Under Where?
Posted in Patch Collecting by John E. Pannell on June 12th, 2007 at 12:32 am 
There are few fashion trends among youth today that annoy me more than the wearing of clothing in such a way as to show off ones undergarments. You all know what I mean. I really dislike it! In a manner of speaking, the idea of exposing what should be kept underneath and has crossed over into the patch world.
Recently I was sent some images of new issues from Gila lodge, number 378. One of them was a patch specifically designed to be worn on the underside of the uniform pocket flap, . It is intended to only be visible with the pocket flap is turned up. The donor believed this to be the first such patch. It fell to me to tell him that although this was certainly unusual, Gila lodge was not the first to do this. I remembered at least one other lodge having already done this.
The Gila flap was already on my site and tentatively catalogued by me as the “S40?”. (Please see image to the left.)
It appears the first lodge to do this might well have been Wannalancit 451, with their X3. It’s not currently pictured on OAImages, but the description refers to it as an “Lodge Underflap”. I am unfamiliar with this piece and only found it by searching my site for the term “underflap”. Can anyone confirm its intended use and/or supply an image, please?
Until I found that piece from Wannalancit, I thought the first “underflap” was an issue of Watonala 169.
Watonala issued a three piece set for the 2002 NOAC. These are listed in Blue Book as the S28, S29 and X10 (pictured, left). The patches are designed so that they form a continuous regardless of whether the flap or the “underflap” is on top. When this set was issued, as a fundraiser for that year’s NOAC, I believed it to the be the first time something like this was done.
As you see, the various Blue Book editors are not consistent on how they catalogue these pieces. Some call the patch an “X”, like the Wannalancit piece. On the other hand, the Watonala “underflap” is listed as a flap.
Not only am I becoming an “old fart” by complaining about the fashion trends of today’s youth, I also can’t remember what patches I may have seen elsewhere in the past!
I have vague recollections of at least one other lodge — I think from Florida — having issued an “underflap” Do any of the Southern OA collectors out there know what I might be remembering?
There also been several patches issued with an inverted flap shape, dating back to Chappegat 15. These also include some modern patches like a NOAC 2002 patch from Ho-Nan-Ne-Ho-Ont lodge 165. As these were not intended to be worn on the underside of the pocket, I do not consider them “underflaps”.
I also have seen a spoof made with this idea in mind. If I remember correctly, it had the words of “The Obligation” embroidered on it, so that the wearer could read it while looking down at his opened pocket flap.
Do you know of any other “underflaps” that other lodges have issued?
No underflaps from Florida. That’s too hard to sew onto the uniform, and looks kind of silly.
I agree that the underwear showing “fashion statment” is annoying, but it annoys me even more when youths do it in Scout uniform!!!!!