{"alias":"contentPage","byline":null,"standfirst":null,"content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch3\u003EOrigins\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ERobert Baden-Powell returned from the Second Boer War a national hero. As well as being a career soldier, he was also an established author. One of his most successful books was a military manual\u003Cspan\u003E \u2018\u003C/span\u003EAids to Scouting\u2019, which contained training exercises for military scouts. This book developed an unexpected audience amongst boys and youth groups, who were copying the exercises to learn observation and tracking skills.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","image":"/media/15690/aids-to-scouting.png","width":234,"height":296,"altText":"The red cover of a copy of Aids to Scouting","caption":"A pocket size manual to improving military skills","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EEdwardian society was plagued by the thought that Britain was not developing useful citizens. There was a concern that many people were physically weak, due to a lack of understanding about nutrition and health, and didn\u2019t possess useful skills.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ERobert Baden-Powell would have witnessed some of these issues first hand through the poor quality of recruits who joined the Army. There was an appetite for schemes that would help address these issues.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBaden-Powell felt that given the right training young people could start to play an active role in their community from an early age and this training would have long term benefits in supporting employment and productivity.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EHe had witnessed first-hand the role boy cadets, called \u2018the Mafeking Cadets\u2019, had played during the town\u2019s siege in the Second Boer War. They took on non-combative roles including stretcher bearers and messengers.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBaden-Powell was convinced by friends; including his publisher, Cyril Arthur Pearson, and the founder of the Boys Brigade, Sir William Alexander Smith, to create a youth focused version of the book.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EHe started by creating a draft of his new book which swapped the military focus for adventure, exploration and survival skills. It was decided to test the ideas by running an experimental camp for a selection of boys.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","image":"/media/15688/brownsea17-tracking-pit-2.jpg","width":2375,"height":1765,"altText":"The Brownsea Island tracking pit","caption":"The Brownsea Island tracking pit","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch3\u003EA week on Brownsea Island\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOn the 1 August 1907, twenty boys took part in a camp on Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour to participate in an experimental project.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ERobert Baden-Powell wanted to see if his proposed activities would appeal to a broad range of young people.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBaden-Powell recruited ten boys from a range of public schools and ten members of local Boys Brigades branches in Bournemouth and Poole. The boys were aged 10 to 16 years old. They were divided into four patrols, which were Wolves, Bulls, Curlews and Ravens. Four of the older boys were given the rank of Patrol Leader.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ctable border=\u00221\u0022 cellpadding=\u00225\u0022 width=\u0022100%\u0022\u003E\n\u003Ctbody\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd colspan=\u00222\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWolves\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd colspan=\u00222\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBulls\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003C/tr\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003EPatrol Leaders\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003EBob Wroughton\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003EPublic School\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003EThomas Evans-Lombe\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003EPublic School\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003C/tr\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003E\u00A0\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003ECedric Curteis\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003EPublic School\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003EAlbert Blandford\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003EBoys Brigade\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003C/tr\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003E\u00A0\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003EReginald Giles\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003EBoys Brigade\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003EMarc Noble\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003EPublic School\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003C/tr\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003E\u00A0\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003EJohn Evans-Lombe\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003EPublic School\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003EArthur Primmer\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003EBoys Brigade\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003C/tr\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003E\u00A0\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003EPercy Medway\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003EBoys Brigade\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003EJames Rodney\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EPublic School\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003C/tr\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003E\u00A0\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd colspan=\u00222\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECurlews\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd colspan=\u00222\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERavens\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003C/tr\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003EPatrol Leaders\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003EGeorge Rodney\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003EPublic School\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003EHerbert Emley\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003EPublic School\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003C/tr\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003E\u00A0\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003ETerrance Bonfield\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003EBoys Brigade\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003EHerbet Collingbourne\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003EBoys Brigade\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003C/tr\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003E\u00A0\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003ERichard Grant\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003EBoys Brigade\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003EHumphrey