Stone on Brownsea Island commemorating the first scout camp

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The Brownsea Island Scout Camp was the world's first Scout camp, and is regarded as the formal birth of the worldwide Scout movement. Robert Baden-Powell ran the camp from August 1 to August 8, 1907 on Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour on the South coast of England. Many of the concepts still used worldwide in the Scout program were first used at the Brownsea Island camp. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (750x924, 193 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Scouting Portal:Scouting Portal:Scouting/Selected picture archive/2006 Portal:Scouting/Selected picture/April 2006 ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (750x924, 193 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Scouting Portal:Scouting Portal:Scouting/Selected picture archive/2006 Portal:Scouting/Selected picture/April 2006 ... Brownsea Island boat jetty seen from the Poole to Brownsea ferry. ... Image File history File links Scoutsgreengoldnoscroll. ... Scouts and Guides from different countries on World Scout Moot 1996 Scouting is a worldwide youth organization. ... Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, OM, GCMG, GCVO, KCB (February 22, 1857 - January 8, 1941) was a soldier, writer and founder of the world scouting movement. ... August 1 is the 213th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (214th in leap years), with 152 days remaining. ... August 8 is the 220th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (221st in leap years), with 145 days remaining. ... 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Brownsea Island boat jetty seen from the Poole to Brownsea ferry. ... Poole Harbour is a harbour in Dorset, south England. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the United Kingdom (light green), with the Republic of Ireland (blue) to its west Languages English Capital London Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population –mid-2004...

The centenary of Scouting will be celebrated worldwide on the 100th anniversary of the start of the camp, on August 1, 2007. August 1 is the 213th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (214th in leap years), with 152 days remaining. ... 2007 (MMVII) will be a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Background

Baden-Powell had become a national hero as a result of his successful defence during the Siege of Mafeking of 1899–1900 during the Anglo-Boer War.^[1] During the siege, the Mafeking Cadets had impressed him with their resourcefulness and courage. He had also published a number of popular books on military scouting, including Aids to Scouting (written in 1899) which became a bestseller and was used by teachers and youth organisations. In the years following the war, he began discussing the idea of a new youth organisation with a number of people, including William Alexander Smith, founder of the Boys' Brigade. To test his ideas for "Scouting for Boys", Baden-Powell conceived of an experimental camp, and organised a camp to take place on Brownsea Island during the summer of 1907. He invited his life-long friend, Major Kenneth McLaren, to attend the camp as his deputy. Combatants United Kingdom Boers Commanders Robert Baden-Powell Colonel B T Mahon General Piet Cronje Strength 2,000 8,000 Casualties 212 dead 600 wounded Unknown but significantly higher than British The Siege of Mafeking was the most famous British action in the Second Boer War. ... Combatants British Empire Orange Free State, South African Republic Commanders Frederick Roberts later Lord Kitchener Christiaan Rudolf de Wet and Paul Kruger Casualties Military dead:22,000 Civilian dead:N/A Total dead:22,000 Military dead:6,500 Civilian dead:24,000 Total dead:30,500 The Second Boer... The Mafeking Cadets, with their leader Sergeant-Major Warner Goodyear on the right. ... William Alexander Smith (August 27, 1854 - May 10, 1914) was born in Thurso, Scotland. ... The Boys Brigade Modern Logo The Boys Brigade (BB) is an international non-denominational Christian youth organization. ... Kenneth McLaren 1860 - 1924 was a British Army officer who served with Robert Baden-Powell in India. ...

The first Scouts

Baden-Powell invited 20 boys to the camp, from different social backgrounds - a revolutionary idea in class-conscious Edwardian England.^[2] Ten came from the well-to-do public schools of Eton and Harrow, mostly sons of friends of Baden-Powell. Seven came from the Bournemouth Boys' Brigade, and three from the Poole Boys' Brigade. Baden-Powell's 9 year old nephew Donald Baden-Powell also attended. The camp fee was dependent on means: £1 for the public school boys, and three shillings and sixpence (17½ p) for the others. The boys were arranged into four "Patrols": Wolves, Ravens, Bulls and Curlews. Eton can refer to several things: Eton, Berkshire, a town in England. ... Alternative meanings: Harrow, London, a place in the London Borough of Harrow; Harrow School, a famous public school in the United Kingdom; The Harrow, a fantasy and horror magazine. ... Bournemouth is a seaside resort on the south coast of England. ... Poole is a coastal town, port and tourist destination in the traditional county of Dorset in southern England. ...

The site

Brownsea Island covers 560 acres of woodland and open areas with two lakes. Baden-Powell had visited the site as a boy with his brothers, and the owner, Charles van Raalte, was happy to offer him use of the site. It suited his needs perfectly as it was isolated from the mainland and hence the press, but only a short ferry trip from the town of Poole, making the logistics easier.

