7th World Scout Jamboree
Encyclopedia
The 7th World Scout Jamboree was held August 3 to 12, 1951 and was hosted by Austria
at Bad Ischl
. The attendance was 12,884 from 61 different parts of the world, with 675 German Scouts
given a warm welcome as official participants in a World Jamboree for the first time. The Austrian contingent was slightly outnumbered by the Commonwealth
contingent, and had reduced the minimum age for their attendees from 14, the normal Jamboree age, to 13, since the revived organization had only been in existence for five years.
, invitations for the 1951 Conference and quadrennial World Jamboree were presented by Austria and Denmark
. The vote was overwhelmingly in favor of Austria as it was a small country, a World Jamboree had never been staged there, Austrian Scouts had been forbidden in 1938 and had made their own comeback in 1946. The majority of the countries represented at the Conference had been at war with the then Austrian State only five years before, and there was a great desire to show the brotherhood of Scouting
was a reality.
In voicing the invitation, the Austrian International Commissioner, Adolf Klarer, said that the Seventh Jamboree "would have to put up with great simplicity." This itself appealed to the Conference as suiting the primary purpose of World Jamborees, to bring Scouts together from all over the world and so strengthen the feeling of unity and fellowship, so the "Jamboree of Simplicity" was born.
, British
, Soviet and French
occupation
zones. Preparations were started immediately, and the site near Bad Ischl in the Salzkammergut
was selected in November 1949 while snow lay on the ground.
The budget for the Jamboree was fixed at six million Austrian Schilling
s, after J. S. Wilson added 15% to the Austrian estimate, anticipating that staples like milk would inflate in price, which they did. 500,000 Schillings were granted as a subsidy of the Austrian Federal Government.
Doubts has been expressed because while Bad Ischl was in the American Zone, it lay close to the Soviet Zone. However, Austrian Scout troops had been permitted to start and carry on quietly in the Soviet Zone, and no attempt was made to interfere with them, so members of these troops also attended the Jamboree.
During the event seven lit towers were erected to symbolize previous Jamborees. As the name of each Jamboree was announced, a flag was hoisted on one of the towers and the song of that Jamboree sung.
One Scout attended from Japan, knowing no language other than his own
and the word "Jamboree", yet he made the journey with no problem. The sight of Scouts waving the welcome flags at the airport told him that he had arrived at the right place.
Contingents came from Algeria, Armenia
, Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, British Guyana, Burma, Cameroon, Canada, Ceylon, Chile, Cuba
, Cyprus, Denmark, Germany, Egypt, El Salvador, France, French Equatorial Africa
, French West Africa
, Gibraltar
, Great Britain, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, India
, Iraq
, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan
, Kenya, Lebanon, Liechtenstein
, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malaya
, Mexico, Morocco, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Portugal, Sierra Leone
, Southern Rhodesia
, South Africa, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria
, Togo, Tunisia, the United States, Venezuela and Vietnam
. Exile Scouts from Eastern Europe
participated in the contingents of Germany
and Austria.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
at Bad Ischl
Bad Ischl
Bad Ischl is a spa town in Austria. It lies in the southern part of Upper Austria, at the Traun River in the centre of the Salzkammergut region. The town consists of the Katastralgemeinden Ahorn, Bad Ischl, Haiden, Jainzen, Kaltenbach, Lauffen, Lindau, Pfandl, Perneck, Reiterndorf and Rettenbach...
. The attendance was 12,884 from 61 different parts of the world, with 675 German Scouts
Ring deutscher Pfadfinderverbände
The Ring deutscher Pfadfinderverbände is the German national Scouting organization within the World Organization of the Scout Movement...
given a warm welcome as official participants in a World Jamboree for the first time. The Austrian contingent was slightly outnumbered by the Commonwealth
Commonwealth
Commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has sometimes been synonymous with "republic."More recently it has been used for fraternal associations of some sovereign nations...
contingent, and had reduced the minimum age for their attendees from 14, the normal Jamboree age, to 13, since the revived organization had only been in existence for five years.
