weekly publication The Scout. Apart from these, he also wrote several other works connected with Scouting.

Size

The size of The Scout Annual varied over time, but often ran up to 225 pages.

Contents

The Scout Annual contained a diversity of articles from short stories, which were always beautifully illustrated with line drawings. Other articles were about making things. The 1957 annual for example had an article on how to make a whistle from a sycamore branch. Other things were to do with knotting and wildlife such as unusual nesting places for birds. Another integral part of these annuals were the photo pages some showing Scouts in various activities such as camping or a Scout feeding a squirrel.

Publishing Details

The paper was quite thick and off-white in colour. They were published by C. Arthur Pearson.

Annual Issues

Here is some information on specific annual issues.

1951

The 1951 Scout Annual was a collection of past issue's of The Scout, a weekly tabloid publication - 'The Only Weekly Official Organ of the Boy Scouts'. All the articles pertain to scouting activities such as hiking trails, outdoor activities, camping and such like. There are also many short stories, items for cub scouts, news from abroad, classifieds, personal accounts, and comment that was current pertaining to the scouting world. As mentioned, there are many advertisements. Most of the advertisements feature items that are essential for outdoor living, such as tents and camping utensils. There are also many ads for bicycles, toys, fountain pens and cameras. Advertisements which also feature are opportunities for trade apprenticeship in industry and recruitment for the armed forces. There are also advertisements for cosmetics and personal hygiene.

1957

The Scout annual for 1957 was like other issues, a copendium of the 1957 issues of The Scout, the British Scout Association tabloid bi-weekly publication. There was no new material published spdecifically for the annual. The material included "how to" articles, photographs of what DScouts around Britain were doing, exciting stories, puzzles, comics, and much more. The 1957 annual for example had an article on how to make a whistle from a sycamore branch. Other things were to do with knotting and wildlife such as unusual nesting places for birds. As with other annuals, the contents included various exciting stories. One in the 1957 annual was "Dangerous Holiday". There were many illustrations to go with these stories, such as one for Dangerous Holiday". The caption read, "The man struggled desperately under the combined weight of the Owls." The Owls of course were a patrol of Scouts.

Popularity

The Scout annuals tended to be popular early in the Scout movement. I'm not sure when the first one was published. We note that by the 1960s the Cubs annuals were more common. I think Scout-age boys began to see these annuals as more appropriate for younger boys.