THE BOY SCOUT MOVEMENT

Hutt News, Volume 19, Issue 12, 22 August 1945, Page 10

THE BOY SCOUT MOVEMENT

(by "Kamahi"")

| HOW IT STARTED u Just over 38 years ago, on !| Brownsea Island, Dorset, England, twenty boys of all types were camp- " ed together under the leadership of " a very famous and popular soldier. He was Lieut-Gen. R. S. S. Baden- || Powell, the "hero of Mafeking", " later to become the Chief Scout of ~ the world. From that camp sprang || the mighty Boy Scout Movement. || As is well known, "8.P." was an ' exponent of the type of soldiering !! on which the training of the com- || mandos and also the Long Range | Desert Group is based. As an army scout he knew by experience, the ! value of endurance, self-reliance, | adaptability and use of common- | sense to the man in the field. The i Boer War had shown that the aver- ! age British soldier, though not lack- | ing in courage, dash and training, | was no match for the wily Boer on , his own ground. B.P. wrote a small | book called "Aids to Scouting", | which was intended primarily for the use of army scouts, and in which he set out the elements of field-craft, and included notes on the use of cover, stalking and spooring, nature study, map reading and first aid. \ When the Boer war ended B.P. ' was given the job of raising the | South African Constabulary, a force | which policed the conquered terrii tory. The S.A.C. wore khaki shirts | and shorts, and the wide brimmed B.P. hat, and it was this uniform which was later adopted for the Boy Scouts. The men were encouraged to work on their own or in patrols, • and were trained to live off the country and fend for themselves. His job done here, B.P. returned to England, where he filled a number of important posts. Always an observant man and a student of character, it was not long before lie was struck by the difference in the physique of the average townbred English boy and that of the South African lads. He felt that something must be done to improve this, and to get the boys to realise the benefits of the open-air life. Camping was not widely practiced iu those days. He also found that certain clergy and school masters had been making use of his book to train their charges along these very lines, and he received the inspiration to start a fortnightly paper, called "Scouting for Boys" which soon became as popular as the "Champion" / of today. That beek, next to the Bible, is now the world's best-seller and is translated into Qver 40 languages. It was not very long before thousands of letters were pouring in, asking for information and advice | concerning the Boy Scouts.' Patrols of boys wearing coloured handkerchiefs and an amazing variety of uni forms, were to be seen everywhere. Baden Powell idealised that something would have to be done about this, and after a talk with the xving, then Edward VII, in which His Majesty urged him to develop the Movement, he resigned from the army in order to devote his full time to it. 1 Only seven years had elapsed between the founding of the Movement and the outbreak of war between Great Britain and Germany in 1914. Young as the Movement was, the services of its members was immediately offered for all kinds of non-combatant duty. Boy Scouts acted as messengers, air-raid wardens, coast watchers, and so on. There are probably quite a few who read article who served in this fashion—they proved the soundness of the motto—"Be Prepared." Many thousands of older Scouts seryed in the Forces. Jack Cornwall, the V.C. was one of these.

After the war the Movement went ahead rapidly, taking a leading part in the building up of international friendship through its jamborees, which were held in England, Holland, America, Switzerland, Australia and Denmark, up to 50,000 boys of all creeds and nations taking part each time in perfect harmony and understanding. These gatherings were a ti'iumph of Scouting and a proof that youth at any rate, was willing to forget old quarrels. The coming of the Second World War found the Movement ready once more to do its part. The death roll of Scouts in England who died on civil defence duty was not small and the list of those who received awards for gallantry is a noble one. Here in this country, the Boy ScoutS played their part with other youth Movements in E.P.S. and Home Guard. They were prepared. Of the thousands of old Scouts and Scouters who joined the Fighting Services many | have been decorated for bravery. Six of the Victoria Crosses won by New Zealanders have been won by old Scouts —a truly proud record. The Movement has suffered very greatly from a shortage of leaders during the war years. There is a lot of leeway to be made up. Youth has, in some ways, got "off the rails". It a nee, understanding and ' the right kind of leadership plenty of activity, plus the opportunity to play its part in the problems of world reconstruction. This the Boy Scout Movement can provide, and is providing, along with other long-establisheu youth movements in this country and elsewhere.