100 years of Girl Guides

The Guides formed when a group of girls stormed into a Scout rally at Crystal Palace in 1909, demanding Robert Baden-Powell start a sister organisation immediately. In the first year of the movement, these Guides joyously celebrate their achievement Photograph: Julian Makey/Rex Features

Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, more familiar to us as the Queen Mother, was an early adopter of the movement Photograph: Everett Collection/Rex Features

Lady Olave Baden-Powell, later the Chief Guide, inspects a Guide guard of honour at Battersea Park in 1916. The girls' war efforts were tremendous, even acting as messengers for the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, and earning war service badges a-plenty along the way Photograph: PA

The junior Guiding section, known originally as the Rosebuds and later the Brownies, was founded in 1914. Here the Duchess of York (later the Queen Mother) gets the three-finger salute at the opening of the Ideal Home Exhibition at Olympia, London in 1924 Photograph: Rex Features

Guides gaily peel potatoes for supper at camp in 1938 Photograph: Getty

The future Queen of England morosely practices her bandaging skills on her sister Princess Margaret in 1943. The movement was integral to Britain's blitz spirit Photograph: AP

Guide Catherine Douglas tucks into a kebab at the 1953 international camp held in Britain, which hosted a thousand girls from 40 nations Photograph: PA

Clare Whitwell undergoes the time-honoured ritual of being tossed in a blanket in 1955 Photograph: Getty

Valerie Mardger of Paris and Isabel Wilson of Scotland come together in 1957 to saw logs and keep the camp fires burning Photograph: PA

Authentic GG badges from the 1950s: knitting, ironing, semaphore, pest control, axe-wielding... Photograph: Girl Guides Association

Members of the 116 patrol perfecting that Parisian secretary look in 1959 Photograph: Images of Our Lives/Getty Images

The 1st Buckingham Palace Guide troop on their way to the palace to serve the Queen in 1965. Led by Captain M Bayliss – or is that Joyce Grenfell? Photograph: B Warhurst /Rex Features

Time for a uniform update in 1965. Out with the old waist-hugging, bust-enhancing one, and in with a more frumpy and shapeless look. Luckily the hats stayed the same Photograph: Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis

Back to Crystal Palace, where more flag waving marks the 75th anniversary of the sisterhood Photograph: The Observer/Rex Features

In 1998, up with cutting-edge trends of the day, the Guides are permitted to wear jeans as an official uniform item Photograph: Julian Makey/Rex Features

Perhaps David Cameron was talking about the cherubic Stepney Green unit when he spoke of hugging hoodies Photograph: Linda Nylind

Guides circa 2009, the age of lessons about safe sex, mobile phone efficiency and reducing your carbon footprint. But most of all it's still about having fun Photograph: Teri Pengilley