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Sabah Boys’ Brigade to Organise 2nd Camp

The image shows Yeo officiating at the commemoration ceremony of Sabah BB 50th anniversary on June 3rd, 2018. KOTA KlNABALU: After 36 years of the Sabah Boys’ Brigade (BB) Movement’s first camp in 1981, a second camp will be organized by BB on June 3 – 6 this year in conjunction with its Golden Jubilee Anniversary. […]

Calling the Green Heroes of BBM!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVO9rqsZJGw&ab_channel=MOSTIThe Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change (MESTECC) has recently started the “Let’s Break Up with Single-Use-Plastic” Campaign. Check out their campaign video!With that, YB Yeo Bee Yin has reached out to any interested parties to submit a campaign project proposal aimed to raise an awareness of plastic pollution. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVO9rqsZJGw&ab_channel=MOSTIThe Boys’ Brigade […]

Do you know there are Sportsman’s Colours?

Have you seen this cloth before? Well, it is not just a regular cloth. These cloth is being called the Sportsman Colours. This cloth is introduced on the late 70s in Malaysia which is adapted from the Boys Brigade in the UK. These cloths are introduced to assess boys that are taking the Sportsman Badge. […]

Ever feel wanting to join BB even you are 16 years old?

Is that a guard? Is that a pilot? No! They are Primers! Most companies in Malaysia don’t offer this section but they do exist.SO what are Primers and what they do in Boys’ Brigade? This section provides a chance for the late teens to experience BB and for those who have graduated from Senior Section […]

1st Camp in BB?

Camping season is just around the corner! Camping is one of the part and parcel of tradition in BB, even in Malaysia Through camping, it trains one survival skills and also allows BB members to experience nature and wilderness. So have you ever wonder where and when is the first ever camp organise by BB? […]

International Founder’s Day 2020 – Going Borderless

The Founder’s Day is being celebrated for the vision of Sir William Alexander Smith, the Founder of The Boys’ Brigade as he started the movement back in Scotland on the 4th of October 1883. The Founder’s Day is typically celebrated during the month of October with dates favorable to the 4th or the 27th of […]

56th Brigade Council Meeting Online

The very first Brigade Council Meeting for The Boys’ Brigade in Malaysia was first held in 1964 when The Boys’ Brigade in Malaysia was officially established from the amalgamation between 3 parties, the Federation of Malaya of The Boys’ Brigade, The Boys’ Brigade Companies in Singapore, and The Boys’ Brigade Companies in Sarawak. The BB […]

REFLECT 2020

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=341wT5zQjCg&feature=emb_logo&ab_channel=TheBoys%27BrigadeInMalaysiaAs the year comes to an end for BBM, it is always good to Reflect on the Blessings and Milestones. This has been compiled in the video below, do check it out. Looking forward to a great 2021! Subscribe to our latest updates

Marching Onward to the 75th Anniversary

The Boys’ Brigade movement started in the Malaya Peninsular all the way back in 1946 by an educationalist Mr. Geh Hun Kheng and Mr. Robert Davis, a fellow British soldier and former Captain of the 6th Birken Company in the United Kingdom. Both of them established the 1st Penang Company in 1946 and the rest […]

One Year Anniversary – Riding the Covid19 Storm

The saying goes, time waits for no one. It has been exactly a year since the Movement Control Order (MCO) was implemented in Malaysia. As an organization that meets physically every week with the boys and girls, this indeed comes as a surprise and brings the organization to a halt for a moment. However, the […]

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The Early Years of our Founder

27 Oct,1854

William Alexander Smith was born on 27 October 1854 at Pennyland House, half a mile from Thurso. Thurso is a town of 4000 inhabitants, situated on the north-eastern coast of Scotland, where the Thurso River runs into the sea. Smith was the eldest son of Major David Smith and Harriet Fraser. He was educated at the Miller Institution, known as the “Thurso Academy”.

