Aside from the larger ceremonies such as the St. George’s Day and Remembrance Parades, scout, cub and beaver meetings all feature their own ceremonies.
Scouting provides a detailed information sheet about ceremonies, while this page contains a brief overview of the most common ones.
Flag break marks the start of the meeting. The patrols form a horseshoe shape around the flag and are brought to the alert by the duty patrol leader, who will say “Troop. Troop Alert!”.
The duty patrol leader will then walk to the flag and break it by pulling the free halyard, causing the flag to unfold. They then step a couple of paces back and the troop will salute the flag. After returning to their place, they will put the troop back at ease by saying “Troop, stand at ease.”
Flag down marks the end of the meeting. As with flag break, the troop form a horseshoe and are brought to the alert by the duty patrol leader.
The duty patrol leader will then walk to the flag and lower it by untying the halyard from the cleat and slowly allowing the flag to fall. Once the flag is level with the cleat, being careful that it does not touch the floor, the duty patrol leader will secure the halyard back on the cleat. They will then take a couple of paces back and the troop will bow their heads. After returning to their place, they will put the troop back at ease.