"Always forward, never back": today is the 99th anniversary of the pioneer organization

On May 19, 1922, the first pioneer organization was established by the decision of the All-Russian Komsomol Conference. The pioneers were the children of secondary schools, it was an honor, fun and meant the first step on the way to becoming a respectable member of the communist society.

Almost everyone became a pioneer — it was accepted. First of all, they took excellent students and activists, then the rest of the children. They rarely did not take the pioneers, usually only inveterate hooligans. There were also refusals for religious reasons.

1987. Bugler in the pioneer camp "Artek" in Gurzuf. Buglers had to be able to perform drill techniques with a bugle and give signals: "Listen all", "Gathering", "To the banner", "Marching March", "To the ruler", "Alarm" and some others.

1930s. Exercise at the pioneer camp. Not only exercises, but also songs were supposed to raise the morale of the children. The pioneers had many songs, the source of most of them was the radio program "Pioneer Dawn", which existed from 1925 to 1991.

1961. Children are accepted as pioneers on Moscow's Red Square. It was a very honorable and solemn ritual.

A shot from the film "My Perestroika" in 2010. One of the few foreign films about the pioneers. (Photo: Red Square Productions / Bungalow Town Productions / ITVS International)

1965. Training system of pioneers in the gym. Pay attention to the sign: "The most human person". Can you guess who I'm talking about?

the 1960s. Pioneers on the line, get report cards.

the 1960s. A large formation in Artek. Crimean Artek was the most prestigious pioneer camp. Getting there was the dream of any schoolboy.

the 1960s. Pioneers in Artek.

the 1960s. Pioneers in Artek.

the 1970s. Pionerotryad "Chaika" in Sverdlovsk.

1920s. The parade of pioneers in Tashkent.

1923. Livensky pioneers.

1950s. Pioneers were often forced to take pictures, because their grimaces are quite eloquent.

1983. Pioneers in the Zeravshan Mountains of the Tajik SSR.

April 22, 2012. Celebration of the 142nd anniversary of the birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin. The Mariupol pioneers arrived in Moscow with their banner and represented the All-Ukrainian Pioneer Organization named after V. I. Lenin. Pioneers and Komsomol members of Moscow and St. Petersburg also took part in the memorial watch. (Photo: V. I. Lenin All-Ukrainian Pioneer Organization)