The Hackney Scout Song Book contains a collection of songs which were popular in the early days of the Scout Movement in 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...

. Although originally intended for the use of Scouts in the Hackney

Metropolitan Borough of Hackney

The Metropolitan Borough of Hackney was a Metropolitan borough of the County of London from 1900 to 1965. Its area became part of the London Borough of Hackney.-Formation and boundaries:...

 district of East London

East End of London

The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, is the area of London, England, United Kingdom, east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames. Although not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries, the River Lea can be considered another boundary...

, it quickly became the standard work of its type in the UK and around the world. First printed in December 1921, the last edition was published in 1972.

The book has its origin in a series of indoor "campfire

Campfire

A campfire is a fire lit at a campsite, to serve the following functions: light, warmth, a beacon, a bug and/or apex predator deterrent, to cook, and for a psychological sense of security. In established campgrounds they are usually in a fire ring for safety. Campfires are a popular feature of...

" gatherings for Hackney Scouts organised by Stanly Ince, a local Scout Commissioner, who had been paralyzed by polio following his service in World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

. Guests to these meetings included Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting. Lacking "a common fund of song", Ince founded a "Song Book Committee" and in December 1921, the first edition of the new song book was printed. It was a soft-covered pocket-sized book in the traditional Songster

Songster

The term "songster" is most often used to denote a wandering musician, usually but not always African American, of the type which first appeared in the late 19th century in the southern United States...

 format and included a mix of folk and popular songs, together with some hymns and items composed specifically for Scouts. The National Anthem of the Ancient Britons and Michael Finnagen

Michael Finnegan (song)

Michael Finnegan is an example of an unboundedly long song, which can continue with numerous variations until the singer decides to stop. Like most other unboundedly long songs, this song tends to be sung by schoolchildren. It is a popular song often sung around a campfire or during scouting events...

appeared in print for the first time in its pages. The book was "dedicated to the undying memory of those Hackney Scouts who died in the service of their country 1914 - 1918".

Originally intended only for Hackney Scouts, the first edition sold out within a few months. It remained in print for more than 50 years, sold over 130,000 copies and was translated into 27 languages.