A Móra Ferenc Múzeum Évkönyve: Studia Historica 5. (Szeged, 2002)

MAROSVÁRI Attila: A magyar cserkészet megindítása a nyugat-európai menekülttáborokban (1945-1947)

SIPOS Péter (főszerk.) 1997 Magyarország a második világháborúban. Lexikon A-Zs. Bp. Petit Real. 598 p. STARK Tamás 1986 Magyarország második világháborús vesztesége. = Valóság, 12. 55-68. pp. 1989 Magyarország második világháborús embervesztesége. Bp. MTA Történettudományi Intézet. Társadalom és Művelődéstörténeti Tanulmányok 3. 89 p. és mell. SZTARAY, Zoltán é.n. The Crushing of Hungarian Scouting 1945-1948. Garfield. Hungarian Scout Association In Exile — Kossuth Foundation, Inc. lip. TELEKI Éva 1974 Nyilas uralom Magyarországon 1944. okt. 16- 1945. ápr. 4. Bp. 390 p. VÍGH Károly 1984 Ugrás a sötétbe. Bp. Magvető. Nemzet és emlékezet, 408 p. ATTILA MAROSVÁRI THE LAUNCHING OF HUNGARIAN SCOUTING IN THE REFUGEE CAMPS OF WESTERN EUROPE (1945-47) The study throws light upon the launching of Hungarian scouting movement in Western European refugee camps, mostly with the help of the Archive of Hungarian Boy Scout Association, which is found in the Historical Collection of Móra Ferenc Museum. In the period after World War II almost one million Hungarians went to the west, among whom over 100 000 people still lived in different prisoners' or refugee camps in autumn 1945. In refugee camps alongside with the schools organized by churches it was the scouting movement which provided not only useful activity for the young, but also helped to preserve national consciousness, national language and culture. The first initiatives of group forming appeared separately in summer 1945, encouraged by former leaders of scouting. However, these early attempts did not prove to be successful due to continuous migration. In spite of this at the turn of 1946-47 several well-organized groups functioned in accordance with the order of refugee camps. On 3. April 1947 the Pál Teleki Hungarian Boy Scout Association was founded by Vitéz Ferenc Farkas of Kisbarnak, which became the coordinative head organization of emigrant Hungarian scouting. The association provided theoretical, administrative and educational background for the movement. After the foundation of the association numerous new groups were founded: by the end of 1947 already 31 groups had been formulated involving 1400 scouts. These groups followed the tradition of Hungarian scouting movement founded in 1942. The association was not only to face financial problems, but manifestations of 'political' separatism as well. In order to consolidate their situation a new system of tests were elaborated, training of leaders was organized and financial background was assured as well as publishing of books and periodicals in Hungarian language was launched. In the reorganization of the movement the activity of a new group, called Exiled Eagles, formulated within scouting in summer 1947 became influentive.