Uniform and badges

The boys wore khaki scarves and were presented with brass fleur-de-lis badges, the first use of the Scout emblem. They wore a coloured knot on their shoulder indicating their Patrol - green for Bulls, blue for Wolves, yellow for Curlews, and red for Ravens. The Patrol Leader carried a staff with a flag depicting the patrol animal. After passing tests on knots, tracking, and the national flag, they were given another brass badge, a scroll with the words Be Prepared, to wear below the fleur-de-lis. Some dogs are adorned with neckerchiefs or bandannas, as an extenion of their owners personality. ... Fleurs-de-lys on the flag of Quebec The fleur-de-lis (also spelled fleur-de-lys; plural fleurs-de-lis or -lys) is used in heraldry, where it is particularly associated with the France monarchy (see King of France). ... The World Crest, also called the World Membership Badge The World Crest was an award given out by the Boy Scouts of America as an award for scouts and scouters who had participated in an international scouting event. ... Some knots: 1. ... Flag Ratio: 1:2 The Union Flag or Union Jack is the flag most commonly associated with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and was also used throughout the former British Empire. ... Be Prepared is the motto of the Scout Movement. ...

Camp program

The camp began with a blast from a kudu horn Baden-Powell had captured in the Matabele campaign. He used the same kudu horn to open the "coming of age" Jamboree 21 years later in 1929. Baden-Powell made full use of his personal fame as the "hero" of the Siege of Mafeking. For many of the participants, the highlights of the camp were his campfire yarns of his African experiences, and the Zulu "Eengonyama" chant - meaning "he is a lion". Binomial name Tragelaphus strepsiceros (Pallas, 1766) The Greater Kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) is a woodland antelope found throughout East and Southern Africa. ... The Matabele War was an 1893-1894 war fought between the British and certain African tribes. ... The World Scout Jamboree (Jamboree Scout Mondial in French) is a gathering of Scouts (ages 14-17) from all over the world. ...

Each Patrol camped in an army bell tent. The day began with cocoa, exercises, flag break and prayers, followed by the morning activity. After lunch there was a strict siesta, followed by the afternoon activity and Tea. The day ended with games, supper, campfire yarns and prayers.

Each day was based on a different theme:^[3]

Day 1 (August 1) - Preliminary

Formation of patrols, distribution of duties, special instruction for Patrol Leaders, settle into camp.

Day 2 - Campaigning

Camping skills, building huts, knots, fire lighting, cooking, health and sanitation, endurance

Day 3 - Observation

Tracking, memorising details, deducing meaning from tracks and signs. training eyesight.

Day 4 - Woodcraft

Study of animals and birds, plants, stars, stalking animals.

Day 5 - Chivalry

Honour, code of the knights, unselfishness, courage, charity, thrift, loyalty, chivalry to women. Doing a "Good Turn" daily.

Day 6 - Saving a life

From fire, drowning, sewer gas, runaway horses, panic, street accidents etc. First Aid.

Day 7 - Patriotism

History and deeds that won the empire, our Navy and Army, flags, duties as citizens, marksmanship.

Day 8 - Conclusion

Summary of the course, sports day

The participants left by ferry on the 9th day, August 9. August 1 is the 213th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (214th in leap years), with 152 days remaining. ... August 9 is the 221st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (222nd in leap years), with 144 days remaining. ...

Aftermath

Following the successful camp, Baden-Powell went on an extensive speaking tour arranged by his publisher, Pearsons, to promote his forthcoming book, Scouting for Boys. It initially appeared as six installments in a boys' fortnightly magazine, beginning in January 1908, and later appeared in book form. Scouting began to spread throughout Great Britain and Ireland, then through the countries of the British Empire, and soon to the rest of the world. Scouting for Boys: A Handbook for Instruction in Good Citizenship Through Woodcraft is the first book on Scouting. ... The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ...

In 1932, the new owner of the island, Mrs. Mary Bonham-Christie, allowed 500 Scouts to camp there to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of Scouting, but shortly afterwards, she closed the island to the public and it became very overgrown.

The site today

The island was reopened to the public in 1963 by Lady Baden-Powell when it came under the control of the National Trust.^[4] Since then it has been maintained as a conservation area and is a popular site for visitors. It is accessible by ferry from Poole. Olave St Clair Baden-Powell, Baroness Baden-Powell, GBE was born Olave St Clair Soames on February 22, 1889 at Chesterfield, England. ... The standard of the National Trust The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as The National Trust, is a British preservation organization. ...

The Scout campsite and parts of the island have been cleared, and Scouts have been able to camp there since 1964. A commemorative stone by sculptor Don Potter was unveiled in 1967. Donald Steele Potter (21 April 1902 – 2004), British sculptor, wood carver, potter and teacher. ...

The Brownsea Island Scout and Guide Management Committee maintains the site,^[5] and operates a small trading post on the site. Scout and Guide groups can book day activities or camps. There are plans for a more extensive visitors centre and Scout museum. A special international camp will be held during August 2007 to commemorate the centenary of the birth of Scouting.

References