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Baden Powell
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Lord Baden Powell
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Baden
Powell of Gilwell - Chief Scout of the World
Robert Stephenson Smyth
Baden-Powell was born at 6 Stanhope Street (now 11 Stanhope Terrace),
Paddington, London on February 22, 1857. He was the sixth son and the eighth of
ten children of the Reverend Baden-Powell, a Professor at Oxford University. The
names Robert Stephenson were those of his Godfather, the son of George
Stephenson, the railway pioneer.
His father died when B-P was
only three years old and the family was left none too well off. B-P received
his first lessons from his mother, and then later attended Rose Hill School, Tunbridge
Wells, where he gained a scholarship for admittance to Charterhouse School.
Charterhouse School was in London when B-P first attended it but whilst he was
there it moved to Godalming, Surrey, a factor which had great influence in his
later life.
He was always eager to learn new skills. He played the piano and
fiddle. He acted - and acted the clown too at times. He practised bricklaying,
and it was whilst a scholar at Charter house that he began to exploit his
interest in the arts of Scouting and woodcraft.
Unofficially, in the woods
around the school, B-P would stalk his Masters as well as catch and cook
rabbits, being careful not to let the tell-tale smoke give his position away.
His holidays were not wasted either. With his brothers, he was always in search
of adventure. One holiday, they made a yachting expedition around the south coast
of England. On another, they traced the Thames to its source by canoe. In all
this, Baden-Powell was learning the arts and crafts which were to prove so
useful to him professionally. B-P was certainly not a 'swot' at school, as his
end of term reports revealed. One teacher records: 'Mathematics - has to all intents
given up the study', and another: 'French - could do well but has become very
lazy, often sleeps in school'.
Nevertheless, he gained second
place for cavalry in open examination for the Army and was commissioned straight
into the 13th Hussars, bypassing the officer training establishments, and
subsequently became their Honorary Colonel for 30 years. His Army career was
outstanding from the start. With the 13th Hussars he served in India,
Afghanistan and South Africa and was mentioned in dispatches for his work in
Zululand. There followed three years service in Malta as Assistant Military
Secretary and then he went to Ashanti, Africa, to lead the campaign against
Prempeh. Success led to his being promoted to command the 5th Dragoon Guards in
1897, at the age of 40. It was to the 5th Dragoon Guards that B.-P gave his
first training in Scouting and awarded soldiers reaching certain standards a
badge based on the north point of the compass. Today's Scout Membership badge is
very similar.
B-P as captain in the 13th Hussars
In 1899 came Mafeking, the most
notable episode in his outstanding military career, by which he became a
Major-General at the age of only 43. B-P became famous and the hero of every
boy, although he always minimised his own part and the value of his inspiring
leadership. By using boys for responsible jobs during the siege, he learned the
good response youth give to a challenge. During the 217 day siege, B-P's book
Aids to Scouting was published and reached a far wider readership than the
military one for which it was intended. Following Mafeking, B.-P was given the
task of organising the South African Constabulary and it was not until 1903 that
he returned to England as Inspector General of Cavalry and found that Aids to
Scouting was being used by youth leaders and teachers all over the country.
He spoke at meetings and rallies and whilst at a Boys' Brigade gathering he was
asked by its Founder, Sir William Smith, to work out a scheme for giving greater
variety in the training of boys in good citizenship.
The Beginnings of the Movement
B-P set to work rewriting
Aids to Scouting, this time for a younger readership. In 1907 he held an
experimental camp on BrownSea Island, Poole, Dorset, to try out his ideas. He
brought together 22 boys, some from public schools and some from working class
homes, and put them into camp under his leadership. The whole world now knows
the results of that camp.
Scouting for Boys
was published in 1908 in six
fortnightly parts at 4d a copy. Sales of the book were tremendous. Boys formed
themselves into Scout Patrols to try out the ideas in the book. What had been
intended as a training aid for existing organisations became the handbook of a
new and, ultimately worldwide Movement. B-P's great understanding of boys
obviously touched something fundamental in the youth of this and other
countries.
