Scout Sign and Salute

The Scout Sign is made by raising your right hand to shoulder height, palm to the front, thumb resting on the nail of the little finger, and the other fingers upright, pointing upwards. The three fingers remind a Scout of the three parts of the Scout Promise. The Scout Sign is given at the making of the Promise, or as a greeting. When the band held in this way is raised to the forehead, it is the Scout Salute.

When to Salute

All wearers of the Scout Badge ought to salute each other once a day. The first to see the other Scout is the first to salute, irrespective of rank.

Scouts will always salute as a token of respect, at the hoisting of the Flag; at the playing of the National Anthem; to the uncased

The three points of the Scout Badge and the three fingers of the Scout Sign remind a Scout of the three parts of the Scout Promise.

National Colours; to Scout Flags, when carried ceremonially; and to all funerals. On these occasions, if the Scouts are acting under Orders, they obey the Orders of the person in Charge in regard to saluting or standing to the alert. If a Scout is not acting under orders he should salute independently. In all cases, leaders should salute. The band salute is only used when a Scout is not carrying his staff, and is always made with the right band. Saluting when carrying a staff is done by bringing the left arm smartly across the body in a horizontal position, the fingers showing the Scout Sign just touching the staff.

When in uniform a Scout salutes whether he is wearing a hat or not, with one exception, namely at religious Services, when all Scouts must stand at the alert, instead of saluting.

The Meaning of the Salute

A man once told me that "he was just as good as anybody else, and he was blowed if ever he would raise a finger to salute his so-called 'betters'; he wasn't going to be a slave and kow-tow to them, not he!" and so on.

That is a churlish spirit, which is common among fellows who have not been brought up as Scouts.

I didn't argue with him, but I might have told him that he had the wrong idea about saluting.

A salute is a sign between men of standing. It is a privilege to be able to salute anyone.

In the old days freemen were all allowed to carry weapons, and when one met another each would hold up his right band to show that he had no weapon in it, and that they met as friends. So also when an armed man met a defenceless person or a lady.

Slaves or serfs were not allowed to carry weapons, and so had to slink past the freemen without making any sign.

Nowadays people do not carry weapons. But those who would have been entitled to do so, such as knights, esquires, and men-at-arms, that is, those living on their own property or earning their own living, still go through the form of saluting each other by holding up their hand to their hat, or even taking it off. "Wasters" are not entitled to salute, and so should slink by, as they generally do, without taking notice of the freemen or wage-earners.

A Scout shakes hands with another Scout with the left hand, in the Scout Handshake.

To salute merely shows that you are a right sort of fellow and mean well to the others. There is nothing slavish about it.

If a stranger makes the Scout Sign to you, you should acknowledge it at once by making the Sign back to him, and then shake hands with the LEFT HAND - the Scout Handshake. If he then shows his Scout Badge, or proves that he is a Scout, you must treat him as a Brother Scout, and help him.

Author

Lord Baden-Powell of Gilwell (Chief Scout, London, UK)

Date of Creation

1908

Learn A Continuation:

to the next page: Investiture of a Scout

Back in The Past:

to the previous page: Scout Badge