Magyar Cserkészszövetség

During World War I Hungarian Scouts cared for the wounded.[7]^: 21 After World War I Scout groups were founded in many schools and the first student Scouting groups appeared.[4] Troops were also founded in factories.[4] In 1920, the first Hungarian Scouting magazine Cserkész ("Hungarian Scout") was published. In 1922 Teleki Pál, a prominent man was elected as Chief Scout and later served as Honorary Chief Scout.[12]^: 248[13]^: 131 Air Scouts were introduced in Hungary and a National Scout Brass Band was founded.[12]^: 248 The first Woodbadge Course in Hungary was held in 1924. In 1926 a Sea Scout Training Center on the Danube and the Hárshegy Scout Training Center for Woodbadge trainings were opened.[12]^: 248

In 1919 the first Girl Guide troop was founded within Magyar Cserkészszövetség and in 1926 Magyar Cserkészlány Szövetség was founded as a separate organization but there was still good cooperation between Boy Scouts and Girl Guides.[12]^{: 244–247}

Hungarian Scouts continued their involvement internationally. When the World Scout Bureau was formed in 1922, Hungary was among its founders.[6] Hungary not only helped found the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) in 1928,[6] but also served as its original base, in Parád.[12]^{: 250–251} Hungarian Scouts were active at the 1924 World Scout Jamboree. Hungarian Scouts placed third in the national competition, behind the Scouts of Britain and America.[9]^: 31[14]

Hungary held its first National Jamboree in 1926 in Káposztásmegyer[4] with 10.000 participants.[6] The camp took place from July 9 to 23, 1926, and it was the only one between the two wars.[13]^: 134 In 1928 Baden-Powell visited Hungary.[13]^{: 134–135} A few years later, Boy Scouts from all over the world gathered at the Fourth World Jamboree, held at Gödöllő, Hungary from August 2–13, 1933. Forty-six nations and territories were represented by 25,792 Scouts. They encamped around the Royal Palace in the Royal Forest of Gödöllő, about 11 miles from the capital of Budapest.

The badge of the 4th World Scout Jamboree depicted the white stag of Hungarian mythology, the national symbol of Hungary and the official badge of the Jamboree.

Former Prime Minister Teleki Pál served as camp chief and Vitez Kisbarnaki Ferenc Farkas, a general staff officer of the Hungarian Royal Army, served as the General Camp Manager.[9]^: 43[14][15] The 4th World Jamboree was the first time there was a subcamp for Scouts taking part in aviation.[14][16]^: 142

Scouting in Hungary included both a youth movement and an organization for young men 19–21 years old.[4][13]^{: 133–134}

During World War II, Hungarian Scouts carried out many important roles, acting as messengers and other essential duties. Pál Teleki was called on once again to lead the nation as Prime Minister and Chief Scout of Hungary. Betrayed in his efforts to keep Hungary out of World War II, he committed suicide on April 3, 1941. He was succeeded as Chief Scout by General Kisbarnaki Ferenc Farkas, Commander of Royal Ludvokia Akademia. General Farkas remained Chief Scout of the Hungarian Scouts in Exile.

Under political pressure from the extreme right, the Hungarian Scouting movement became more militaristic and nationalistic between 1941 and 1945. Despite the war, the Hungarian national Scout leadership was able until the end of 1943 to maintain contact with the Boy Scouts International Bureau, the Polish Scout Headquarters in exile, and with Prince Gustav Adolf of Sweden, Chief Scout of Sweden and member of the World Scout Committee.[12]^: 260 Before the end of World War II, the national Hungarian Scouts were ordered to merge with the extremist right-leaning youth organization Hungarista Örszem, but it was never really executed.[12]^{: 260–262}[17]

In 1947 the Hungarian Scouts took part in the 6th World Scout Jamboree in France.[12]^: 266[18]^: 230 In 1945, after World War II, the Külföldi Magyar Cserkészszövetség (Hungarian Scout Association in Exteris), was first named the Teleki Pál Scout Association. It was soon renamed as the Hungarian Scout Association, and it became active in the displaced persons camps in Germany and Austria.[12]^{: 269–270}[14] Béla H. Bánáthy was during World War II the voluntary national director for youth leadership development and a member of the National Council of the Hungarian Scout Association. He was instrumental in contacting the World Scouting Movement and organized Scouting in his camp southeast of Innsbruck, Austria, inside the French occupation zone. Zoltai Gogins organized Hungarian Scouting in the Feffernitz displaced persons camps near Graz in the British occupation zone.[19] The Hungarian Scout Association in Exteris soon became active around the world.[4][6][12]^{: 269–273} The Magyar Cserkészszövetség in Exile preserved the traditions of Hungarian Scouting in exile and held contact with other Scout associations.

