B.S.A. Troop 152

"If a stranger make the scout's sign to you, you should acknowledge it at once by making the sign back to him and then shake hands with the LEFT HAND.

The History of the Left-Hand Handshake comes from Africa.

" During the summer of 1946, a young West African, named Djabonar, came to Gilwell Park to take his Wood Badge Training. He is hoping eventually to become Assistant Organizing Commissioner for the Gold Coast. When the Camp Chief was talking about the left handshake, Djabonar told him how in January,1896, at the fall of Kumasi, the capital city of Prempeh, the Chief of the Ashanti people, his grandfather, one of the chiefs, came forward to B-P. And held out his left hand. B-P. Offered his right in return, but the Chief said: " No, in my country the bravest of the brave shake with the left hand." There is no reasonable doubt that among the many explanations of the left handshake of the Scouts and Guides this is the true original"

By Lord Rowallan, Chief Scout, British Commonwealth and Empire, 1948.

• "Scout Handclasp: The boy scout handclasp is made with the right hand, the fingers in the same relative position as in making the scout sign. The three fingers extended represent the three parts of the scout oath; and the bent position of the thumb and the little finger represents the knot or tie that binds these parts together into a strong unity. One scout shakes hand with another by a good warm handclasp with the three middle fingers extended in a straight line along the other's wrist, and with the thumb and little finger clasped around the other's fingers."

 

1927 to 1971 BSA Handbooks: Left Handed-Three Fingered.

• "Scout Left Hand Clasp: By agreement of the Scout Leaders throughout the world, Boys Scouts greet Brother Scouts with a warm left hand clasp ... to remind Scouts they belong to a world wide brotherhood ... In America, Scouts extend the left hand with the little finger separated from the others ... and interlocked with the little finger of the person with whom you are shaking."

 

1972 to present BSA Handbooks: Left Handed - normal.

• "The Scout Handclasp: It is made like a right handshake of greeting except Scout use the left hand. The little finger is not separated from the other fingers. The handclasp in the United States is the same as for Scouting in all the other countries of the world."

In 1975 the OA decided to retain the interlinking of two fingers as its handshake.