Scouting for Boys
has since been translated into many different languages and dialects.
Without fuss, without ceremony,
and completely spontaneously, boys began to form Scout Troops all over the
country. In September 1908, B-P had set up an office to deal with the large
number of enquiries which were pouring in concerning the Movement. This office
eventually led to the formation of what is now known as the British Boy Scouts
Association.
There is no need to describe
the way in which Scouting spread throughout the British Commonwealth and to
other countries until it was established in practically all parts of the free
world. Even those countries where Scouting as we know it is not allowed to exist
readily, admit that they used its methods for their own youth training.
As Inspector-General of
Cavalry, B-P considered that he had reached the pinnacle of his career. The
baton of Field Marshal was within his grasp, but he retired from the Army in
1910 at the age of 53, on the advice of His Majesty King Edward VII, who
suggested that he would do more valuable service for his country within the Boy
Scout Movement (now Scout Movement) than anyone could hope to do as a soldier!
B-P as Chief Scout of the World
So all his enthusiasm and
energy was now directed to the development of Scouting and its sister Movement,
Guiding. He travelled to all parts of the world, wherever he was most needed, to
encourage their growth and give them the inspiration that he alone could give.
In 1912, he married Olave
Soames who was his constant help and companion in all this work and by whom he
had three children (Peter, Heather and Betty). Olave, Lady Baden-Powell, until
she died in 1977, was known throughout the world as World Chief Guide.
Pronouncement
of the
Chief Scout of the World
The first international Scout
Jamboree took place at Olympia, London in 1920. At its closing scene, B-P was
unanimously acclaimed as Chief Scout of the World. Successive international
gatherings, whether of Scouts or Rovers (now called Venture Scouts) or of
Scouters, proved that this was not an honorary title, but that he was truly
regarded by them all as their Chief. The shouts that heralded his arrival, and
the silence that fell when he raised his hand, proved beyond any doubt that he
had captured the hearts and imaginations of his followers in whatever country
they owed allegiance.
At the 3rd World Jamboree, held
in Arrowe Park, Birkenhead, to celebrate the 21st Anniversary of the publication
of Scouting for Boys, the Prince of Wales announced that B-P had been
created a Peer. He took the title of Lord Baden-Powell of Gilwell - Gilwell Park
being the International Training Centre for Scout Leaders.
Scouting was not B-P's only
interest, for excelled at pig-sticking and fishing, and favoured polo and big
game hunting. He was also a very good black & white and watercolour artist and
took an interest in cinephotography and sculpturing. In 1907, he exhibited a
bust of John Smith, the colonial pioneer, at the Royal Academy.
B-P wrote no less than 32
books, the earning from which helped to pay for his Scouting travels. As with
all his successors, he received no salary as Chief Scout. He received honorary
degrees from Edinburgh, Toronto, Montreal, Oxford, Liverpool and Cambridge
Universities. He also received Freedoms of the cities of London, Guildford,
Newcastle-on-Tyne, Bangor, Cardiff, Hawick, Kingston-on- Thames, Poole,
Blandford, Canterbury and Pontefract, and of other cities in various parts of
the world. In addition, 28 Foreign Orders and decorations and 19 Foreign Scout
Awards were bestowed upon him. Every minute of B.-P.'s life was 'sixty seconds
worth of distance run'. Each new adventure was the subject for a book. Every
happy incident or thought, every fine landscape might be the subject for a
sketch.
Ensuing death
In 1938, suffering from
ill-health, B-P returned to Africa, which had meant so much in his life, to live
in semi-retirement in Nyeri, Kenya. Even here he found it difficult to curb his
energies - he still produced many books and sketches.
On January 8, 1941,
Baden-Powell died. He was 83 years of age. He is buried in a simple grave at
Nyeri within sight of Mount Kenya. On his headstone are the words, 'Robert
Baden-Powell, Chief Scout of the World' surmounted by the Boy Scout and Girl
Guide Badges. His memory remains for all time in the hearts of millions of men
and women, boys and girls.
