Wayne Riggs published the article “Church Brigades and Battlefields: Militarizing British Boys Prior to World War I” in the Fall 2023 issue of The Journal of the History of Childhood and Youth. In this piece, Digital Childhoods editor Hannah Stamler chats with Dr Riggs about the importance of church brigades to World War I and his research and writing process.
Your article argues for the importance of the church brigade movement to the formation of Britain’s World War I conscript army. For those who haven’t yet read your article, can you summarize what the brigades were, who participated in them, and why they played such an important role in World War I?
The Brigade movement was (and is) affiliated with church and religious organizations. We find a parallel to them in the scouting movement that began in the early twentieth century. The movement itself began in 1883, when Mr W.A. Smith of Glasgow founded the first Boys Brigade, affiliated with one local congregation. By 1914, there were four prominent Brigade organizations that encompassed most religious denominations: the Boys’ Brigade (Scottish and non-conforming churches), the Church Lads’ Brigade (Church of England), The Jewish Lads’ Brigade, and the Catholic Lads’ Brigade. Upon joining, boys were put through a course of physical exercise combined with a modified form of military drill. During their initial period in an individual company, boys were trained in handling arms (dummy or disused carbines), but not in the actual firing of weapons. Drills and parade formations mimicked the military, and always concluded with the national anthem. After they passed through this initial training, boys were given a cap, belt, and haversack, and became an integral part of the company. Boys were then expected to attend regular drills and were encouraged to learn practical skills, such as ambulance work and signaling.
The Brigades were an important aspect of militarism prior to WWI; they were intertwined with most organized religions, and highly visible at the local and national level. The popularity of brigades among adolescent boys and their families coincided with a public concern about national fitness and discipline. Military leaders, deeply disturbed after a lackluster performance during the Boer War, were particularly apprehensive that the nation would be unable to defend itself in the next war. Not surprisingly, they viewed the brigades as a training and recruiting opportunity for the Territorial Army. When Britain declared war on August 3, 1914, the brigades had inculcated a sense of militarism and military discipline in a generation of adolescent men, who enthusiastically welcomed the outbreak of hostilities.
Beyond illuminating military history, what do the brigades teach us about early twentieth-century British boyhood or youth culture?
The Brigades demonstrate the social aspects of youth culture in late nineteenth and early twentieth-century Britain. They were part of a larger ecosystem of your organizations that include the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides. Physical activity (usually in social groups) was emphasized in conjunction with moral values and character formation. The brigades demonstrate the important place of nationalism and religion and the way that belief in both transcended class and denominational boundaries.
How did you come to work on the history of the youth brigade movement? What was your initial motivation, either academic or personal?
My interest in the brigade movement came by way of previous research regarding religion in Britain during the First World War. I was curious about the various ways in which religious groups interpreted the conflict as a cultural milestone, and how religion intersected with nationalism and militarism. Furthermore, the dynamic experience of women during the war heightened my curiosity about changing dynamics. Finally, my own involvement with the Society for the History of Childhood and Youth led me to more questions about the intersection of religion, gender, and youth identities during the conflict.
We’d love to know more about the research process behind your article: Where did you conduct your research and what kinds of sources did you rely on?
I had the extraordinary opportunity to conduct research at the Church Lads’ and Church Girls’ Brigade headquarters. This gave me access to contemporary editions of the brigade’s journal. I also researched at the British Library. Most of my sources were contemporary journals and publications from various brigades.
One of our favorite parts of the piece is how you reconstruct the daily lives and rhythms of the brigades: the parades, the camps, the drills. Can you tell us how you drew this detail out of the sources and made the brigades come to life?
These descriptions came from direct accounts published in the journals of individual brigades, which give us insights into brigade activities of small towns and large cities. The accounts from small towns and larger cities all related similar activities and emphasis on ethics and religion. To me, the accounts depicted the common experience that many boys throughout the country would have had at that time.
Did your piece change significantly from first draft to final revision? If so, in what ways?
There were significant organizational changes over several drafts and refinement of the argument regarding the activities and cultural impact of the brigades.
As scholars, we tend to gather far more sources than can actually fit into our final published articles or books. With that in mind, we’re curious to know if there was a particularly interesting document or bit of archival material that you weren’t able to include in your piece.
There are really interesting children’s stories from church publications that compare Britain to ancient Israel as a way of emphasizing the importance of militarism and the role of boys and girls in military conflict. These are instructive in showing historians the war narrative that children received from their faith communities, which parallels the emphasis that the Brigades put on militarism.
Do you have plans to continue expanding the research in your article? If not, are you working on another research project you’d like to share with us?
I do plan to expand on this research.
To end on a personal note, we’d like to ask you about a few of your favorite things…
Favorite way of managing notes and/or citations?
Chicago Manual of Style.
Best book in the history of childhood and youth you’ve read in the past year? (Does not have to be something that was also published in the last year.)
Rebecca Swartz’s Education and Empire: Children, Race and Humanitarianism in the British Settler Colonies, 1833-1880.
Best piece of advice you remember receiving as a child?
Be true to yourself.
And in keeping with the theme of your article, as an adolescent, what was your favorite after-school activity or club?
Boy Scouts.
Wayne Riggs is Dean of Graduate and Education Programs at Flagler College. His passion for higher education stems from his background as a first-generation college graduate. As a scholar and teacher, Dr. Riggs focuses on World War I and children’s history. In the classroom, he emphasizes experiential learning through study abroad. In addition to leading short-term programs, he has developed partnerships with the University of the Highlands, the University of Wurzburg, and Ansbach University –creating opportunities for faculty and student exchanges.
