For the 80s New Wave band from Canada, see Boys Brigade (band)

Boys Brigade (band)

Boys Brigade was a Canadian New Wave band in the 1980s. Formed in 1980 in Toronto, the band consisted of vocalist and keyboardist Malcolm Burn, guitarist and vocalist Tony Lester, bass guitar Wayne Lorenz, drummer/bu vocals Billie Brock and percussionists/bu vocals David Porter and Jeff Packer...

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The Boys' Brigade (BB) is an interdenominational Christian

Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...

 youth organisation, conceived by William Alexander Smith

William Alexander Smith (Boys' Brigade)

Sir William Alexander Smith , the founder of the Boys' Brigade, was born in Pennyland House, Thurso, Scotland. He was the eldest son of Major David Smith and his wife Harriet...

 to combine drill and fun activities with Christian values. Following its inception in Glasgow

Glasgow

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...

 in 1883, the BB quickly spread across the United Kingdom

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...

 and became a worldwide organisation by the early 1890s. As of 2003, there were 500,000 Boys' Brigade members in 60 countries.
The stated object of the Boys' Brigade is "The advancement of Christ's kingdom among Boys and the promotion of habits of Obedience, Reverence, Discipline, Self-respect and all that tends towards a true Christian manliness." Except for the addition of the word "obedience" in 1893, the contents of the object has remained unchanged from the beginning.