Much of what we see and hear of both World War 1 and World War 2 involves recollections and research from after the event. These have their value, certainly, but tend to be selective – it is informative and valuable to also look at what people felt and did at the time as war approached, arrived, and progressed – and one effective way we can do that is to look at what was published in Guiding’s magazines at the time.
You will also find that, during WW2 especially, the size of the magazines decreased, in some cases dramatically, due to paper rationing. Gone were cover illustrations as every inch of the page had to be productive. Articles were focussed on teaching practical Guiding activities, and reflecting war work being done around the UK. Items on international Guiding were fewer, and tended to be about the countries it was still possible to obtain information from – mainly those in what was then known as the Empire, now known as the Commonwealth. War news from occupied countries was rarely obtainable, and the editors could not risk publishing much of what did arrive for fear of putting people in danger.
So in this section, I am sharing copies of the Guiding magazines I have been able to source from the relevant eras, giving some run-up and aftermath as well as covering the actual war years. For WW1, the “Girl Guides’ Gazette” was the sole magazine issued by Guiding, intended to serve both Guides and Guiders (and as they were introduced, Cadets and Senior Guides/Rangers). By the time WW2 came around, there was “The Guide” for the Guide and Ranger Sections, and “The Guider” for all adult leaders.
World War 2, also, began ‘before the beginning’ in many ways – I will share magazines from 1938, when war was already starting to loom for many.
Leslie's Guide War History 