About BB

The Boys' Brigade (BB) is an interdenominational Christian youth organisation, conceived by Sir William Alexander Smith to combine drill and fun activities with Christian values. Following its inception in Glasgow in 1883, the BB quickly spread across the United Kingdom and became a worldwide organisation by the early 1890s. As of 2003, there were 500,000 Boys' Brigade members in 60 countries.

Object

The advancement of Christ's kingdom among Boys and the promotion of habits of Obedience, Reverence, Discipline, Self-respect and all that tends towards a true Christian manliness.

Motto

Sure and Stedfast

History

The Boys' Brigade was founded in Glasgow by Sir William Alexander Smith on 4 October 1883 to develop Christian manliness by the use of a semi-military discipline and order, gymnastics, summer camps and religious services and classes.

By 1910, there were about 2200 companies connected with different churches throughout the British Empire and the United States, with 10,000 officers and 100,000 boys.

The first BB company in Singapore was founded by James Milner Fraser, who arrived from the UK in 1927 to work as an architect for the Singapore Improvement Trust (predecessor of present-day Housing and Development Board). Prior to coming to Singapore as a young architect in 1927, Mr James Milner Fraser was already very much into the BB movement; having grown up in the 23rd Aberdeen Company and later became a BB officer in the 23rd London Company.

On 12 January 1930, Singapore’s very first BB company was formed at the Straits Chinese Presbyterian Church (renamed Prinsep Street Presbyterian Church in 1955) with 12 members and Fraser as captain. In August 1930, the first BB company in Singapore was officially registered by the brigade’s headquarters in London; by then, its membership had grown to 40.

An interactive version of the BB History in Singapore could be found here.