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In boy scout troop shows all the"girls"were boys and these girls were undetectable from 'real'. Gilbert and Sullivans 'Three Little Maids From School'was performed simultaneously in 1885 in London,Chicargo,New York and Sydney as part of their Comic Opera 'The Mikado' the two not only forshadowed the locations of Readers Gang Shows starting some fifty years later but invented a lasting Gang Show tradition of boy scouts dressing up as "schoolgirls".'The St Trinians Story' (1959) states that 'St Trinians in their hey-day figured in every...(Boy) Scouts Gang Show...here and abroad.For Scout Masters and Assistant Scout Masters who took on the mantle of organising their Troops annual Show concerns for costs and costumes were dissipated by dressing thier boy scouts as "schoolgirls".These "girls" were cheap to dress and were robust enough to take part in Show items were real girls might have walked out their school uniforms having been removed and their dignity dented.Boy Scout Troops could aquire a range of 'schoolgirl' uniform including underwear and black stockings from the families of their boy scout members.There were also others in the wider movement who were anxious to help such as the 'Girl Guide Captain' who was also the 'Gym Mistress' at the local Senior Girls School.At the end of each term she'parceled up' all the lost and discarded schoolgirls gymwear from the girls gym changing rooms and handed it to skip for his "schoolgirls" to wear in "their" annual troop show.There was some friction involved however when skip commented on the 'grubby condition' of some of the kit donated.The Girl Guide Captain retorted that there seemed to be a noticable lack of girl guide spirit found in skips "girls" and if they truly wanted to be seen as schoolgirls then they should wear the schoolgirl kit in the same condition as proper schoolgirls !! No wonder we find lots of Gang Show producers writing in Gang Show Programmes in the 1950's and 60's trying to explain to Gang Show audiences the differece between boy scouts dressing up as "schoolgirls" but not wanting to be seen as "schoolgirls" or was it schoolgirls ? There was no shortage of songs for the "girls" to sing (1961) "Three naughty girls from school are we
Tough as a rugger team we be
Filled up with Gin and Scotch and Tea
Three naughty girls from school"
(Troop Script File)
1951 Flanders and Swan 'Surly Girls':1952 Readers 'Up Girls And At Em',1953 Readers Love,Love,Love. 1953 also found "schoolgirls" in a number of Gang Show scripts in a range of Scouting Publications.Which included a 'peaceful game of British Bulldog' for "schoolgirls" to play as part of a Boy Scouts Troop Show !The introduction of the practice of making the boy scout up as a "schoolgirl" with a lot of extra make-up in order "to cover that pimply young "schoolgirl" complexion (sic) 1953.In 1952 Shy & Searle published 'The Terror of St Trinians' which gave lots of good visual ideas on how older "schoolgirls" on stage could rough up younger ones.ASMs were very good in the role of "school gym mistress" Patrol Leaders and senior Scouts were very keen that they alone should play the most violent "schoolgirls" whilst the youngest boy scouts took on the roles of younger "schoolgirls" where they were wacked with plimsolls,punched,had their navy blue gym knickers displayed or were made to sit in large bowls of custard.Other Boy Scouts performed as their "St Trinians Schoolgirls" in 'navy blue gym knickers,girls light blue airtex gym tops' make-up and wigs They put on gym displays and netball passing, which as one troop paper commented was more 'schoolboy rugger particularly when ..........had his (her) knickers pulled down' !? The first St Trinians Film came out in 1954 which gave the girls new songs to sing and new violent actions to copy .Dr.Stu.
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