In 1948, Scouting was officially abolished in Hungary by the Communist regime,[6][12]^{: 267–269} but it remained nascent underground in a situation similar to that in neighboring Czechoslovakia.[12]^: 272[18]^{: 229–231} Former Scouts worked in secret to keep "the spirit of Scouting" alive during this time even at risk of imprisonment.[4][12]^: 65–66[14] During the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 there was a short time were Hungarian Scouts were active in public again.[12]^: 272 After the end of the Hungarian Revolution, Scout groups were founded in refugee camps and Austrian cities.[20] In 1957 there were 11 groups with 450 Scouts registered within Pfadfinder Österreichs.[20][21] Hungarian Scouts took part in the JIM 1957 as members of the Austrian contingent[20][22] and in the sub camp of the Council of Scout associations in Exile.[12]^: 55–56[23]

In 1989, Scouting was again legalized, and during that year Scouting groups appeared as though spontaneously, surprising many by how quickly it returned.[14] In January 1989 Magyar Cserkészszövetség was the first official registered and recognized association under the Law on Associations, which became effective on January 24.[12]^: 285 Also in January 1989 a second Scout association Magyar Cserkészcsapatok Svövestege (Hungarian Scout Groups Association) was founded.[12]^: 286 Both formed the Magyar Cserészet Tanácsa (Council of Hungarian Scouting) with 10,300 members in 1990.[24]^: 2 Because of internal problems the Council of Hungarian Scouting disbanded and Magyar Cserkészszövetség was registered as National Scout Organisation of Hungary in 1992 by the World Scout Bureau.[12]^{: 286–299} In June 1992 the Hungarian Scout Association had 462 groups with 25.000 members in Hungary.[12]^: 298 That same year the original seal was restored to the Hungarian Scout Association by the Külföldi Magyar Cserkészszövetség.[12]^: 302[14] In 1990, Hungary[6] and Czechoslovakia were the first of the Eastern European nations to return to membership in the World Organization of Scout Movement.[12]^: 293[24]^: 2

In 1992, Dr. Béla H. Bánáthy, a long-standing member of the Hungarian Scout Association Abroad (Külföldi Magyar Cserkészszövetség), traveled from the Monterey, California in the United States to Hungary following its renewed freedom. Bánáthy had attended the 4th World Scout Jamboree held at Gödöllő in 1933. He later became personal friends with General Kisbarnaki Ferenc Farkas, Chief Scout of Hungary, and was also Director of Leadership Development at the Royal Ludovika Akademia for the Hungarian Boy Scout Association (Magyar Cserkészszövetség) during World War II. Bánáthy helped restart the Hungarian Scout Association.[25]

In 1993 an international Camp at Gödöllő took place commemorating the 4th World Scout Jamboree. There was a sub camp for members of International Fellowship of Former Scouts and Guides. Betty Clay, Baden-Powell's daughter, took part in this international Camp.[12]^: 300

Statue of The Boy Scout erected in Gödöllő, Hungary to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the 1933 World Jamboree

In 1994, after democracy and Scouting was reestablished in Hungary, the community around Gödöllő moved to locate and re-erect a statue by Lőrinc Siklódi commemorating the 1933 World Jamboree. In 1943, on the tenth anniversary of the Jamboree, a statue of a Boy Scout was erected across from the Guard Barracks in Royal Forest of Gödöllő, Hungary. When Communist forces liberated the country from Nazi Germany, the original statue by sculptor Lőrinc Siklódi was removed as the government moved to suppress Scouting.

After a long search, the original statue could not be found, and a committee was established with the purpose of erecting a new statue. They decided to enlarge Zsigmond Kisfaludi Strobl's 50 inches (130 cm) statuette entitled The Boy Scout. A student of Kisfaludi Strobl, István Pál, was chosen to complete the work. The new statue of a Boy Scout standing on the original pedestal is unveiled on April 23, 1994, commemorating yet again the 1933 World Jamboree.[26]