The Gold Cord was introduced in 1918, replacing the Silver Fish as the highest award that could be earned by a Guide. It would remain the highest award until it was replaced by the Canada Cord in 1971. This award was available to different age groups at various times: Guides (1918 to 1971), Guiders (1918 to 1926), Senior Guides/Rangers (1918 to c.1945)
The first requirements for the Gold Cord appeared in the November 1918 issue of the Girl Guides’ Gazette:
A Gold Cord Guide must have had at least two years’ service, and must have earned the following Badges:
First Class- Sick Nurse
- Handywoman
- Signaller, or Swimmer, or Gymnast
- Child Nurse or Nurse
- Laundress or Finisher
- Scribe or Clerk
- Domestic Service
- And six others chosen by herself.
She must also have trained a Guide in all the First Class Tests (with the exception of Ambulance, Child Nurse, and Swimmer’s Tests, which should be taught by a qualified person).
In applying for the Gold Cord, the Captain must send a report of the work during the past year of the Patrol, of which all Guides of six months’ standing must be 2nd Class. This application should first be sanctioned by the Court of Honour.
Interestingly, at this time Guiders could also earn the Gold Cord!
If the candidate is a Guider, she must have passed the above Badge Tests, but where two are mentioned, it must be the one for Senior Guides [Nurse, Finisher]. The Guider must have done good work in her Company and have trained at least four Guides for the First Class Test (excluding Ambulance, Child Nurse, and Swimmer’s Tests). These four Guides need not necessarily all belong to her own Company. All applications for the Gold Cord must be accompanied by a full report from the local Commissioner regarding the Guider’s work with her Company, and also of her loyal support of the movement in the district.
Small changes were made in Rules, Policy and Organization:
- 1919 – Guides needed to earn the Signaller or Swimmer AND Athlete or Gymnast badges
- 1921 – More Senior/Ranger Badge alternatives were added: First Class or Ranger Star; Sick Nurse or Probationer; Swimmer, Signaller or First Class Signaller
- By 1924, the first line had been amended to “A Ranger or Guide must have at least two years’ service before being recommended for the Gold Cord.”
- 1924 – A new badge was now required – Naturalist or Nature Lover; the alternative to the Scribe badge is changed from Clerk to Citizen; and Guides and Rangers now only needed to earn five additional badges chosen by themselves.
- 1925 – No changes
A note in the March 1926 issue of the Girl Guides’ Gazette clarifies a change made in Rules, Policy and Organization for 1926, ending the earning of the Gold Cord by Guiders:
No Guider may qualify now for the All-Round or Gold Cord on the same basis as a Guide. She must qualify on a teaching basis and the award then takes the form of an All-Round or Gold Lanyard as the case may be. The Gold Lanyard is only awarded by Headquarters and in no circumstances may a Guider exchange a Gold Cord for a Lanyard unless the application has been approved by Headquarters.
An additional requirement was added to the Gold Cord in the May 1926 issue of the Girl Guides’ Gazette:
It was also agreed that a short paper for Guides applying for the Gold Cord Award, composed of Test questions on the badges included in First Class and those selected, be sent with the application form and that those questions be answered in writing by the Guide in the presence of either the District Commissioner or District Captain or someone appointed by the former, who should sign the accompanying certificates stating that the paper had been written in her presence and was the candidate’s unaided work. In this way the candidate’s up-to-date knowledge of her badge work will be tested.
Changes in the 1927 Rules, Policy and Organization included the addition of a written paper, a change for the Second Class standing of all Patrol Members, and a note about the Green First Class Badge:
A Ranger or Guide must have had at least two years’ service before becoming recommended for the Gold Cord. She must have earned the following badges:
- First Class or Ranger Star
- Sick Nurse or Probationer
- Handywoman
- Swimmer, or Signaller, or First Class Signaller
- Athlete or Gymnast
- Naturalist or Nature Lover
- Child Nurse or Nurse
- Laundress or Finisher
- Scribe or Citizen
- Domestic Service
- Also five others chosen by herself
She must also have trained a Guide for the 1st Class Badge (with the exception of the Ambulance, Child Nurse, Cook, Needlewoman and Swimming Tests, which should be taught by qualified people). A written paper will also be required, application for same to be made to Head of Awards.
Rangers must hold the Swimmer’s Badge if the Ranger Star Test is taken instead of the Guide First Class.
In applying for the Gold Cord, the Captain must send a report of the work during the past year of the Patrol to which the Guide belongs, of which all Guides of one year’s standing must be Second Class. This application should first be sanctioned by the Court of Honour.
Note: The Green First Class Badge does not qualify for the Gold Cord Award.