B-P's tombstone
It is up to those who are, or
have been, Scouts or Guides to see that the two Movements he so firmly
established continue for all time as living memorials to their Founder.
Baden-Powell's Last Message
Towards the end of his life,
although still in comparatively good health, he prepared a farewell message to
his Scouts for publication after his death. It read:
Dear Scouts
- if you have ever seen the play 'Peter Pan' you will remember how the pirate
chief was always making his dying speech because he was afraid that possible,
when the time came for him to die, he might not have time to get it off his
chest. It is much the same with me, and so, although I am not at this moment
dying, I shall be doing so one of these days and I want to send you a parting
word of goodbye.
Remember,
it is the last time you will ever hear from me, so think it over. I have had a
most happy life and I want each one of you to have a happy life too.
I believe
that God put us in this jolly world to be happy and enjoy life. Happiness does
not come from being rich, nor merely being successful in your career, nor by
self-indulgence. One step towards happiness is to make yourself healthy and
strong while you are a boy, so that you can be useful and so you can enjoy life
when you are a man.
Nature
study will show you how full of beautiful and wonderful things God has made the
world for you to enjoy. Be contented with what you have got and make the best of
it. Look on the bright side of things instead of the gloomy one.
But the
real way to get happiness is by giving out happiness to other people. Try and
leave this world a little better than you found it and when your turn comes to
die, you can die happy in feeling that at any rate you have not wasted your time
but have done your best. 'Be Prepared' i this way, to live happy and to die
happy - stick to your Scout Promise always - even after you have ceased to be a
boy - and God help you to do it.
Your
friend,
Robert
Baden Powell
Books by Baden Powell
"Books are like
a gigantic treasure chest stuffed full of gold and precious stones and pieces of
eight - and a bit of nonsense too. It is tremendous fun exploring the chest and
deciding for yourself what is valuable and what isn't, what you want to keep and
what you don't like."
--Baden-Powell,
Wolf Cub Handbook(15th Edition), p. 162.
Aids To
Scoutmastership,
1919
Definitive
"World Brotherhood Edition," edited by William Hillcourt, 1944
Scouting Games,
1910
Reconnaisance
and Scouting,
1884
Cavalry
Instruction,
1885
Pigsticking or
Hoghunting,
1889,
Re-issue:
Pig-Sticking or Hog-Hunting,1923
The Downfall of
Prempeh,
1896
The Matabele
Campaign,
1897
Aids To Scouting
for N.C.O.'s and Men,
1899
Sport In War,
1900
Notes and
Instructions For The South African Constabulary,
1901
Sketches In
Mafeking and East Africa,
1901
Ambidexterity;
by John Jackson and Baden-Powell,
1905
Scouting For
Boys,
1908 Originally issued in six parts.
Scouting for
Boys,
complete edition, 1911
Canadian
edition: The Canadian Boy Scout, 1923
Indian edition:
Scouting for Boys in
India,
1932 Boys'
edition (1942 Memorial edition)
(1946 Definitive
"World Brotherhood Edition", edited by William Hillcourt)
Yarns For Boy
Scouts,
1909
Handbook For
Girl Guides,
1912 collaboration with Agnes Baden-Powell)
Boy Scouts
Beyond The Sea: My World Tour,
1913
Quick Training
For War,
1914
Indian Memories,
1915
My Adventures As
A Spy,
1915, 1936
Re-issue: The
Adventures of a Spy, 1924
Young Knights of
the Empire,
1916
The Wolf Cub's
Handbook.
1916
Girl Guiding,
1918
What Scouts Can
Do,
1921
An Old Wolf's
Favourites,
1921
Rovering To
Success,
1922
Life's Snags and
How To Meet Them,
1927
Scouting And
Youth Movements,
1929
Lessons From the
Varsity of Life,
1933
Adventures and
Accidents,
1934
Scouting Round
The World,
1935
Adventuring To
Manhood,
1936
African
Adventures,
1937
Birds and Beasts
of Africa, 1938
Paddle Your Own
Canoe,
1939
More Sketches of
Kenya,
1940
Adventuring With
Baden-Powell by The Chief,
1956
COLLECTIONS OF
BADEN-POWELL ARTICLES
1923 Blazing
the Trail. Being wise saws and modern instances from the works of the Chief
Scout. Collected by Laura Holt
1941 B-P's
Outlook. Selections from The Scouter.
