Uniform collector remains young at heart

Phil Bailey

The closets in Philip Bailey’s Westlake Village home seem different than most.

Over the years they’ve been filled to capacity with Boy Scout uniforms from around the world, some more than 50 years old.

Bailey’s collection of uniforms was considered to be the best of its kind with almost 200 examples of Scouting attire–from Iceland to Bolivia.

But the assortment got too big to handle and last year Bailey donated the uniforms to the International Scouting Museum in Las Vegas.

SCOUTING HISTORY - Phil Bailey's Boy Scout uniform collection includes this 30-year-old outfit from Australia. Bailey spent half a century collecting Scout uniforms and other memorabilia. He also owns a large collection of U.S. flags.

"The main thing is they have a home where people can see them now," Bailey said. "In my closet at home that wasn’t happening."

Bailey, 77, is a former Scoutmaster and memorabilia buff who began collecting Scout uniforms at the end of World War II while he was stationed with the U.S. military in China.

Bailey, in fact, started the first American Scout troop in that country. He also witnessed the rebirth of Chinese Scouting following the war.

"During the Japanese occupation, Scouting was prohibited," Bailey said. "It carried a death penalty. When V.J. Day [Victory over Japan] was declared, Scouts began popping out of the woodwork."

SCOTTISH SCOUT - A Boy Scout models one of Bailey's Scout uniforms from Scotland.

Bailey built a small collection during his stay in China, but the uniforms were stolen.

During the ’60s he rekindled his interest in Scout uniforms and spread the word that he wanted to start a new collection.

Bailey was heartened by the response.

"Some of my kids who had been in Scouting for eight, nine years began sending me uniforms from Italy and Germany," Bailey said.

"That’s the whole substance," he said, "is to see these kids write letters back to talk about the role Scouting has played in their lives."

Uniforms old and new began arriving from countries such as France, Belgium, South Africa, Germany and the Philippines, and the collection grew.

Bailey, who had sponsored Scout troops during his employment with the Los Angeles Police Department, began exhibiting his collection at various venues.

"I think the most popular were the Scotland uniforms," he said. "They attracted the most attention.

Bailey said Scouts loved trying on the different types of uniforms and learning what Scouting was like in other countries.

The Scouting movement began in England in 1907 by Sir Robert Baden-Powell.

Today, Scouting exists in more than 140 countries, including the United States where Boy Scouts of America (BSA) was incorporated in 1910.

Now on display at the Las Vegas museum, Bailey’s uniform collection remains a big hit.

"People have really enjoyed them," said Jim Ellis, the museum’s executive director.

"That seems to be one of the focal points when the people come in. They’ll know somebody from New Zealand, for example, and go looking for the uniform from that country."

Ellis said he’s working to catalogue the uniforms and provide historical documentation for the museum’s visitors.

Bailey, who retired from his career as a police officer and a sporting goods salesman, plans to write a book about the uniforms of the world.

In the meantime, Bailey is working on a new collection.

He has more than 50 American

flags and flag wall banners inside his home. You might have seen the flags last year when they flew in front of the Vietnam Wall replica at Pierce Brothers Memorial Park in Westlake Village.

Ironically, Bailey was never a Boy Scout himself, but served diligently as a Cubmaster, Scoutmaster and chairman of the Conejo District of the BSA’s Ventura Council.

Bailey still believes strongly in the benefits of Scouting. He said the organization allows boys to learn by doing, but that the trial and error method of growing up isn’t as popular as it used to be.

"The kids today have freedom, but they don’t have responsibility," Bailey said.

"I’m a big believer in letting kids make mistakes if that’s what it takes."

For more information about the International Scouting Museum, call (702) 878-SCOUT.