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Lord Baden-Powell Biography

Baden-Powell (1857-1941) was a British general and founder of the modern

Scouting movement.
Baden-Powell became a national hero during the Boer
war of 1899-1900 when, with a small garrison, he
commanded the defence of Mafeking.
During the Boer War, Baden-Powell wrote a Guide to
Scouting. This was published in 1903 and was a best-
seller. Initially meant for military purposes, after the
war, he felt it could be used as a focus for young boys
to give them more meaning in life. This led to the
creation of the Scout Movements. During his lifetime
it grew to be a respected international organisation.

Early life
Baden-Powell was born Paddington in London, on 22
February 1857. His father was a Church of England priest
and professor at Oxford University. His father died when
he was just three years old, and it was left to his mother,
Henrietta Grace Smyth to bring up Baden-Powell and his
siblings.
He studied at Charterhouse school and learnt rudimentary
scouting skills playing in nearby woods. After school, he
joined the British Army as an officer and was posted in
India. He served in the British army from 1876-1910.
During his army career, he learnt more advanced scouting skills, especially
during his time in South Africa where knowledge of the countryside was vital
for gaining information and avoiding the enemy. In 1884 he
published Reconnaissance and Scouting. From 1899 to May 1900, Baden-
Powell commanded the garrison at Mafeking during the Second Boer War. The
siege of Mafeking lasted 217 days and the successful defence of the town raised
the national profile of Baden-Powell.

First Scout Camp and Foundation of Scouting Movement

In August 1907, Baden-Powell organised a trial scouting camp to be made up of
20 boys from a diverse selection of social backgrounds. The boys spent a week
on Brownsea island and it proved to be a great success.
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Baden-Powell inspecting Scouts (1909), illustrating the military roots of the scouts

From this initial starting point, the scouting movement soon blossomed. In 1909,
there was the first National Scout Rally at Crystal Palace. It was attended by
11,000 boys and illustrated the rapid growth in popularity. There were also girls
who wished to be part of this new movement. This led to the formation in 1910
of a parallel organisation, The Girl Guides, which was run by his sister Agnes
Baden-Powell.
The Scouting movement also became an international organisation with scouting
groups forming around the world.
Unfortunately, the First World War temporarily destroyed much of this
international feeling; though former Scouts used much of their training in the
trenches on the Western Front. However, in 1920, two years after the end of the
First World War, an international scouting convention was held in Olympia,
London where Baden-Powell was declared Chief Scout.
He retired from the Scouting movement in 1937, in his last letter to the Scouts,
he wrote:

“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.”– Lord Baden-
Powell