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History Of Scouting
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Some Highlights Of
Baden-Powell's Life
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In those days B-P's fame as a soldier eclipsed
almost all popular reputations. The other B.P. - the British
Public - looked upon him as the outstanding hero of the [Boer]
War… Millions who could not follow closely or accurately
the main events of the War looked day after day in the papers
for the fortunes of Mafeking, and when finally the news of its
relief was flashed throughout the world, the streets of London
became impassable, and floods of sterling, cockney patriotism
were released in such a deluge of unbridled, delirious, childish
joy, as we never witnessed again till Armistice Night, 1918…
- Winston S. Churchill .
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1857 Feb22
Robert Stephenson Smyth Powell
was born, his father's 7th son. He was Henrietta Grace's
8th of 10 children (1 boy & 2 girls died early on) and his
father's 12th of 14. His father, twice a widower, had 4
children earlier (3 girls), with his 2nd wife. He was a
professor at Oxford, a distinguished clergyman, a scientist, and
an author. At this time the family lived in London, just
north of Hyde Park.
1864 B-P's father died. Henrietta changed
the family name to "Baden-Powell". Just like
his father, B-P could draw. He would often sketch
with both hands simultaneously. "Stephe" and
his brothers went on many adventures together, in small watercraft,
and hiking and camping in the woodlands.
1873-75 Known as "Lord Bathing Towel"
in a secret club (The Druids) in school. Theatre, theatrics,
pranks & quick improvisation would be a part of his reputation
his entire life.
1876 Failing several university entrance exams,
he tried the 12 day military exam & scored 2nd (Cavalry) &
5th (Infantry) out of 718 entrants. Sailed to India as
a Sub-Lieutenant, with the 13th Hussars.
1880-81 Afghanistan. Shot in leg, reaching
for a revolver which a servant had mistakenly left loaded.
1881-84 India. Captain at age 26.
Won the Kadir Cup (for pig-sticking). Known as wily &
tough yet fair, he was a respected & popular officer, ever
eager to join his men in their sports & fun.
1884-85 Assigned to South Africa with the 13th Hussars,
to assist with the Boer problems.
1886 B-P took leave in Germany & Russia with
his brother. Could not resist some military spying.
1888 While Assistant Military Secretary of South
Africa, he published his 1st book (of over 30), "Pig Sticking".
Found 12 foot necklace of over 1000 curiously carved wooden beads
in an abandoned camp, while chasing Dinizulu, King of the Zulus.
These became "Gilwell Beads" in 1919.
1890-93 Stationed in Malta, Mediterranean.
Intelligence missions to North Africa, Austria, Constantinople
& Dardanelles, sometimes as a butterfly collector or
artist.
1895 Assigned to the Gold Coast, Africa.
Bridge building & fighting the Ashanti. B-P was nicknamed
"Kantankye", He-of-the-big-hat, for wearing his
wide brimmed Stetson to protect his face from branches & his
freckled skin from the sun. He was impressed with the chief
engineer's walking staff, marked in feet & inches.
It was good for measuring, poking at things and, of course, for
walking. The staff was later to become a common piece of
personal Scouting equipment. An Ashanti Chief insisted upon
shaking B-P's left hand, explaining that only the bravest of the
brave shake hands in this manner (they must put down their shields
in order to do so). Intending to bathe in a very large brass
bowl (18" deep). B-P changed his mind when he learned
that this bowl was a "blood bowl", used for collecting
the blood of King Prempeh's human sacrifices.
1896 B-P found a koodoo signal horn in an abandoned
Matebelle camp, South Aftica. Decades later, this horn
would become one of the treasures of Gilwell Park, with its own
place in Scouting history. B-P was nicknamed "Impeesa",
The-wolf-that-never-sleeps, because of his nocturnal habit of
scouting the enemy at night..
1897-99 Returned to India as a Colonel in the 5th
Dragoon Guards. He decentralized command into patrol systems
and taught scouting skills. His men thought for themselves
and grew in self respect & confidence.
1899 While in Rhodesia, South Africa, his book,
"Aids to Scouting", was published in England.
1899/00 Oct13-May17 Siege of Mafeking, South Africa.
