Figure 1.--This Cub was photographed in 1958. Note the Wolf badge on his cap. The two stripes on his jumper sleeve mean that he is a "Sixer"--Den Leader.

English Cubs did not have shirts. They had a green jumper (sweater) on which there badges were sewn. A green sweatshirt has since replaced the sweater. The badges and pins worn by the Cub have changed over time. There were quite a variet which tell where the Cub was from, his time in Cubbing, his merit achievements, his rank and position, as well as many special badges. A shoulder patch consisting of a small, triangular piece of cloth of six colors, sewn firmly at the top of the left sleeve, just below shoulder, point upwards. A shoulder badge indicating Group, worn on right shoulder or on both, according to the custom of the Group. There were also county or other emblems as authorised. We notice shilder strips. I believe that two stripes meant a Den Leader. Later a patch with stripes replaced the actual stripes. Cubs could qualify for badges on being successfully assessed for competence in numerous disciplines such as cooking or orienteering. The badges were sewn onto the sleeves of the shirt or sweater rather than on the main torso body of the garment. I am not sure why. American Cubs wore their merit badges under the pockets of their shirts.

Cub Jumpers or Sweaters

English Cubs did not have shirts. They had a green jumper (sweater) on which there badges were sewn. A green sweatshirt has since replaced the sweater. English Cubs have worn a variety of jersies or sweaters. There has never been a Cub shirt. Rather these jersies are worn over a non uniform short. We have note Cubs wearing dark blue, khaki, green or grey jerseys, but the standard is a green jersey. The Cubs wear the sleeves down or rolled up at the discretion of the Cubmaster, but mostly they are worn down. Many early Cubs wore a navy blue jersey (sweater) made of heavy wool. Merit badges and unit badges are sewn on the jersies. Grey jerseys were also worn, but green became more popular over the years. I'm not sure why green emerged as the Cub color. Perhaps because it shows the dirt less. It also matched the cap. Perhap it was more in keeping with the green of the jungle and of course Cubbing was belt around Kipling's jungle lore. Some Cubs began wearing sweatshirts in the 1980s. These green sweatshirts are now the standard. Green sweaters are no longer worn.

Image

The Cub in the photograph here is wearing several different badges (figure 1). A British reader has explained them to us.
On the cap: "The Tenderfoot badge, i.e. the one he gets when having passed the initiation tests. On either side of the Tenderfoot badge are the First and Second Stars, these being given when a certain number of tests had been passed, First Star being,"junior" to Second Star."
On the sleve: "At the shoulder, his Six patch indicating which Six he is in. These used to be of colours that a Wolf Cub could actually be, namely Black, Brown, Grey, Red, Tawny & White, later on, patches of primary colours were added, such as, Green, Yellow etc. I always regarded the Red as a dubious natural colour for a Wolf, but perhaps they equated it with Red, as in a red headed human. Lower down, his stripes of rank indicating that he was either a Sixer, (Two Stripes), or a Second, (One Stripe). At this point, we run into a difference in nomenclature between the UK and the USA. I know that you have Den Mothers in USA Scouting, but I have never before heard of a Den Leader, so cannot say whether or not a UK Sixer is equivalent to a USA Den Leader."
Torso: His service star, for one year this was just a plain star made of silver metal, the second and third year stars had the appropriate number embossed in the middle of the star."

Changes

The badges and pins worn by the Cub have changed over time.

Types

When a new Cub first gets his green jumper, it is totally bare. Throughout his career as a Cub Scout, the boy has the opportunity to earn many patches, badges, and pins. English Cubs wore quite a variety of badges and paches which tell where the Cub was from, his time in Cubbing, his merit achievements, and his rank and position. There were also many special badges indicating activities or events in which he participasted. Scouting was an achievement-orriented program. The Cub Scout program had many opportunities to recognize the achievements of the Cubs. This page is not even close to a comprehensive list of all the recognitions possible within the Cubbing program. These patches and badges were very important to each boy who earned them.

Placement

There were of course rules about where the badges should be ssewn on to the boy's uniform. The badges were sewn onto the sleeves of the shirt or sweater rather than on the main torso body of the garment. I am not sure why. American Cubs wore their merit badges under the pockets of their shirts. A HBU reader writes us, " have an 8 year old son who has just been invested and I was wondering about the positions of the pack badges.Its mainly the two small green oblong ones that go on the right arm. Does one go above the embroidered scout emblem and one below or do they both go above or below. Also which one of the small badges go above each other too." Our information is still to limited and I believe outdated to answer this question. Perhaps some of our British readers will know more.