Patrol Discipline

This leads one to the question of Patrol Instruction, and it is desirable to state a good method in which the ordinary Troop parade may be carried out. If the Troop meets from 8 to 9.30, it is absolutely essential that either the Scoutmaster or his Assistant should be at the Headquarters at precisely 8 or before (unless, by arrangement, the Leaders are doing all the work by themselves). It is also essential that the Patrol Leader should be punctual to the moment, and if, owing to his working late or to any other cause this is not possible, he must previously inform his Second that he may be a little late and must ask his Second to take his place until he comes. At 8 o'clock the Scoutmaster gives the order "fall in" when each Leader doubles to his own allotted place and "falls in" his own Patrol. 
Every Patrol is at the alert within twelve seconds of the order being given by the Scoutmaster. The Leader may either say, "Curlew Patrol, fall in," or he may give his Patrol call, or he may do anything at all that his boys will be able to hear and to understand. A good Leader of a Beaver Patrol in one Troop claps his hands and scratches his right ear for "fall in." He scratches his left ear for "dismiss," and the back of his head for "about turn." The Patrol Leader always stands where he can best superintend his Patrol. The Patrols are drawn up in line (single rank). The Scoutmaster is standing somewhere in the middle of the room, and he gives a succession of short blasts on his whistle to signify "circular rally."
Each Leader will now give the following orders to his Patrol, first of all, "Alert," then "Right or Left turn, double." The Patrol, led by the Patrol Leader, double in file to the Scoutmaster, the Scouts being drawn up like the spokes of a wheel of which the Scoutmaster is the hub. While the Patrols are running in, they may give their Patrol calls, but this is not necessary except in the open air. The Leader will stop some four paces from the Scoutmaster, and the latter will then give any instructions or make any announcements for the evening's program. After prayers (if such are the practice) and after saluting the flag, the Scoutmaster will then briefly inspect the Patrols to ascertain who is absent. He will expect each Patrol Leader (or his Second if he is away) to account for the members of his Patrol, and either the Scoutmaster or the Patrol Leader will make a note of all absentees in his note-book. After this the Scoutmaster gives the order "Commence work," when each Leader salutes, orders his Patrol to "about turn," and doubles them back to their own part of the room.
When they arrive there he gives the order "fall out," and he then goes on with whatever Patrol instruction he may wish to give. It should be made clear that the proceedings just mentioned do not take more than five minutes altogether, and that their regular practice does an enormous amount to add to the successful discipline of an ordinary Scout parade.
At the end of the evening the Scoutmaster will give one blast on his whistle. which means "Alert." Each Patrol will put away as quickly as possible any apparatus that they may be using. The boys will put on their hats and get hold of their staves. The Leaders will call their Patrols to the "alert," and the Scoutmaster will then give the order, "Patrols dismiss." Each Leader will dismiss by making his Patrol turn to the right and salute, and the evening is then at an end. This is only one of the many ways of carrying out the elementary discipline of the Patrol system in a Troop Headquarters. The point of it all is to give responsibility to the Patrol Leader and to give individuality to the Patrols. The Scoutmaster should never give orders to his Scouts except through his Patrol Leaders. Those who say that this does not work have not tried it.
In one of the London districts where they regularly hold lectures on Scout Law through the winter, the 800 Scouts who attend the lectures always march to the hall in separate Patrols under their Patrol Leaders. When this is done there is no need to hold up any traffic, and the holding up of traffic is obviously not a particularly Scout-like thing to do. The simplest method of moving a Patrol is to march it in file with the Patrol Leader on the right-hand side. It is a good thing to put the smallest Scout in front, so that he may make his own pace and not be overstrained.