B-P's 1000 men defended the town of Mafeking against
9,000 Boer Soldiers for 217 days. His formidable insight
into human nature and military strategy, creative bluffing,
and boldness kept the Boers at bay. His playful, indomitable
spirit helped bolster morale in the town. Ongoing news
of B-P's plight was one of the only bright spots in the Boer War
for Britain. When relief finally arrived he was already
a hero throughout the British Empire. His military manual,
"Aids to Scouting" became a huge best seller.
Civilians, including educators, were using it.
1900 Promoted to Major-General at age 43.
He was the youngest of that rank in the British Army. Interviewed
for a 2nd time by a young reporter, Winston Spencer Churchill
(1st time was in India). B-P believed this "hero worship"
would subside soon. It was to increase through his whole
life.
1900-1903 Creating the S.African Constabulary, his
uniform design would later be used for his Boy Scouts.
1903 Appointed Inspector General of Cavalry for
England, Ireland, Egypt and South Africa. Widespread poverty
& youth hooliganism in England started B-P considering how to
apply his scouting ideas to boys.
1906 Began drafting "Scouting for Boys", never dreaming
that he was actually launching a global movement.
1907 Aug01-08 Brownsea Island camp experiment with
22 boys. B-P chose the fleur-de-lys (north point of the
compass) as the Scout Badge, the same as he had for his army scouts.
The seed was planted.
1908 Lieutenant-General Baden-Powell published "Scouting
for Boys". In this year Scouting began in Canada,
Australia & New Zealand. Scout Troops were springing
up everywhere.
1909 B-P took a great deal of flack for not allowing
Scouting to be a Christian organization. This issue came to a
head in 1909, and he stood his ground. He knew that for Scouting
to appeal to everyone it could not have a religious base. It had
to be purely spiritual instead.
1909 Feb B-P visited Brazil. Sea Scouts began
in this year.
1909 Sep Rally at the Crystal Palace in London.
11,000 attended, including a number of girls.
1909 Oct Knighted by King Edward VII. In
this year Scouting began in Chile & India.
1910 May07 B-P retired from the army (53) to devote
himself to Scouting. The King died the same day.
In this year Girl Guides was founded by B-P's sister, Agnes.
Also, Scouting began in America, Argentina & Brazil.
B-P visited Canada, America & Russia. His life would
be "touring and speaking" now.
1911 Jul04 Windsor Rally. 30,000 Scouts "Grand
Rush"ed the King. This procedure was invented by B-P
for this occasion. In this year B-P toured Norway, Holland,
Belgium, Sweden & Denmark.
1912 Jan04 King George V signed a Royal Charter
of Incorporation for the Boy Scouts Association. In this
year B-P Toured America, Japan, China, Australia, New Zealand
& South Africa.
1912 Oct30 B-P (age 55) married Olave St.Clair Soames
(age 23). Honeymooned camping in Algiers. 100,000
Scouts gave a penny each to purchase a gift of a 20 hp motor car,
dark green with the Scout Badge & Motto. The couple
shared the same birthday as, American, George Washington.
1913 Oct30 First child born. Named Peter,
after "Peter Pan".
1914 Jun12 Boy Scouts of Canada incorporated by
an Act of Canadian Parliament.
1914 Aug When WWI began, Lord Kitchener, Secretary
of State for War, refused B-P's request to return to active duty
saying, "We have several good generals, but no one who could carry
on with the invaluable work of the Boy Scouts". Disappointed,
B-P still threw himself tirelessly into organizing their war work.
The Scouts guarded bridges, telegraph lines and the entire
coast of Britain, night & day. They worked as messengers,
hospital orderlies, and assisted police and farmers. B-P
was rumored to be spying in Germany, and there were frantic searches
for him there. B-P's mother died in Oct., at the age of
ninety.
1915 Jun01 Second child, Heather Grace, was born.
1915 Sep Guiding was incorporated. Sister
Agnes faded away. Olave moved in to assist.
1916 Oct Lady B-P (Olave) became the Chief Guide of
the British Empire.
1916 "Wolf Cubs" was born. Rudyard
Kipling, author of the "Jungle Book", was a friend of
B-P's.
1917 "Rovers" was born (renamed 1922).
So was B-P's third child, Betty St. Clair, Apr16.
1919 Jul26 Gilwell Park ribbon cutting ceremony,
with koodoo horn. W. F. de Bois MacLaren had purchased
Gilwell Park, a 108 acre derelict estate near London, as a gift
to the Boy Scout Association.
