The History Of Bugling Merit Badge
Merit badges became part of the Boy Scouts of America program with the
publication of the first fully American HANDBOOK FOR BOYS in 1911, one year
after the BSA was founded. Bugling was one of the original merit badges in the
1911 handbook and has been a merit badge ever since. Except for the addition of
a green background color, the design of Bugling merit badge is exactly the same
now as it was in 1911. While the BSA issues separate “merit badge pamphlets”
for most merit badges, Bugling merit badge has always been combined with Music
merit badge in the MUSIC AND BUGLING merit badge pamphlet.
In 1911, there was one requirement to earn Bugling merit badge, "Be able to
sound properly on the Bugle the customary United States Army calls."
Between early 1913 and the 14th printing of the handbook in June 30, 1916, that
single requirement had become, "Sound properly on the bugle the following calls:
First Call, The Scout's Call, Reveille, Mess, To the Colors, Officers, Drill,
Assembly, Recall, Fatigue, Church, Fire, Swimming, Retreat, Call to Quarters,
Taps."
Of the calls on that list, all but The Scout’s Call and Swimming are U.S. Army
calls and can be found at http://bands.army.mil/music/bugle/. Swimming is a U.S.
Navy call. Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of world Scouting, included the
music for The Scout’s Call on page 41 of the original January, 1908, edition of
SCOUTING FOR BOYS. The caption below the music is "For scout master to call
together his troop by bugle, or for scout to whistle to attract attention of
another scout." Later, on page 178, the book states, "When a scoutmaster wants
to call his troop together he makes his bugler sound 'The Scout's Call'." When
Baden-Powell wrote SCOUTING FOR BOYS, he had been a British cavalry officer for
over 30 years. Randy Rach has discovered that "The Scout's Call" is identical to
the British cavalry bugle call “March at Ease” that was in use during the time
Baden-Powell was a cavalry officer.
With the publication of the 38th printing of the handbook in September, 1945,
The Scout's Call was deleted from the list. The rest of the requirement
remained the same.
Bugling merit badge still had that same single requirement until the publication
of the 1989-91 BSA requirements book, when five new requirements were added,
numbers 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 below.
- Give a brief history of the bugle.
- Explain and demonstrate how the bugle makes sound, and explain how the bugle
is related to other brass wind instruments.
- Explain how to care for, clean, and maintain a bugle.
- Sound the following bugle calls: First Call, Reveille, Mess, To the Colors,
Officers, Drill, Assembly, Recall, Fatigue, Church, Fire, Swimming, Retreat,
Call to Quarters, Taps.
- Explain when each of the calls in requirement 4 is used.
- Serve as bugler in your troop for three months.
In 2004, the requirements were changed again. Part b was added to requirement 2
and requirements 3, 4, and 5 were rearranged. The current Bugling merit badge
requirements are:
- Give a brief history of the bugle.
- Do the following:
- Explain and demonstrate how the bugle makes sound, and explain how the bugle
is related to other brass wind instruments.
- Compose a bugle call for your troop or patrol to signal a common group
activity, such as assembling for mealtime or striking a campsite.
- Sound the following bugle calls: First Call, Reveille, Mess, To the Colors,
Officers, Drill, Assembly, Recall, Fatigue, Church, Fire, Swimming, Retreat,
Call to Quarters, Taps.
- Explain when each of the calls in requirement 3 is used.
- Explain how to care for, clean, and maintain a bugle.
- Serve as bugler in your troop for three months.
According to the BSA web site, there were 888 Bugling merit badges earned in
2001 and a total of 161,252 Bugling merit badges earned between 1911 and 2001.
There must have been several times 888 Bugling merit badges earned per year at
the height of bugling’s popularity.
Bruce McCrea
Bugler playing THE SCOUT’S CALL on the cover of the 1920
MUSIC AND BUGLING merit badge pamphlet