Minor changes continue to be made in Rules, Policy and Organization:
- 1929 – A new requirement is added: “She must have camped out at least one week under canvas, …”
- 1930, 1931 – No changes
- 1932 – Folk Dancer is added as an alternative to the Athlete and Gymnast badges
- 1933 – The Captain’s report is now “In applying for the Gold Cord, the Captain must send a report of the work during the past year of the Patrol to which the Guide belongs. This application should first be sanctioned by the Court of Honour.”
- 1934, 1935 – No changes
- 1938 – The swimming requirement for Rangers is changed to: “Rangers taking the Ranger Star Test instead of the Guide First Class should pass the same swimming test as required for the Guide First Class Test, viz: ‘Swim 50 yards and throw a life line.”
Further changes are made in 1939, bringing the final pre-war requirements to:
A Ranger or Guide must have had at least two years’ service before being recommended for the Gold Cord. She must have camped out at least one week under canvas, and have earned the following badges:
- First Class or Ranger Star
- Sick Nurse or Emergency Helper
- Probationer or Samaritan
- Handywoman
- Swimmer or Signaller or Signalling Transmitter
- Athlete or Gymnast or Folk Dancer
- Naturalist or Nature Lover
- Child Nurse or Nurse
- Laundress or Finisher
- Scribe or Citizen
- Domestic Service
- Also five others chosen by herself
She must also have trained a Guide for the First Class Badge (with the exception of the Child Nurse, Cook, Needlewoman and Swimming Tests, which should be taught by qualified people.) A written paper will also be required, application for which should be made to Headquarters.
Rangers taking the Ranger Star Test instead of the Guide First Class should pass the same swimming test as required for the Guide First Class Test, viz “Swim 50 yards and throw a life line to reach a person 20 yards away.”
In applying for the Gold Cord, the Captain must send a report of the work during the past year of the patrol to which the Guide belongs. This application should first be sanctioned by the Court of Honour.
As with all things, the Second World War brought major changes to the Gold Cord. By 1943, the requirements in Policy, Organization and Rules were:
The Gold Cord Award is granted by the Canadian Council and is a recognition of the development of character and leadership, intelligence and general knowledge.
The Guide or Ranger should have a firm grasp of the principles of the Girl Guide movement and have applied them in her own life. She should possess firmness of purpose in any undertaking and at the same time be able to “look wide” and “wider still”.
Her will to service for others should at all times be uppermost in her mind.
The Gold Cord Award implies achievement in all the abstract qualities of good citizenship.
- The candidate must hold the Guide All-Round Cords and be ready for the final test when she is not more than sixteen.
- She must hold the Little House Emblem, the Handywoman badge and also one badge taken from the following list: Artist, Booklover, Country Dancer, Dancer, Lacemaker, Music Lover and Minstrel (if these are chosen, both must be taken), Photographer, Player, Singer, Spinner, Stitchery, Writer.
- She must hold the Pioneer Badge, and have a good report from the commandant of the camp at which she was tested on her standard of dependability, adaptability, punctuality and general keeping of the Guide Law throughout the camp.
- She must hold the Traveller Badge or the Interpreter Badge.
- She must be recommended by her Commissioner and Captain (with the approval of the Court of Honour) on her standard of:
- Unselfishness
- Courtesy
- General appearance (both in and out of uniform)
- The Guider should send a general note of any work done for the company the the candidate, also a note of any service she has been able to do for others (apart from Guiding) for any period of not less than three months.
- Finally, the candidate will be examined by a Diploma’d Guider, Secondary Trainer or Sub-Trainer, or, failing these, by correspondence from Dominion Headquarters, on any work in these tests and also on her degree of:
- Observation
- Common Sense
By 1948 (Policy, Organization and Rules), the requirements had been simplified and the Gold Cord was strictly a Guide Award:
- Have passed the First Class Test and Little House and Woodcraft Emblems.
- Be recommended by her Captain and the Court of Honour in consultation with her Commissioner, on her Company and camping record during her membership in the Movement.
- Hold the Pioneer, Handywoman, Swimmer, Empire or World Knowledge and any other two badges of her own choice.
- All tests to be completed before her seventeenth birthday.
Further minor changes were made in Policy, Organization and Rules over the years:
- By 1950, a new clause had been added: “Have read ‘Scouting for Boys (Boy’s Edition)”
- 1953 – No Changes
- 1955 – Holders of the Green First Class Badge are now eligible for the Gold Cord, and will hold the Fire Brigade Badge in place of the Swimmer’s Badge.
- 1956 – The name of the Empire Knowledge Badge was changed to Commonwealth Knowledge; an alternative to Swimmer was added, with restrictions: “Fire Brigade may be substituted for Swimmer only for those who cannot obtain the Swimmer’s Badge due to lack of facilities. Permission to substitute this badge is given by the Provincial Commissioner on the recommendation of the District Commissioner.