1919 Sep08 1st training course held, at Gilwell
Park. Not being a fan of certificates, B-P gave them each
2 wooden beads (Dinizulu 1988) on a leather bootlace to wear on
their Stetsons. B-P called this the Wood Badge.
1920 Jul30-Aug07 1st World Jamboree, Olympia, London.
12,000 from 21 countries, including Japan & Siam, plus
British colonies. At the closing B-P was proclaimed "Chief
Scout of the World".
1920 Foxlease Park given to Girl Guides Association
by, American, Anne Archbald Sanderson.
1920's early Francis Gidney, 1st Chief of Gilwell,
invented & named the Turks Head (Gilwell) Woggle.
1922 "Welcome Home" for Prince of Wales:
19,000 Wolf Cubs did their Grand Howl. Then 32,000 Scouts
"Grand-Rush"ed him, waving flags & banners.
The Prince's address to them was one of the earliest uses of a
public address system, on loan from the Marconi Company.
1924 2nd World Jamboree, held in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Opening Day for Guiding's Foxlease Park.
1926 Handicapped Branch of Scouting was established.
Tour: America then B-P's 9th visit to South Africa.
1927-28 The 2 Chiefs toured Denmark, Sweden, Norway,
Hungary, Gibraltar, Monaco, Algiers, Tangier, Sierra Leone, Canary
Islands, Spain, Portugal, Belgium & Luxembourg.
1929 Jul 31 "Coming of Age" Jamboree (WJ03),
Arrowe Park, near Liverpool. 30,000 from 42 countries plus
Britain & her colonies. King George V named B-P "1st
Baron of Gilwell". B-P's Scouts gave him a new Rolls
Royce, calling it "Jam-Roll". 2 million Scouts
in the world at this time.
1930 Lady B-P elected Chief Guide of the World.
1931 1st World Rover Moot, held in Kandersteg, Switzerland.
2600 Rovers from 22 nations.
1932 Tour: New Zealand, Australia & South Africa.
The guy just never slowed down.
1933 4th World Jamboree, held in Godollo, Hungary.
25,000 from 32 nations. Mediterranean tour: while
in Rome, B-P could not convince Mussolini to allow Scouting in
Italy.
1935-36 Family Tour: Australia (1st Southern Hemisphere
Jamboree), Canada & South Africa.
1937 Jul31 5th World Jamboree, in Vogelenzang, Holland.
The parade, past B-P, took over 100 minutes.
1938 The 2 Chiefs retired to B-P's beloved Kenya.
B-P was 81 years old. Olave was 49.
1941 Jan08 B-P died at age 83, and was buried in
sight of Mount Kenya, Africa. Carved into his headstone
are the familiar symbols of Scouting, Guiding and "Gone Home".
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1911, 30 May, I looked into the lines of his hand, which are
very odd and contradictory. The impression he makes on one is
equally contradictory. For instance, all of his portraits and
all of his writings represent him in action, essentially a man
of war, though never has any human given me such a feeling of
peace. He rushes from one engagement to another, though he doesn't
strike me as restless or pushed or driven. It may be because
he is not personally seeking anything. His activities are for
mankind and he has,
perhaps, eliminated the effort to attain things for himself…
To him his own life, as a unit, is apparently unimportant.
- exerpt from the diary of Juliette
Low
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The
majority of the above information was gleaned from, "Baden-Powell,
the Two Lives of a Hero",
a book researched & written 1961-64, by William Hillcourt
with Olave, Lady Baden-Powell.
A handful of facts are taken from:
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"Baden-Powell,
the Man Who Lived Twice", by Mary Drewery in 1975,
"The Left Hand Shake", by Hilary St. George Saunders
in 1948,
"B-P, The Story of His Life", by E. E. Reynolds in
1943,
and "Scouting for Boys", by Lieutenant-General Baden-Powell
in 1908.
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Earl Earl,
June, 1999 - last updated Mar31, 2002
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Some Canadian
Dates of Importance
1967
The Venturer Company was established, for 14-17 year olds, co-ed
from the start.
1974 The Beaver Colony was established, for 5-7
year olds.
1998 Nov Scouts Canada went co-ed, in its entirety.
1999 Apr Kirby Bunnell ran yet another deficit Cub
Camp for Langley District. |
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