Objekt des Monats
Jedes Objekt in der Sammlung des Deutschen Auswandererhauses erzählt eine ganz persönliche Auswanderungs- oder Einwanderungsgeschichte. In dieser Rubrik stellen wir Ihnen jeden Monat ein anderes Objekt vor – eine Fotografie, ein Dokument oder ein persönliches Erinnerungsstück.
August 2017
Scout hat around 1949
Historical Context
The Scout movement dates back to 1907. In this year, founder Lord Robert Baden Powell held the first camp at Brownsea Island (Great Britain). He tested his concept of experiential education and responsibility with 22 boys from different social backgrounds. Children and youth were meant to engage with nature and learn to stick together. A year later, he published his successful book ‘Scouting for Boys,’ which led to the founding of the global Scout movement. Today, this movement has 34 million members, making it the largest youth organization. In 1909, Dr. Alexander Lion also introduced Powell’s idea in Germany and established the term ‘Pfadfinder’ for the English word ‘Scout.’
In 1928, the first Catholic scout groups were formed, including in Wuppertal, Munich, Berlin, and Beuthen. They joined together a year later to form the German Scout Association St. George (DPSG). In 1934, the Nazis prohibited the wearing of uniforms, banners, and badges. Later, the DPSG was even dissolved and banned. Some operated underground and still dared to make contact with foreign scouts, laying the groundwork for later understanding. After World War II, scout groups were re-established locally in many places, and four years after the war ended, the DPSG had 20,500 members again. Today, there are about 96,000 members across Germany.
Short biography
Manfred Schnetzer was born on July 21, 1935, as the oldest of four siblings in Friedrichshafen on Lake Constance. In 1946, the family moved to Kempten in Bavaria, where the father, who is actually an aircraft engineer, took a job at a machine factory and shortly thereafter founded a small engineering office. In 1949, Manfred Schnetzer began an apprenticeship as a technical draftsman and wanted to become an engineer like his father. In 1951, the father decided to emigrate to work again as an aircraft engineer in the USA, while the family initially remained in Germany. Almost a year later, the mother followed him with the three children. Until 1958, Manfred Schnetzer worked as a technical draftsman and then spent two years in the military. He attended an evening school, passed his Abitur in 1961, and subsequently began studying mechanical engineering. In the same year, he married his wife, Regina. After graduating from university, Manfred Schnetzer was hired as an engineer by an aircraft manufacturing company, where he worked until his retirement in 2000.
Meaning of the Object
The beautiful summer month of August, with its typically warm temperatures, is perfect for excursions and camping, for example, with a scout group. In 1949, Manfred Schnetzer joined the St. Georg Scouts in Kempten (Allgäu). He took his scout hat with him as a keepsake of his homeland during his emigration in 1952 and kept it for decades.
The scout hat is just one item that makes up the scout uniform of a scout association. The scout hat was also introduced in the book by Powell as part of the scout uniform. Made from wool felt, it serves wonderfully as protection against the sun and rain.
The scout uniform, or also known as a uniform, was introduced to make the class differences among members invisible. Additionally, it creates a sense of belonging. The uniform includes not only the hat but also a shirt and a neckerchief, which vary in color depending on the association. Often, badges in the form of patches are attached to the shirts to indicate which scout organization the wearer belongs to and, if applicable, what tasks and functions they perform there.
Do You Also Have …
… a story of emigration or immigration in your family that you would like to share with the German Emigration Center together with the related objects and documents for its collection? Then please contact Dr. Tanja Fittkau by phone at +49 471 / 90 22 0 – 0
or by e-mail at: t.fittkau@dah-bremerhaven.de