Major changes were made to the Gold Cord in 1957 (The Canadian Guider, March 1957):
To qualify for a Gold Cord a Guide must:
- Be fifteen years of age before her application is made and have completed all but the “Be Prepared” Challenge three months prior to her seventeenth birthday, in order to allow time for her to complete the Challenge before her seventeenth birthday.
- Be a First Class Guide and hold the Little House and Woodcraft Emblems and the Camper Badge.
- Be recommended by the Court of Honour of her company, her Captain and the Guider-in-Charge of the Guide Camp which she has attended during the previous 18 months.
- Choose a country other than her own and show in some practical way, approved by her Commissioner, her knowledge of and interest in it.
- Prove herself capable of service to a group or individual in home, school, church or local community. This service to be chosen by the Guide herself and any project undertaken must be maintained for at least four months.
- Carry out three jobs arranged by her Commissioner and/or Local Association, to prove her reliability, cheerfulness and ability to work with and under others.
The Commissioner will then forward the completed Application Form, together with the required reports and recommendations to the Provincial Commissioner.
Finally the candidate will undertake a “Be Prepared” Challenge, arranged by a Guider or group of Guiders appointed by the Province. This shall test whether she can apply the knowledge which she has acquired during her years in Guiding, has courtesy and common sense and can act intelligently in different situations.
Slight changes are made in Policy, Organization and Rules:
- 1962 – The Be Prepared Challenge is altered slightly, now being “arranged by a committee appointed by the Province”
The requirements are wholly revised again in 1963 (Canadian Guider), appearing as new in the 1965 Policy, Organization and Rules:
A Guide wishing to try for a Gold Cord will discuss it with her Guider and, with the approval of the Court of Honour, seek an interview with her Commissioner.
- To qualify for the Gold Cord, a Guide must be at least fourteen years of age, and must complete all requirements by her sixteenth birthday.
- Letters of recommendation from the Captain, and one other interested person not related to the Guide, will accompany the application form.
- Be a First Class Guide, hold the Little House and Woodlore Emblems, the Camper, Citizen and First Aid Badges, and a Craft Badge.
- Choose a country other than her own and demonstrate to some group, approved by her Commissioner, her knowledge of and interest in it.
- Prove herself capable of service to a group or individual in home, school, church or local community. This service is to be chosen by the Guide herself, and any project undertaken must be maintained for at least four months.
- Carry out three assignments arranged by the Commissioner and/or local Association to prove her reliability, cheerfulness and ability to work with and under others.
- A letter of recommendation from the Guider-in-charge of the Guide camp which she has attended during the previous eighteen months will accompany the application.
The Commissioner will then forward the completed application form, together with the required reports and recommendations, to the Provincial Commissioner.
A point for the interested – The age groupings changed in 1964-1965. Prior to this, Guides were aged 11 to 16, now they were 10 to 14, yet the age for earning the Gold Cord still included completing “all requirements by her sixteenth birthday.”
Anecdotally, this resulted in three things:
- Guides being told they had to finish and/or being pushed through to finish before they turned 15 and moved up to Rangers (now aged 14 to 18, with 14 being an overlapping age)
- Guides remaining in Companies until they turned 16 instead of moving up to Rangers and making space for younger Guides
- Rangers continuing to work on and be awarded the Gold Cord, even though it was a Guide Award.
The age for earning the Gold Cord was finally changed in 1968 (Policy, Organization and Rules):
To qualify for the Gold Cord, a girl must be at least thirteen years of age, and must complete all requirements by her fifteenth birthday.
All the other requirements remained the same.
Strangely, the ages reverted in 1969 (Policy, Organization and Rules):
To qualify for the Gold Cord, a girl must be at least fourteen years of age and must complete all requirements by her sixteenth birthday.
How confusing!
There were no further changes to the requirements for the Gold Cord. In September 1971, the Canada Cord was introduced, replacing the Gold Cord as the highest award for Guides.
Sources:
- Baden-Powell, Robert. Girl Guiding (Girl Guides Association, 1921)
- Potts, Gladys Janson. Girl Guide Badges and How to Win Them (Girl Guides Association, 1920, 1925, 1928)
- Potts, Gladys Janson. Hints on Girl Guide Badges (Girl Guides Association), 1933, 1937,
- Girl Guides’ Gazette (Girl Guides Association) – November 1918; March 1926; May 1926; December 1928
- Policy, Organization and Rules (Canadian Girl Guides Association/Girl Guides of Canada, 1943, 1948, 1950, 1953, 1956, 1959, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971)
- Policy, Organization and Rules (Girl Guides Association, 1935, 1938, 1939)
- Rules, Policy and Organization (Girl Guides Association, 1919, 1921, 1924, 1927, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1934, 1935)
Silver Fish – 1910 to 1918
Girl Guide History Tidbits 