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Of American-English origin, the expression buddy system designates:
– a cooperative arrangement whereby a pair of individuals take responsibility for each other’s safety or welfare, or whereby one member of the pair is assigned to provide support for the other;
– the practice of appointing friends or allies to positions of influence or otherwise showing them special favour.
With one exception—cf., below, quotation 1—the earliest occurrences that I have found of buddy system indicate that this expression originally designated a system of swimming devised by the Red Cross Life Saving Corps for Boy Scout camps, whereby the boys were paired off, each boy in a pair staying with the other throughout a swimming period and taking responsibility for the other’s safety. But, in quotation 2 below, the expression buddy system seems to designate a system whereby the Boy Scouts were paired off throughout the whole camp, in all the activities.
These are, in chronological order, the earliest occurrences of the expression buddy system that I have found:
1-: From an article about the demands of the anthracite coal miners, who were then on strike, published in The Evening star (Washington, District of Columbia, USA) of Saturday 7th June 1902 [page 8, column 2]:
To properly understand any one of the demands it is necessary to know of the conditions which prevail in the anthracite coal regions.
First, there are about six hundred mines. These have all been opened and developed at different times and are under the law of different customs. Miners work in what is known as the “buddy” system. One miner acts as a contractor, as it were, hires his helpers, buys the tools, powder and supplies, and is credited by the company with the amount of coal which he sends to the surface or mouth of the pit. He and his employees, for they are practically such, go into and come out of the mine at any time they see fit; work as long or as short time as they may wish.
2-: From an account of the trip that members of the Rotary Club made on Tuesday 24th August 1920 to Boy Scouts at Camp Chappegat, Lake Kanawauke, New York—published in the Passaic Daily News (Passaic, New Jersey, USA) of Wednesday 25th August 1920 [page 10, column 6]:
There is no doubt but that the work that is being done for these boys is beneficial to them in that it broadens their views on life, makes them feel the responsibilities that will come in later life as well as that feeling of friendship which crops up from the so-called “buddy system” adopted at the camp, whereby one lad is always under the observance of another in order that nothing may happen to him.
3-: From a letter to the Editor that Timothy J. McCarthy, Scribe of Troop 31, wrote about life at Chappegat Camp, where he was spending two weeks—published in the Passaic Daily Herald (Passaic, New Jersey, USA) of Thursday 2nd September 1920 [page 12, column 4]:
“At 9:45 the fellows who cannot swim go to Camp Watchung. That’s an ideal place to learn how to swim. After the cub swimmers return, the other swimmers go in off the Chappegat dock. Dan Summers is swimming instructor. Lifeboats go out and life savers are on top of the tower and with the “buddy” system working everyone is safe while in the water.”
4-: From an article about the summer camp for the Portsmouth Boy Scouts, which was to be established on the York River, near Yorktown, Virginia—published in the Virginian-Pilot and the Norfolk Landmark (Norfolk, Virginia, USA) of Sunday 27th March 1921 [section 6, page 1, column 1]:
Bathing facilities are exceptional, for there is a wide beach with the river bottom sloping gently so that one may walk out over a hundred yards and still not be in six feet of water. For the lovers of “swimming hole” bathing the placid pools of the creek offer cool retreats. Boats, lifebuoys, life belts and a life raft will insure absolute safety to bathers, and two of the scout executives are licensed Red Cross lifesavers. The “buddy system” will also be used, and no party of scouts will be in bathing without an adult lifesaver in supervision.
5-: From an article about the forthcoming reopening of Camp Matinecock, a summer camp for Boy Scouts, located in the Ramapo Mountains—published in The Standard Union (Brooklyn, New York, USA) of Sunday 29th May 1921 [section 2, page 4, column 5]:
A member of the American Red Cross Life Saving Corp [sic] will be in charge of swimming, boating, canoeing and water tournaments, supported by an organized life saving squad. During swimming hours beginners will pair off in what is known as the “Buddy System,” the safest swimming system devised.
6-: From an article about the forthcoming reopening of Camp Otetiana, the Rochester Boy Scout camp at Canandaigua Lake—published in the Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, New York, USA) of Sunday 26th June 1921 [page 6, column 2]:
Special emphasis is to be laid on camp safety. Campers are not to be allowed out of camp without permission. Boating is to be allowed only for boys who are able to pass their swimming test. Life saving instruction will be emphasized and boys will be taught to care for themselves and others in the water. Special lessons in swimming for beginners will be taught by Mr. Shutt. The “buddy” system of water front protection as recommended by the American Red Cross will be used. Boys are to be paired off for swimming. Each pair must stick together all the time during the swimming period thus lessening danger of accident to the minimum. Life saving boats will patrol the swimming area during all of the swimming period.
7-: From an article about Camp Roosevelt, a Boy Scout camp at Oteyokwa Lake, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania—published in the Binghamton Press and Leader (Binghamton, New York, USA) of Monday 11th July 1921 [page 5, column 2]:
One of the many new features to be introduced at Camp Roosevelt this year will be the institution of the “Buddy” system of swimming. This system was originated by the Atlantic Division of the Red Cross Life Saving Corps and has proved a success at many of the largest boy camps in the country. The boys are paired off previous to the swimming period so that two expert swimmers will be together, two swimmers and two poor swimmers together. Each pair of boys must stay with each other throughout the time that they are in the water and to care for each other. If one needs help, the other would instantly become aware of the fact and summon aid. In addition to this plan of precaution, five expert swimmers have been engaged to do life-saving duty at the camp. The life savers in boats will form a circle around the scouts every time they go into the lake for a swim. Each man has been instructed to the effect that he is not to remove his attention from the boys at any time while they are in the water and this will be strictly enforced.
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