Sea Scouts rifle demonstration

Creator

Manitowoc (Wis.). Police Department

Date

• ca. 1941-ca. 1945

Summary

• In this picture taken in a park or field in or near Manitowoc, Wisconsin, an unidentified man, possibly a member of the Manitowoc Police Department, holds a rifle as he conducts a training session for a group of Sea Scouts, who observe as they stand behind him. Lying on the ground in the right foreground are several other guns. Sea Scouts were a department of the Boy Scouts of America, geared to older boys aged 14 to 21. Their activities centered around sea lore, sailing, and community service. Local units were called "ships." The Manitowoc "ship," called the "SSS Constitution," had been organized in 1941 by Edward S. Crego, who served as the unit's "skipper." During the World War II years, the Manitowoc Sea Scouts served as auxiliary policemen, worked in Civilian Defense programs, assisted with scrap drives, helped with crowd control at submarine launchings, and performed many other war-related volunteer services. This demonstration appears to have been part of a training session on different types of firearms, probably conducted for their role as auxiliary police. Among the people in this picture are Bill Johnson (second from left), Bill Hanson (on the rifleman's immediate left, just under the rifle muzzle), Davey Phipps (fifth from right with hat pushed back), and Skipper Edward S. Crego (far right).