The Chief Scout Talk

Taranaki Daily News, 7 June 1930, Page 25 (Supplement)

The Chief Scout Talk

THE IMPORTANCE OF SCOUTING. TELL THE TRUTH! (By Lt. Gen. Lord Baden Powell.) It is, of course, very galling to a keen scout to have to admit at any time that he has failed to accomplish what was exi>ectcd of him; but the best of men sometimes make mistakes and a scout who admits having done so is much more trusted and believed in than one who tries to gloss over his own failure by inventing excuses to cover During the war in South Africa a disaster occurred to our troops at a .place called Sannas Post in the Orange River Colony. The British force had been camped for the night at this spot with a force of Boers following them. Early in the morning they resumed their march, sending the baggage waggons on first with a small escort, while the main part of the force remained behind to hold back the enemy. The scouts looked along the road which the waggons were to follow and

reported it “all clear.” Just outside the camp, however, the road dipped down into a email, deep, river bed, which it crossed. The scouts did not go down into this dip. Had they done so they would have found it full of Boers, who had crept into it in the night and formed a strong ambuscade. The Boers let the waggons pass through, and then, when the troops came crowding down to follow them, they opened a sudden and tremendous fire upon them and completely wrecked the column for a time. THE COST OF A LIE. And I remember another disaster which occurred to the British troops in Afghanistan from much the same cause, namely, bad scouting and scouts who

had not the pluck to tell the truth. A British brigade went to Mai wand to oppose a large force of Afghans who were reported to be advancing towards that place from the westward. There was only one road by which they could come as the whole country in 4 that direction was a vast, waterless desert, with this one line of springs and wells through- it. The first village along this road was about fifteen miles away, and the scouts (Indian cavalry) of the British force were ordered to go out to this village during the night and find out if there were any signs of the enemy. The scouts went out under their scoutmaster and returned after a time to report that the road and village were all clear, no' enemy about. So’ the brigade moved on with confidence next morning, although there was a thick fog, for they knew that the enemy were not likely to be anywhere near. To their surprise they suddenly found themselves in the midst of the. Afghan army, .and attacked on every side with disastrous results. What had happened was this; the scouts never went to the village at all. They either lost their way or, finding that there were no enemy men on the road, they imagined they could not be anywhere in- the neighbourhood. . Anyhow, whatever it was that they had done wrong, the scoutmaster had. not the pluck openly to tell the general, but led him to believe that they had gone to the plaoe ordered. Had they vone there they would have found the whole Afghan army there and could have warned their own force to be on

its guard. ' _ . - As it was,’ the\ brigade formed up when it was attacked,, but on a bad bit of ground, which was the centre of .an open flat with a deep gully .running round it, in which the Afghan force collected without being visible, and then suddenly charged from all sides and broke up our force. The British were chiefly native Indian regiments, but there was a battery of English Horse Artillery and a battalion of the 66th Berkshire Regiment, and these corps both distinguished themselves with their splendid gallantry. The guns, after fighting, got “away by a desperate gallop, but very few of the 66th came out of the battle alive. I visited the spot soon afterwards and saw one spot where these gallant follows had held a low wall, and ditch to the last—till they were all killed. But the whole of this disaster could probably have been- avoided if the scouts had only had the courage to speak the truth and to say openly that they had not been able to get to the village and, therefore, did not know whether it was occupied by the enemy or not. . Those were was scouts, and the incident happened a good many years agq. But I tell it to yon peace scouts just as an illustration of the importance of a scout always speaking the truth. If he has not the pluck to . tell the truth, but tries to cover his mistakes by excuses or stories, they are sure to be seen through and he will never be trusted again, and in trying to save his own reputation he may .cause a big disaster to his friends. Tell the truth and never mind the consequences to yourself.