1956
Adventuring with Baden-Powell. Selected yarns and articles
MINOR BOOKS AND
PAMPHLETS BY BADEN-POWELL
1883 On Vedette:
An Easy Aide-Memoire
1896 The Native
Levy in the Ashanti Expedition
1897 The
Campaign in Rhodesia
1907 Boy Scouts
Scheme--Boy Scouts: A Suggestion-Summary of Scheme-A Successful Trial
1909 A Trip to
Sunshine
1911 Sea
Scouting for Boys
1911 Workers or
Shirkers-Boy Scouts in Connection with National Training and National Service
1915
Marksmanship for Boys
1917 Scouting
Towards Reconstruction The Cub Book
1920 Steps to
Girl Guiding Brownies and Bluebirds
1921 The Scout's
First Book Scouting in Education
1927 South
African Tour 1926-27
1929 Aims,
Methods and Needs
1932 Rover
Scouts
1936 The Great
Trek of the Early Scouts of South Africa
1939 About Those
Boy Scouts
Books about Sir Robert Baden Powell
The Story of
Baden-Powell - 'The Wolf That Never Sleeps',
by Harold Begbie, 1900
Baden-Powell the
Hero of Mafeking
by W. Francis
Aitken published 1900
The Chief Scout
by by W. Francis Aitken published 1910
The Piper of Pax,
by Eileen K. Wade, 1924
The Chief Scout,
by W.J.Batchelder, between 1924 & 1929
Lessons from the
Varsity of Life,
by Lord Baden-Powell, 1933
Lessons of a
Lifetime,
by Lord Baden-Powell, 1933
Baden-Powell,
by R.H. Kiernan, 1939
Baden-Powell,
by E.E.Reynolds, 1942
Baden-Powell,
by Eileen K.Wade, 1943
B-P,
by
E.E.Reynolds, 1943
The Baden-Powell
Story,
by Geoffrey Bond, 1955
Baden-Powell--The Two Lives of a Hero,
by William Hillcourt (Green Bar Bill) with Olave Baden-Powell 1964 & 1994
Baden-Powell,
Chief Scout of The World,
by Wyatt Blassingame, 1966.
Scouting With
Baden-Powell,
by Russell Freedman, Holiday House: New York, 1967
The Gilwell
Story,
by Rex Hazlewood, 1969.
Olave
Baden-Powell: the Authorized Biography of the World Chief Guide,
by Eileen K. Wade, 1971.
The World Chief
Guide - Lady Baden-Powell,
by Eileen K. Wade, 1972.
The Founding Of
The Boy Scouts As Seen Through The Letters Of Lord Baden-Powell; October
1907-October 1908.
Edited by Paul C. Richards, 1973.
Petticoat in
Mafeking,
by John F. Midgley, 1974.
The Chief : the
Life story of Robert Baden-Powell
by Eileen K.
Wade, 1975.
Baden-Powell,
The Man Who Lived Twice,
by Mary Drewery, 1975
The Brownsea
Story,
by William Hillcourt, 1982.
The Character
Factory: Baden-Powell and the Orifins of the Boy Scout Movement,
by Michael Rosenthal, 1986.
Mowgli's Sons :
Kipling and Baden-Powell's Scouts,
by Hugh Brogan, 1987.
Baden-Powell,
by Pauline York Brower, 1989 (A Picture Book).
Baden-Powell,
by Tim Jeal, 1989.
Robert
Baden-Powell,
by Julia Courtney, 1990.
The Boy-Man,
by Tim Jeal, 1990.
The Scout's Life
of Baden-Powell,
by W.J. Batchelder and David Balfour
Be Prepared -
The Story of Baden-Powell,
by W.J. Batchelder and Balfour
Twenty-seven
Years With Baden-Powell,
by Eileen K. Wade
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