Figure 1.--This is of a group of Swiss, Greek and American Scouts in their respective costumes at the World Jamboree in 1951. Those with shirts and hoods are the Swiss Scouts. These garments are very typical. There are many pictures of William Tell having worn one of them. Click on the image to see various Swiss folk costume garments Swiss Scouts brought to the Jamboree.

The World jamboree in Austria was my first trip into a foreign country. The whole Swiss-delegation had organized a special train from Switzerland to the destination in Austria. One of the fun aspects of the Jamboree was checking out the various uniforms worn by the Scouts from other countries. Many Scouts brought alomg folk costumes which were also unteresting. For the Handicapped Scouts we had a luggage car, where we had put down cots and beds so that the more severely handicapped were comfortable for the long trip. For many of these handicapped scouts this was their first time away from their institutional setting. One of our priorities was to make these Scouts more independent. Many of them learned how to walk without any assistance from an other person, or learned how to cook a meal, or wash them selves without assistance. I developed many, long lasting friendships with some of these scouts. My father became the national head for Scouting for the handicapped and was a member of the Swiss National Leadership team.

Sources

Voute, Tom. E-mail message, May 24, 2006.