So I have some French boy scouts during WWII. They're both important and peripheral to the plot. Enough crucial actions arise from the existence of these boy scouts that they can't be eliminated from the story, but besides the MC (Julien) and one other character (Marcel), none of the scouts themselves are important and only one or two are named.
It's important for Marcel to start out as the leader of Julien's group of scouts. Here's where the slight issue comes.
From what I can discover, boy scouts were organized the same way worldwide. If I understand correctly, the actual troop leader would be an adult, and the troop would be divided into groups of six, each with its leader. So really, Marcel would simply be the leader of a group of six, and at a troop meeting some adult, instead of him, would be the central figure.
But in the manuscript as it now stands (yes I left this bit of research a little late), I've got Marcel described as "troop leader" but with the implication that the troop isn't that big (maybe 10-12 at most) and there are other troops in town. In the one "scout meeting" scene, I made Marcel the figure giving a speech and instructions.
I really, really don't want to complicate my manuscript any further. It's very complicated as it now stands. There are only two, maybe three (out of a hundred) scenes where the scouts are central, and if I make them completely accurate I will have to invent a new adult character who is irrelevant to the plot and whose name the reader will have to remember for the sake of two scenes. It will also complicate a minor plot point regarding Marcel leaving town and the question of whether Julien will succeed him as leader.
By the way these are the oldest possible scouts, 17 and 18 year olds, which I know they did have in France at the time.
I'm sort of hoping it's OK to slide through on this one. Being a book about France for American readers, even ones who know about Boy Scouts may assume things were organized differently in another place and time. I know some people feel inaccuracy is just plain wrong... What I'd like to know is, are there other reasons I shouldn't do this, or does anyone think it might be OK?
It's important for Marcel to start out as the leader of Julien's group of scouts. Here's where the slight issue comes.
From what I can discover, boy scouts were organized the same way worldwide. If I understand correctly, the actual troop leader would be an adult, and the troop would be divided into groups of six, each with its leader. So really, Marcel would simply be the leader of a group of six, and at a troop meeting some adult, instead of him, would be the central figure.
But in the manuscript as it now stands (yes I left this bit of research a little late), I've got Marcel described as "troop leader" but with the implication that the troop isn't that big (maybe 10-12 at most) and there are other troops in town. In the one "scout meeting" scene, I made Marcel the figure giving a speech and instructions.
I really, really don't want to complicate my manuscript any further. It's very complicated as it now stands. There are only two, maybe three (out of a hundred) scenes where the scouts are central, and if I make them completely accurate I will have to invent a new adult character who is irrelevant to the plot and whose name the reader will have to remember for the sake of two scenes. It will also complicate a minor plot point regarding Marcel leaving town and the question of whether Julien will succeed him as leader.
By the way these are the oldest possible scouts, 17 and 18 year olds, which I know they did have in France at the time.
I'm sort of hoping it's OK to slide through on this one. Being a book about France for American readers, even ones who know about Boy Scouts may assume things were organized differently in another place and time. I know some people feel inaccuracy is just plain wrong... What I'd like to know is, are there other reasons I shouldn't do this, or does anyone think it might be OK?