A history of scouting must really start with a history of the man whose ideas gave way to
what is now the largest youth organisation in the world, SCOUTS. The man I am referring
to is none other than Lord Robert Baden-Powell, from hereon referred to as B-P. Much has been
written about his life and how the scout movement began so to keep this short we will explore
the first instances of his ideas being used by young boys.
Mafeking
Mafeking a name that is synonymous with scouting for it is here that B-P's ideas are first put to the test. During the Boer War the small town of Mafeking was besieged by the Boers. By using young boys to run errands and scout out the enemy B-P was able to free up all the available men for fighting duties. These boys did the job with such enthusiasm and vigour and B-P was very impressed. They even performed their duties in the face of enemy fire.
Back in England after the Boer War B-P started to write about his experiences
in the army and put them into a form usable by boys it was published weekly and
called Scouting for Boys. The weekly instalments were read by many boys and soon
they were forming themselves into Patrols and carrying on B-P's dream without
any assistance using the weekly instalments as a guide to activities.
Brownsea Island
1907 saw the first Scout Camp at Brownsea Island. It was here that B-P held his camp with boys selected from all walks of life in England. They were formed into Patrols ad Patrol Leaders selected, activities undertaken which included hunting, tracking, construction and the like. The camp lasted 10 days and was considered a big success. From these small beginnings the whole scout movement grew.