Estonia Bronze Medal 1962 - Estonian Scouting 1912-1962 - NGC MS 64 BN

Estonian Scouting in Exile. 

After incorporation into the USSR, the Estonian Scout Association (Eesti Skautide Ühing) was forced to cease its activities in the homeland. However, beginning in the late 1940s, Estonian refugee communities abroad established a parallel structure known as Eesti Skaudid Paguluses (Estonian Scouts in Exile). The official statutes of this organization were signed in London in 1949, and it quickly became the central body coordinating Estonian scouting among diaspora communities. 

Through branches in Sweden, Germany, the United Kingdom, North America, Canada, and later Australia, the movement provided continuity for the ideals of Estonian scouting. Camps, training events, and cultural gatherings were organized to maintain national identity, transmit language and traditions to younger generations, and foster ties between Estonian youth scattered across different countries. 

By the 1950s and 1960s, Estonian scouting in exile had become an important part of the broader network of expatriate institutions — alongside Estonian Houses, cultural societies, and choirs — that helped preserve national identity during the decades of Soviet rule. The 50th anniversary in 1962, commemorated by this medal, symbolized both the resilience of Estonian scouting and its role in sustaining the spirit of independence until it could be restored in Estonia itself.