In 1868, when Smith was 13 years old, his father passed away in Swatow, while on business as a director of the Labuan Coal Company. Mrs Smith accepted the offer of her brother, Alexander Fraser to take the eldest Boy into his home and later into his business in Glasgow. In January 1869, Smith enrolled as a student in the private school, The Western Educational Institution, more widely known as Burns’ and Sutherland’s School. He continued schooling until the age of fourteen and a half. In October 1869, he joined his uncle’s business as a clerk. Alex. Fraser & Co. was a wholesale dealer in “soft goods”, with shawls being a principal line and South America its primary market.

In those days, it was customary for young men of spirit to join the Volunteers. Hence in 1873, Smith followed the military path of his father and grandfather, who were officers in the army, by joining the 1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers. He progressed steadily in ranks, rising from corporal in 1874 to Lieutenant-Colonel (second-in-command) in 1905.

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Last modified: 06-03-2020

The Founding of The Boys

30 Jan,1883

It was in his twentieth year that Smith started active work in the Free College Church in Glasgow. He served as a Sabbath School (or Sunday School) teacher there. When he encountered rambunctious teenage Boys, he sought to discipline them through drill and espirit de corps. He then had the idea to band together Boys above the age of twelve into a “Brigade”, in which they would be taught elementary drill, physical exercises, obedience to the word of command, punctuality and cleanliness. Organised games would also be part of the programme. He presented this concept before the Woodside Mission authorities. Permission was given for this experiment to be tried.

He roped in a fellow member of the 1st Lanark, James R Hill, who was also a teacher in the Sunday School. A third Officer who had similar credentials, John B Hill, was also recruited.

They decided upon the following: the name – The Boys’ Brigade; the Crest – an anchor; the Motto – Sure & Stedfast (taken from King James Version Hebrews 6:19); Membership for all Boys aged twelve to seventeen; and the Object – The advancement of Christ’s Kingdom among Boys and the promotion of habits of Reverence, Discipline, Self-Respect, and all that tends towards a Christian Manliness.

Some ten years later, Obedience was added to the Object of the Boys’ Brigade. Manliness has also in some countries been replaced by the gender neutral ‘character’ since there are now girls who may also join The Brigade.
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Last modified: 15-05-2019

1st Glasgow Company

04 Oct,1883

The Boys’ Brigade was launched in the Free College Church Mission, North Woodside Road, Glasgow on 4 October 1883 with a crew of three Officers and 28 Boys. Smith was the Captain and the Hill brothers were Lieutenants. It was agreed at the on start by Smith, James and John Hill that however the Brigade might develop, the only ranks should be Captain and Lieutenant. The BB is the world’s first uniformed youth organisation. Within the first three weeks, a total of 59 Boys were recruited and strict discipline was enforced within the organisation. In the first session, the Boys did not don on any special attire. It was only in the second session where the haversack, pill-box cap and brown leather waist belt with the BB crest embossed on the buckle were introduced. The addition of a cross-belt for Sergeants came a little later. The Officers sported a small red rosette pinned to the lapel of their jackets. A year or two later, the Officer’s uniform comprising of a dark blue suit, glengarry cap with badge, tan gloves and a cane was adopted.

By November 1883, 35 Boys remained on the roll for formal enrolment. In December of that year, the Brigade leaders organised an examination for promotion. Drill, written work, conduct and character were taken into careful consideration. At the end of the exercise, there were two Sergeants, two Corporals and two Lance-Corporals. The Company was divided into six squads, with these Non-Commissioned Officers heading each squad.
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Last modified: 16-06-2019

From church youth work to a national movement

30 Mar,1885

Meanwhile, the 1st Glasgow Company continued to increase its membership and enhanced its programme. Activities such as swimming, cricket and a brass band which superseded the flute band, were incorporated. On 30 March 1885, five new Companies were enrolled as follows: 1st Glasgow Company (North Woodside Mission), 2nd Glasgow Company (Berkeley Street U.P. Church Mission, now Blythswood Church), 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Glasgow and 1st Edinburgh.
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Last modified: 16-05-2019