Material: Embroidered thread on woven cloth backing
Size: 50mm w x 60mm h
Description: This vintage woven fabric insignia functions as the official county uniform badge utilized by members of the British Boy Scouts Association operating within Dunbartonshire, Scotland. The central design depicts a large, dark grey elephant walking leftward across a stylized patch of bright green grass. Positioned directly below the animal's path is a white rectangular border cleanly encasing the capitalized county name text "DUNBARTONSHIRE" in stark black embroidery. Struck with a soft, tightly woven canvas texture, the patch is finished with a thin overlocked safety stitch along its light grey base fabric to protect the emblem against fraying during outdoor camp activities.
Circa: Mid to Late 20th Century
Notes:
Worn to denote local Scout identity within Dunbartonshire, this patch uses the elephant motif long associated with the county. It belongs to the mid-20th-century tradition of county and district insignia within British Scouting.
The presence of an elephant on a regional Scottish badge originates directly from the ancient civic arms of the town of Dumbarton. Local folklore and historians note that Dumbarton Rock, the massive volcanic plug housing the historic Dumbarton Castle closely resembles the shape of a kneeling elephant when viewed from the River Clyde.