Robert Baden-Powell
By Illa Vij

THE Scout Association, spread all over the world, was launched by Robert Baden-Powell. It became so popular that in about half a century, the Scout Association had enrolled five and a half million boys and three million girls as Girl Guides.

Professor Thomas Baden-Powell and his wife Henrietta Smyth, daughter of Admiral Smyth, had seven children. One of them was Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell. Robert was born on February 22, 1857, in London. His sister Agnes was born a year after him. The youngest son was born in 1860 and a little later the professor died. The Baden-Powells were a gay and a happy lot. All the children got a lot of attention and most of their questions were answered patiently and honestly. Since they were brought up with the right moral values and each one was considerate towards the other, the seven children did not give the widowed mother a hard time.

Robert was extremely talented. He was intelligent and had a flair for painting and drawing as early as the age of five. The professor had greatly exposed them to nature and encouraged outdoor activities. After his death, Henrietta ensured that such activities continued. She took the children for expeditions to forests and encouraged them to observe the minutest of details. During vacations, they went to their grandfather’s house at Tunbridge Wells, and their outdoor training continued. They kept the garden trim, interacted with animals, rode ponies bare-back, climbed trees and even made shelters of branches and hey. The children were encouraged to build a camp fire and cook a rabbit or a fish. They even ate wild fruits and berries.

Robert began formal schooling at a private school. At the age of 11, he went to Rosehill School in Tunbridge Wells. He won scholarships to two schools, one of them being Charterhouse in London. He attended this school and excelled in English and fine arts. He enjoyed the theatre classes as well as sports. During vacations, he spent most of the time outdoors. His leadership qualities grew with him. He joined the cadet corps while in school and later joined the army. He was commissioned as a junior subaltern in the 13th Hussars, stationed in India.

On reaching Lucknow, Robert found that his salary wasn’t a very generous one, so he began writing and illustrating articles for the Daily Graphic. In 1884, the 13th Hussars were sent to Durban, because of the trouble from the Boers of the Transvaal and Orange Free State.Then from 1885 to 1887, Robert served in England. In 1887, he moved to South Africa as his uncle General Symth’s aide-de-camp (ADC). While in SouthAfrica, they received the news that the Zulu chief had rebelled. They set out for Eshowe and Robert successfully relieved a fort about 50 miles away. In 1889, General Smyth was appointed Governor of Malta. Robert accompanied him, but he wasn’t too happy there. General Smyth had him posted as Intelligence Officer for the Mediterranean.

In 1893, Robert rejoined his regiment. In 1896, he commanded the 5th Dragon Guards, stationed in India. With the approaching BoerWar, he was again sent to Africa. Here too he performed his duties brilliantly and gained great fame. From 1903 to 1907, he served as Inspector-General of Cavalry. At the age of 50 years, he retired from the army.

Before retiring, Robert had written a handbook titled Aids to Scouting. This book gained popularity and his friends pressed upon him to bring the teachings into practice. So, Robert held the first experimental camp on Brownsea Island. The success of the camp inspired him to approach the people of the country, to adopt the movement ‘Scouts’ wherever possible. He published the book Scouting for Boys, which guided the organisers. The movement spread fast throughout the country and even other countries took to it.

Then Robert Baden-Powell, chief of Scouts, set out on a world tour. During this tour, he met Olive Soames, whom he married. They spent their honeymoon camping. The movement grew even more after World War I. The Girl Guides Association was founded in 1910 by Robert and his sister Agnes to encourage the mental, physical and spiritual development of girls.Olive worked hard on it too.

Baden-Powell retired from the Scout Association in 1937. He was made a baronet in 1921 and then raised to peerage in 1929. He died in Kenya on January 8, 1941. All Boy Scouts and Girl Guides have much to thank him for. He has left a lasting worldwide influence upon boys and girls, who have a tremendous amount to gain from the two movements.