Baden-Powell, Robert Stephenson Smyth

Baden-Powell, Robert Stephenson Smyth 1st. Baron (1857-1941), general, founder of Boy Scouts, b. London.

Lord Baden-Powell was better known to Boy Scouts as B-P.

At the age of eighteen he went from school to be an officer in the 13th Hussars. He was sent to fight on the north-western frontier of India and in South Africa, and in South Africa the Matabele tribe nicknamed him 'Impeesa' ('The Wolf Who Never Sleeps') because he was always ready to act.

In the Boer War of 1899-1902, B-P was a colonel in command of Mafeking. The town was surrounded and attacked for 217 days but B-P refused to give in. Finally British troops reached Mafeking and drove back the Boers. News of this caused people in England to rush out into the streets cheering.

Baden-Powell became famous and was made a major-general.

In 1907 B-P, then fifty years old and the most famous soldier in England, ran a camp for boys on Brownsea Island near Poole, Dorset.

All his life he had loved life outdoors. He tried out some ideas he had at this camp and published a book, Scouting for Boys.

Afterwards he started the Boy Scouts and in a few years there were boy scouts all over the world.

B-P was knighted in 1909.

From 1910 he spent his life working for scouting and in that year, with his sister, Agnes, he started the Girl Guides.

In 1921 he became Lord Baden-Powell.

In 1929 he was Chief Scout of the World and he was given the freedom of the city of London.

See WYATT BLASSINGAME Baden-Powell: Chief Scout of the World