Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden Powell
Date of Birth : 22nd February 1857
Place of Birth : 6, Stanpole Street, Lancaster
Gate, London.
The first two names
are from his God-father Robert Stephenson (famous Engineer & constructor of
the ‘Rocket’ Locomotive). He was known
as ‘Stephe’ or ‘Sty’. He was the sixth
son of the eight children.
His father - Rev.
Prof. Herbert George Baden Powell, a professor of Geometry at Oxford, a simple
clergyman, a lover of God and a great Naturalist.
His mother - Henrietta
Grace Smyth was the daughter of British Admiral W.T. Smith.
B.P’s father died in 1860 when he was only 3 years old
leaving behind his mother with seven children. B.P learned much about hiking,
camping, tramping, and canoeing with the help of his eldest brother Warington.
His Wife – In
1912 B.P married to Miss Olave St. Clair Soames on 30th Oct.
Lady B.P was born on 22nd February 1889. She was thirty two years younger to
B.P.
His Children:
-
In 1913, Son
Authur Robert was born on 30 October.
-
In 1915,
Daughter Heather Grace was born on 1st June.
-
In 1917,
Daughter Betty St. Clair was born on 16th April.
Nicknames:
1869 - 1876 - B.P
was first admitted to Dame School in Kensington from there Rose Hill, a
Prepatory School at Ton Bridge and in 1870 he entered the Charter House School
in London as a Gownboy Foundation Scholarship.
In those days it was a
common tradition in England that any student who was admitted on scholarship
had to do some service to the senior students without any remuneration. So B.P
took the job of giving bathing towels to his seniors and he was named as
“Bathing Towel”
1895 - B.P
captured Ashanti Tribe. It was here in the Ashanti that B.P got the practice of
pioneering work. He wore the cowboy hat and was called by the natives “Kantankye” (“He, of the Big hat”) His
experiences with his own dress gave ideas for the future Scout Uniform.
1896 - B.P was
appointed as the Chief of Staff to the General Officer Commanding, Sir F.
Carrington and was responsible for all Scouting Information to suppress a
native rising in Matabele Land. The natives called B.P “Impesa” (The Wolf that never sleeps). B.P got the Kudu Horn as a trophy. Of all the
trophies the Dini Zulu’s Necklace
and Kudu Horn are the two articles
of great sentimental value and General Scout interest that have been presented
to Gilwell Park by B.P
Publications:
-
1884
- He wrote and published his first book “Reconnaissance
and Scouting”. He wrote this book for the practice in the army but became
very popular in the British Schools.
-
1908:
“Scouting for Boys” was published in six fortnightly parts.
-
1912 -B.P
with the assistance of his sister Miss Agnes Baden Powell wrote a hand book for
Girls and published in 1912
-
1916
-B.P wrote “The Wolf Cubs handbook”.
-
1919
- “Aids to Scout mastership”
published.
-
1922
-B.P published “Rovering to Success”
-
1935
- B.P Published “Scouting Round the
World”. He received King George V
Silver Jubilee medal. Lady B.P also received the same medal.
1938 - B.P’s
Second Home - Paxtu Kenya: At a
place called Nyeri Kenya Colony, Mr. Eric Walker a former Scout Headquarters
Staff was running a Hotel. In the ground floor of this Hotel the Chief had a
small house built for himself and Lady B.P. They called it Paxtu.
On 8th
January 1941 B.P died at Nyeri, Kenya. He was buried at Nyeri in the view
of Mount Kenya.