Boys' Historical Uniform Garments: Short Pants--Country Differences

Figure 1.--These Ametrican Scouts were probably photographed in the 1930s at camp. At the time the short pants uniform was mostly worn at jamborees and camps. Clicvk on the image to see the rest of the group.

The short pants uniform proved popular all over Europe. In contrast, American boys did not much like the British import and insisted on wearing knickers rather than shorts, even though the Boy Scout Association (BSA) insisted on short pants. I'm not sure why American boys reated to short pants differently than boys in other countries. Perhaps the Anmerican Army's failure to adopt a short pants uniforms for tropical postings was a factor. In most other countries boys wore short pants, but there were differences. In some cases the differences varied on a chronological basis. While American Scouts unlike European boys did not commobly wear short pants in the 1920s, they were more likely to wear them in the 1980s.

Germany

United States

The short pants uniform proved popular all over Europe. In contrast, American boys did not much like the British import and insisted on wearing knickers rather than shorts, even though the Boy Scout Association (BSA) insisted on short pants. I'm not sure why American boys reated to short pants differently than boys in other countries. Perhaps the Anmerican Army's failure to adopt a short pants uniforms for tropical postings was a factor. The BSA and regional Scout council did, however, insist on short pants for jamborees and camos.

The BSA eventually gave upnon a standard short pants uniform. Knickers were phased out in the 1940s and American Scouts allowed to wear long pants. The BSA promoted short pants as a summer uniform. While not immediately popular, boys began wearing the short pants uniform much more commonly in the 1970s and Scout shorts were commonly worn in the 1980s, much more commonly than in Europe.