Robert Stephenson
Smyth Baden-Powell of Gilwell, known to millions by his magical initials B.P.
Founder of the Boy Scout and Girl Guide Movement was born in London on the 22nd February
1857. He was the sixth son of Professor H.G. Baden-Powell and Henrietta Grace
Smyth, daughter of Admiral William Henry Smyth. Professor Baden-Powell died
when B.P. was three years old and the baden of bringing up the family,
therefore, developed entirely on Mrs. Baden Powell. She allowed them a good
deal of freedom to go about and learn things for themselves. This early
up-bringing gave B.P. the start for his future life as a soldier and an
outdoorsman.
It was almost an accident that took him to the army. He was very popular with all the men and officers in the regiment. He was a great horseman, an expert at polo and pig-sticking, clever at many kind of theatricals and play-acting and skillful artist. He also did hard work at soldiering and rose rapidly to be a Captain in 1823.
To know how Scouting began we must go back a few years prior to thesiege of Mafeking. His army manual Aids to Scouting was being used in many schools and boys in outdoor activities. He collected together 20 boys, some from the Boys’ Brigade and others sons of his friends and held a camp for them on Brown sea Island, Poole Harbour in August 1907. The camp was great success and B.P. decided to write his now famous book Scouting for Boys. It was published in 1908 in six fortnightly parts. Boys every where began to buy up copies and to start Scouting on their own, asking likely men to become Scoutmasters. Thus Patrols and Troops began to spring up rapidly all over England, and B.P. was therefore, forced to retire from active service to look after the growth of this new youth Movement. It is, in a way, correct to say that the boys only thought that he was giving out a scheme to be used by boys club and societies already in existence then.
It was almost an accident that took him to the army. He was very popular with all the men and officers in the regiment. He was a great horseman, an expert at polo and pig-sticking, clever at many kind of theatricals and play-acting and skillful artist. He also did hard work at soldiering and rose rapidly to be a Captain in 1823.
To know how Scouting began we must go back a few years prior to thesiege of Mafeking. His army manual Aids to Scouting was being used in many schools and boys in outdoor activities. He collected together 20 boys, some from the Boys’ Brigade and others sons of his friends and held a camp for them on Brown sea Island, Poole Harbour in August 1907. The camp was great success and B.P. decided to write his now famous book Scouting for Boys. It was published in 1908 in six fortnightly parts. Boys every where began to buy up copies and to start Scouting on their own, asking likely men to become Scoutmasters. Thus Patrols and Troops began to spring up rapidly all over England, and B.P. was therefore, forced to retire from active service to look after the growth of this new youth Movement. It is, in a way, correct to say that the boys only thought that he was giving out a scheme to be used by boys club and societies already in existence then.
After the formation of the Boy Scout Movement, B.P. came to india twice, once in 1921 when he brought about an amalgamation of the two out of three separate Scout organization then in existence and again in 1937 when he came to attend the First-All-India Jamboree in Delhi. After going back he attend the world jamboree in Vogelensang in Holland. This was his last Jamboree.
The end came suddenly on 8th January 1941. He was buried in Nyeri amidst natures’ most beautiful vistas with his head to the north to the snowcapped mountains of Kenya which he loved so much.
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