Prologue
At the 1949 International Scout Conference in NorwayNorway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, invitations for the 1951 Conference and quadrennial World Jamboree were presented by Austria and Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. The vote was overwhelmingly in favor of Austria as it was a small country, a World Jamboree had never been staged there, Austrian Scouts had been forbidden in 1938 and had made their own comeback in 1946. The majority of the countries represented at the Conference had been at war with the then Austrian State only five years before, and there was a great desire to show the brotherhood of Scouting
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
was a reality.
In voicing the invitation, the Austrian International Commissioner, Adolf Klarer, said that the Seventh Jamboree "would have to put up with great simplicity." This itself appealed to the Conference as suiting the primary purpose of World Jamborees, to bring Scouts together from all over the world and so strengthen the feeling of unity and fellowship, so the "Jamboree of Simplicity" was born.
Jamboree
As at the 1947 Moisson Jamboree, there were many difficulties to be overcome by the 10,000 Austrian Scouts. The Austrian government administered the country under foreign control, still divided into AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Soviet and French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
occupation
Military occupation
Military occupation occurs when the control and authority over a territory passes to a hostile army. The territory then becomes occupied territory.-Military occupation and the laws of war:...
zones. Preparations were started immediately, and the site near Bad Ischl in the Salzkammergut
Salzkammergut
The Salzkammergut is a resort area located in Austria. It stretches from City of Salzburg to the Dachstein mountain range, spanning the federal states of Upper Austria , Salzburg , and Styria . The main river of the region is the Traun, a tributary of the Danube...
was selected in November 1949 while snow lay on the ground.
The budget for the Jamboree was fixed at six million Austrian Schilling
Austrian schilling
The schilling was the currency of Austria from 1924 to 1938 and from 1945 to 1999, and the circulating currency until 2002. The euro was introduced at a fixed parity of €1 = 13.7603 schilling to replace it...
s, after J. S. Wilson added 15% to the Austrian estimate, anticipating that staples like milk would inflate in price, which they did. 500,000 Schillings were granted as a subsidy of the Austrian Federal Government.
Doubts has been expressed because while Bad Ischl was in the American Zone, it lay close to the Soviet Zone. However, Austrian Scout troops had been permitted to start and carry on quietly in the Soviet Zone, and no attempt was made to interfere with them, so members of these troops also attended the Jamboree.
During the event seven lit towers were erected to symbolize previous Jamborees. As the name of each Jamboree was announced, a flag was hoisted on one of the towers and the song of that Jamboree sung.
One Scout attended from Japan, knowing no language other than his own
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
and the word "Jamboree", yet he made the journey with no problem. The sight of Scouts waving the welcome flags at the airport told him that he had arrived at the right place.
Contingents came from Algeria, Armenia
Association of Armenian Scouts
The Association of Armenian Scouts was the Armenian Scouting in Exile movement recognized by the World Organization of the Scout Movement. In 1929 the Association of Armenian Scouts, centered in Paris, was given recognition as a member of the International Conference...
, Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, British Guyana, Burma, Cameroon, Canada, Ceylon, Chile, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, Cyprus, Denmark, Germany, Egypt, El Salvador, France, French Equatorial Africa
French Equatorial Africa
French Equatorial Africa or the AEF was the federation of French colonial possessions in Middle Africa, extending northwards from the Congo River to the Sahara Desert.-History:...
, French West Africa
French West Africa
French West Africa was a federation of eight French colonial territories in Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan , French Guinea , Côte d'Ivoire , Upper Volta , Dahomey and Niger...
, Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
, Great Britain, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Kenya, Lebanon, Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein
The Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...
, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malaya
Federation of Malaya
The Federation of Malaya is the name given to a federation of 11 states that existed from 31 January 1948 until 16 September 1963. The Federation became independent on 31 August 1957...
, Mexico, Morocco, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Portugal, Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
, Southern Rhodesia
Southern Rhodesia
Southern Rhodesia was the name of the British colony situated north of the Limpopo River and the Union of South Africa. From its independence in 1965 until its extinction in 1980, it was known as Rhodesia...
, South Africa, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, Togo, Tunisia, the United States, Venezuela and Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. Exile Scouts from Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
participated in the contingents of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Austria.