🚀 go-pugleaf

> In article <46977r$si4@news2.his.com>, jpmv@ips.ca wrote:
> 
>> Does anyone know how to handle a scout staff during ceremonies?  We
>> use an Honor Patrol Staff rather than a pennant for the deserving
>> patrol every week.  We need to know which hand the staff should be
>> held in.  If this hand is the right hand how do you salute or make the
>> scout symbol if your right hand is busy?  Please let us know if there
>> are protocols concerning staffs and where we can find these.
>> 
>> Thanks

My troop uses staffs, following traditions taught our first Troop Sea
Scouter in Gillwell Park, London, England during the 1950s. I can't
confirm if they remain the same at Gillwell park, but they have remained
the same here.

The Scout Salute and Sign are both done with the right hand. In our troop,
only the patrol leader may carry the patrol's staff. If the patrol leader
leaves, they must hand the staff over to another invested member of the
patrol.

At Ease with a Staff: The staff is in the right hand. Feet are apart,
approx. 1 foot. The staff end is located beside the right foot, and is
held apart from the upper body with the right arm in a 30-45 degree angle.
The left arm is behind the body. If only at ease, arms, feet, body and
mouth should not be moving. If at ease, easy, feet and mouth should not be
moving. Remainder may be relaxed, but not swinging.

At Attention with Staff: The staff is brought beside the body, at the same
time as the left foot is brought beside the right and the left arm is
moved to rest beside the body.

Scout Salute with Staff: The left arm is moved across the body to the
right, running parrallel to the ground. The salute is performed across the
staff with the palm of the hand facing the ground.

Scout Sign with Staff: The left arm is raised in a mirror image to the
sign as performed with the right arm.

Transferring a Staff: In our troop, uninvested scouts are not permitted to
hold the staff as acting patrol leaders. We do not permit a scout who is
missing full uniform (meaning head gear and scarf) to carry the staff
either, excluding the elected patrol leader, however, that is mainly due
to the conditions which we are operating under (camps for instance we
don't care as fully.) The patrol leader and the assistance patrol leader
both take one step backwards from the patrol. They turn and face each
other and the AP/L walks to meet the P/L. On meeting, they both salute
and the staff is then handed to the scout taking over from the P/L. The
now staff-less P/L goes to perform their duties while the now staffed
acting P/L takes one step in to join the patrol. In the event that there
is no one in their patrol who can take the staff, the staff is placed in
the patrol corner, or is placed behind the heels of the patrol members.

Tim Parris
Troop Sea Scouter
26th Ottawa Sea Scout Troop
Chaudiere Area, NCR, Ontario, CANADA