Rochester Council, Boy Scouts of America, Messenger Service Records

The use of specially trained Boy Scouts as messengers for the civil defense of Rochester was proposed by Fred C. Goodwin, Jr,. Communications chief of the Rochester Civilian Defense Council, to local Boy Scout executive Kenneth B. Spear in December of 1941. The relationship of Boy Scouting to civil defense had been under consideration even before the United States entered World War II, and the implementation of the messenger service was just one role in which Boy Scouts were called upon to serve in Rochester and across the country. While Scouts were asked to serve in multiple civil defense roles as part of a comprehensive Emergency Services program, the messenger service was particularly large. A June 14, 1942 Democrat & Chronicle article stated that the first training class was completed in May of that year, and that over 1000 Boy Scouts were now able to serve as messengers for "air raid wardens, control centers, rest centers and hospitals." It also stated that more than twice as many messengers would likely be added to the program. The messengers played an important role in civil defense preparation, as they could be counted on even if other communications were cut off. As such, they played a critical role in blackout and incident drills. Evaluation of the records in the collection suggest that the messenger service was most active from spring of 1942 until summer of 1944. However, formal information regarding the termination of the program could not be located.