A Brief guide to Scouting History
Scouting began in 1907 and was founded by Robert Baden Powell (born on 22nd February 1857). He joined the British Army and rose to the rank of lieutenant-general serving from 1876-1903 in India, the Balkans, Malta and Africa.
In 1899, the Second Boer War, the town of Mafeking was successfully defended in a siege lasting 7 months. Baden Powell’s troops were outnumbered so he used local boys to administer first aid, carry messages and run errands. ‘Scouts pace’ (20 paces walking and 20 paces running) was a method used to cover distances and deliver messages clearly, and not be out of breath.
On returning to England, Baden Powell thought that boys could benefit from similar activities to the boys at Mafeking. During August 1907, he organised a group of 20 boys all from different backgrounds and aged between 11-18 to attend an experimental camp on Brownsea Island, Dorset. Baden Powell thought the young people enjoyed the activities and the camp was successful.
In 1908 Baden Powell introduced a penny weekly magazine called ‘The Scout’. The paper was popular with boys who were beginning to organise their own meetings and form Patrols. He also wrote a book called Scouting for Boys that became one of the top 10 best selling books of the 20th century. The motto Be Prepared, still in use today, was introduced and is based on Baden Powell's initials.
1909 saw the first Scout rally in London with over 11,000 Scouts and Girl Scouts. This lead to the formation of the Girl Guides in 1910 pioneered by Olave Baden Powell. The Guiding Movement also spread worldwide with the formation of Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers.
By the time of the Scout Associations first census in 1910 there were 100,000 Scout
Wolf Cubs (now called Cubs) for young boys was introduced in 1916 using Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book as a structure. Leaders were named after the animals such as Akela, Raksha, Baloo and Hathi and meetings started with a Grand Howl.,
(Who else remembers DYB DYB DYB,(do your best) DOB DOB DOB (do our best).
Rover Scouting for boys 17 -25 began in 1918. This group was renamed Venture Scouts in 1967 and in 2002 changed again to Explorer Scouts and the Scout Network.
Beavers officially became part of the Scout Movement in 1986.
Scouting continued to grow during two World Wars and Scouts supported their countries during these times. Scouting now has more than 31 million young people in 216 countries across the world.
Baden Powell returned to Africa and died in Kenya on 8th January 1941 leaving a legacy for all to enjoy. He wrote a message for Scouts to be published after his death. It simply read “try and leave this world a little better than you found it”.
Scouting may have changed over the years but still remains relevant, exciting and educational based on ideas of outdoor adventures, friendships, life skills and being good citizens.