Noble\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003EPublic School\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003C/tr\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003E\u00A0\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003EAlan Vivan\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003EBoys Brigade\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003EWilliam Rodney\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003EPublic School\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003C/tr\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003E\u00A0\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003EHerbert Watts\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003EBoys Brigade\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003EEthelbert Tarrant\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003Ctd\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBoys Brigade\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003C/td\u003E\n\u003C/tr\u003E\n\u003C/tbody\u003E\n\u003C/table\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThere was one more child in attendance, Donald Baden-Powell, who was Baden-Powell\u2019s nephew. He was 9 years old, so he was too young to officially join. Instead, he served as Baden-Powell\u2019s assistant and orderly.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ETo support Baden-Powell with running the camp were Boys Brigade Captain, George Walter Green, and Baden-Powell\u2019s friend, Kenneth McLaren, with whom he\u2019d served in the Army.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EPercy Everett from Pearson\u2019s publishers also attended for a day to observe the activities, and he would go on to be Deputy Chief Scout.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","image":"/media/15672/homepage.jpg","width":1024,"height":772,"altText":"Robert Baden-Powell holding the Kudu horn at the Brownsea Island pilot camp","caption":"Robert Baden-Powell holding the Kudu horn at the Brownsea Island pilot camp","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EThe boys were given shoulder knots of coloured ribbon to wear to mark their patrol and triangular pennants showing an image of their patrol animal. These would later become of standard Scouting uniform and kit.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EPatrol Leaders were given a white fleur-de-lis to attach to their hats to show their rank. Another item from Brownsea Island that would go on to become a Scouts icon is the Kudu Horn. The horn\u2019s made from antelope horn and brought back from South Africa by Baden-Powell.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EProducing a low deep noise that travels well over long distances, it was perfect to call the boys to start activities. It was later used at Gilwell Park during volunteer training courses.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","image":"/media/15676/kudu-horn-1-1024x332.jpg","width":1024,"height":332,"altText":"Robert Baden-Powell\u2019s kudu horn brought back from Africa and used at the Brownsea Island camp and to summon participants to the start of Wood Badge Courses","caption":"Baden-Powell\u2019s kudu horn that was used at the Brownsea Island camp and to summon participants to the start of Wood Badge Courses","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EOver the week the group tried out various activities. These included: fire-lighting, navigation, observation and tracking, cooking, life-saving and boat management.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Brownsea Island Camp is often called the first Scout Camp and Baden-Powell referred to it as a Scout Camp. This is sometimes contentious as the boys weren\u2019t Scouts, they had not made their promise, but they were scouting by trialling the activity programme.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe response to the activities was sufficiently encouraging for Baden-Powell and his publishers to push forward with finishing the book.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","image":"/media/15691/brownsea4-old-spotty-face-observation-game-2.jpg","width":2619,"height":1601,"altText":"An observation activity called \u0027old spotty face\u0027","caption":"An observation activity called \u0027old spotty face\u0027","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAfter the camp\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ERobert Baden-Powell took what he had learned from the camp and spent the next few months writing \u2018Scouting for Boys\u2019, with the plan that it would provide a tailored training programme for use by other organisations.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EInitially published in January 1908, \u2018Scouting for Boys\u2019 was a series of six booklets. The book was supported by a lecture tour given by Baden-Powell himself.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBy the end of the month the response to the book and lectures was so great Baden-Powell became convinced of the need for a separate organisation dedicated to delivering the activity programme.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAn announcement was made to this effect at a YMCA HQ in Birkenhead and Scouts was born, within two years there would be over 100,000 Scouts in the UK.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","image":"/media/15689/scouting-for-boys-768x1049.jpg","width":768,"height":1049,"altText":"The first part of Scouting for Boys published January 1908","caption":"The first part of Scouting for Boys published January 1908","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EWe know some of the twenty boys who had attended the camp took up Scouts following the publication of \u2018Scouting for Boys\u2019. The boys were of the generation whose lives would be swept up by the First World War.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOf the 19 boys who were still alive in 1914, five died during the War and a sixth died prematurely due to the effects of gas poisoning.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EVarious reunions were held for the Brownsea boys including one to mark Scouts\u2019 21st birthday at the \u2018Coming of Age\u2019 World Scout Jamboree. It was held in Birkenhead, where the Scouts Movement was first announced, in 1929.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":"On the 1 August 1907 twenty boys were encamped on Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour to participate in the first Scout camp.","pageType":null,"location":null,"browserTitle":"","versionDate":"07 September 2023","reviewDate":"01/01/0001","redirectUrl":"","id":76963,"nodeName":"Brownsea Island: Trialling Scouting","title":"Brownsea Island: Trialling Scouting","type":"contentPage","image":null,"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"Brownsea Island: Trialling Scouting, 1 \u2013 8 August 1907","headerSubTitle":"","headerCta":"","headerCtaText":"","headerCtaLink":"","headerBackgroundColour":"","showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":[]},"subHeader":"On the 1 August 1907 twenty boys were encamped on Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour to participate in the first Scout camp.","silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC83Njk2MyJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/about-us/our-history/our-online-exhibitions/the-early-days-of-scouting/brownsea-island-trialling-scouting/"}