Robert Baden-Powell: Difference between revisions

After having been educated at Charterhouse School, Baden-Powell served in the British Army from 1876 until 1910 in India and Africa. In 1899, during the Second Boer War in South Africa, Baden-Powell successfully defended the city in the [[Siege of Mafeking]]. He started writing books on military topics in order to better train soldiers. Several of his military books, written for military reconnaissance and scout training in his African years, were also read by boys.  

== History ==

=== Military career ===

In 1876, Baden-Powell joined the 13th Hussars in India. He enhanced and honed his military scouting skills amidst the Zulu tribesmen in the early 1880s in the Natal province of South Africa, where his regiment had been posted, and where he was mentioned in despatches. During one of his travels, he came across a large string of wooden beads, worn by the Zulu king Dinizulu, which was later incorporated into the [[Wood Badge]] training programme he started after he founded the Scouting movement. Baden-Powell's skills impressed his superiors and he was subsequently transferred to the British secret service.

The Baden-Powells had three children — one son and two daughters, who all gained the courtesy title of Honourable in 1929. The son succeeded his father in 1941 to the titles of Baronet Baden-Powell and [[Baron Baden-Powell]].

* [[Heather Baden-Powell|Heather]] (1915–1986), who married John King and had two children: Michael and Timothy,

== Founder of Scouting ==

Boys and girls spontaneously formed [[Troop|Scout troops]] and the [[Scouting]] movement had inadvertently started, first a national, and soon an international obsession. The Scouting movement was to grow up in friendly parallel relations with the Boys' Brigade. A rally for all Scouts was held at Crystal Palace in London in 1909, at which Baden-Powell discovered the first [[Girl Guide and Girl Scout|Girl Scouts]]. The [[Scouting|Girl Guides]] movement was subsequently founded in 1910 under the auspices of Baden-Powell's sister, Agnes Baden-Powell. Baden-Powell' friend, [[Juliette Gordon Low]], was encouraged by him to bring the movement to America, where she founded the [[Girl Scouts of the USA]].

In 1929, during the [[3rd World Scout Jamboree]], he received as a present a new car, which happened to be a [[Rolls-Royce Limited|Rolls-Royce]]. This car was soon nicknamed [[Swiss roll|Jam-Roll]]. He also received an [[Eccles]] Caravan, which was nicknamed [[Eccles Cake]], so the Scouts attending the event were treated with a Jam-Roll towing an Eccles Cake. This combination well served the Baden-Powells in their further travels around Europe. Baden-Powell also had a positive impact on improvements in youth education. Under his dedicated command the world Scouting movement grew. By 1922 there were more than a million Scouts in 32 countries; by 1939 the number of Scouts was in excess of 3.3 million.

Baden-Powell was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for the year 1939, but the Norwegian Nobel Committee decided not to award any prize for that year due to the start of World War II.

== External links ==

*[http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/17300 The Story of Baden-Powell], by Harold Begbie, at Project Gutenberg

*[http://www.scoutsbadenpowellstatue.org.uk Baden-Powell statue on Poole Quay to celebrate the centenary of the first ever scout camp on Brownsea Island]

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