Something About Tenderfoot

The Scouts return'd again.

Not much to dwell on today except point out John Bellairs earned his Tenderfoot Scout badge 70 years ago this month. Tenderfoot is currently the second rank a scout can earn and The Boy Scout Collectibles site provides some history of the rank and its accompanying badge:

In the early days of scouting, there was no Scout rank for beginners and Tenderfoot was basically considered a temporary rank for those who had not achieved anything higher. The earliest insignia for Tenderfoot rank were pins which were worn on the hat and uniform. In 1921, the first cloth badges were issued. These were cut cloth patches similar to early merit badges. The only Tenderfoot insignia that are really difficult to find, and hence valuable are the very early designs with cut cloth edges, anything with an embroidered or rolled edge will be pretty common.

We've discussed Bellairs the Boy Scout before – joining Marshall Troop 112, attending camp at T. Ben Johnston – and figured this was a good time to reintroduce the topic.

Be prepared!