William Smith had started as a teacher in the Sabbath School which was held in the mission hall, where he found that the
older boys were bored and restless. They were suspicious of teachers who told them to sit still, make less noise, and
generally behave themselves - in short, they were typical teenagers! He compared this with the time he spent on a Saturday
afternoon, as a Lieutenant with the volunteers, when he had no difficulty in making a hundred men obey his every word of
command on the nearby drill ground.
It was then he had his idea: 'Drill and Discipline'. Why not turn the Sabbath School boys into a volunteer band or brigade,
with the same military order, obedience, discipline and self-respect as the volunteers? A programme combining games as well
as discipline, gymnastics and sport as well as hymns and prayers would appeal to the boys. William Smith planned the
programme for this new idea with two friends, and on the 4th October 1883 the three leaders invited the boys of North
Woodside Mission Sabbath School to join The Boys' Brigade.
The new organisation's badge was an anchor, and the motto 'Sure and Stedfast'. This was taken from the Authorised Version
of the Bible, from the Epistle to the Hebrews, chapter 6, verse 19: 'Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure
and stedfast'. The Object was also quite clear from the beginning:
"The advancement of Christ's Kingdom among Boys and the promotion of habits of Reverence, Discipline, Self-Respect, and
all that tends towards a true Christian Manliness."
(The word Obedience was added some ten years later).
For the first year the Boys only wore a Rosette as a badge, and the officers wore the civilian bowler hat. The following
year the Cap, Belt, and haversack were brought together as the first complete uniform. The Pill-box in common use during
these days had no chin-strap and fitted close to the head, but it had two distinguished rows of white braid worn at a
jaunty angle. Soon afterwards the proper pill-box was brought in and the officers turned to the Glengarry for their
headgear.
The Boys' Brigade has been around for nearly 125 years and in Liverpool since 1891. It is part of the boyhood experience of
many adults. We resist the temptation to live in the past because our function is to serve today's young people.
Our Founder, Sir William Alexander Smith, included in our Object "The Promotion of habits of Obedience, Reverence,
Discipline, Self-Respect and all that tends towards a true Christian manliness" and that has not been changed.
What has changed is how we go about promoting that object. We recognise that the influences surrounding our young people
are not always helpful and that too many lose control at great cost to themselves, their families and the community. The
answer is to catch the energy and enthusiasm of youth and to channel it purposefully.
The Boys' Brigade develops a boy's awareness of his own community and creates opportunities for service.
The Boys' Brigade develops latent leadership qualities so that boys become contributors to the life of their community
- not just takers.
The Boys' Brigade encourages boys to get involved in their Company, their Church and the community, and this
involvement means taking responsibility for what happens.
The Boys' Brigade does not confine itself to well motivated and prosperous young people. It offers support and interest to
the less fortunate and recognises the value of adult interest as young people develop.
The Boys' Brigade is staffed by unpaid officers with only a small core of full time staff. The officer’s give of their
time to provide the activities within our local unit - the Company, which itself is part of the local Church.
Each company is split into a number of sections.
Anchor Boys - for Boys aged 6 - 8 years
Junior Section - for Boys aged 8 - 11 years
Company Section - for Boys aged 11 - 15 years
Seniors - for young men aged 15 - 18 years
The Boys' Brigade is also a member of the World Conference.
The Boys' Brigade will care for and challenge young people for life through a programme of informal education underpinned
by the Christian faith.
This will be achieved by:
Delivering Christian teaching in partnership with the church in which the company is based and encouraging the
development of a personal Christian faith;
Providing opportunities for leadership, decision making and skills training;
Empowering boys and young people by involving them in decision making at all levels of the organisation and giving
responsibility appropriate to their age and aptitude;
Raising awareness of boys and young people to the needs of others (especially other young people) locally, nationally
and globally and encouraging them to engage in activities and projects in which they can make a difference;
Being sensitive to the needs and aspirations of boys and young people of varying backgrounds, differing abilities
and stages of development and providing appropriate support, advice and guidance;
Ensuring the safety of boys and young people through the implementation of suitable procedures for the selection,
training and supervision of leaders;
Equipping leaders through the provision of high quality training and resources
Providing a network of professional staff to support voluntary leaders; and creating opportunities to develop
partnerships with other appropriate organisations and agencies.