BADEN POWELL
BOYHOOD AND SCHOOL CAREER
1857-1876
- DATE OF BIRTH : 22nd February , 1857 .
- BIRTH PLACE : 6 , Stanpole Street , Lancaster Gate , London .
- PRESENT NAME : Stanpole Terrace , London W2
- FULL NAME : His full name is Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden Powell .The first two names are from his Grand father Robert Stephenson , the famous Engineer and Constructor of the ' Rocket ' Locomotive . In the family he was known as ' Stephe ' or ' Sty ' . He was the eighth of the children and sixth son .
- FATHER : Reverend Professor Herbert George Baden - Powell. A professor of geometry at Oxford , a simple clergyman , a lover of God and a great Naturalist. His ancestors , Powells were of the East Augilian and Badens of Wiltshire - stock .
- MOTHER : Henrietta Grace Smyth , was the daughter of British Admiral W.T. Smyth. Her great grand father , Joseph Brevor Smyth who had gone to America as a colonist in New Jersey but returned to England. He was ship wrecked on his way home. Her father W.T. Smyth claims his descent from the family of John Smith of Virginia .
Thus Baden Powell from the paternal side was the descendent of a Minister on one side and an adventurous and loyal colonist of the New World on the other and from the maternal side he belonged to the noble and loyal men of the British Navy and the North American Army .
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- FATHER'S DEATH : B.P's father died in 1860. when B.P was about three years old leaving behind his mother with eight children , all under fourteen years of age . B.P. was brought up with four brothers . There used to be hard times but the mutual love of the mother and the children always carried them through .
From his pothers he learned to walk and talk , from his mother to read and write and to say his prayers , from himself to draw . At the age of three he represented Lord Jesus going up to heavens surrounded by the Holy Angels . He was a healthy baby and his babyhood was a happy one .
His eldest brother Warington became the leader of the Patrol of four brothers. He was later on responsible for the introduction of Sea Scouting . All the brothers went on hiking , camping , tramping , canoeing and sailing round the Coast of Great Britain and even across the North Sea to Norway . At sea , B.P. was a Cabin - boy , general factotum ( a person employed to do all kinds of work for another ) and cook . When lie spoiled a pot of soup he was made to eat the whole of it himself . Later on he learned cooking from his mother . He advises Scouts to learn cooking from their mothers , because none could teach them better.
इसे भी जरूर पढ़ें
भारत मे स्काउटिंग की उत्त्पत्ति
स्वास्थ्य के नियम, बी पी सिक्स एक्सरसाइज
राष्ट्रीय ध्वज, भारत स्काउट और गाइड ध्वज, विश्व स्काउट एवं गाइड ध्वज
- SCHOOLING : (1869-1876) B.P. was first admitted to a Dame School in Kensington . From there he went to Rose Hill , a Prepatory school at Tun Bridge wells and finally in 1870 he entered the Charter House School in London as a Gownboy on a scholarship . There were forty ' sons of ' Poormen ' Gownboys , so called from the picturesque gown they wore.
In those days it was a common tradition in England that any student who was admitted on scholarship had to do some sort of service to the senior students free of cost and without any remuneration . So B.P. undertook the service giving bathing towels to his seniors and they give him the name Bathing Towel ".
Two years before the school , he moved from London to Godalming , so the new boy experienced first the busy life of the city and then the quiet of the country Dr. Haig Brown was the headmaster at that time and B.P. always spoke in admiration of his skill and dating with the boys . At Godalming B.P. found many opportunities for exploring the countryside and for acquiring more of the elements of Scouting while on camping and boating holidays with his brothers . This gave him a sound training in out - door life and resourcefulness.
B.P. was an all rounder but not an outstanding sportsman . Though he was not good in mathematics , French and Greek . He was an enthusiastic Actor . Singer , Caricaturist and a goal - keeper in the Charter House , Foot - ball team . He liked actual backwoods - manship . He was learner of How to do things . To fill curiosity he learned even Brick Making thoug h it was not a school subject.
The boys mother was friendly with many of the great artist and writers of the day . All his life B.P. had kept a shilling given to The boy's mother was friendly with many of the great Artists him by Thackeray ( William Makepeace Thackeray , English Novelist born in Calcutta , educated in Charter house and at Trinty College Cambridge (1811-1863) and he recalls that John Ruskin (John Ruskin , English art critic and social Reformer) (born in London 1819-1900) seeing him drawing with his left hand advised his mother to let him continue using both hands , for in these days parents tried to ' CURE ' left handed actions . Being left alone B.P. developed ambidexterity (ability to use both hands with equal facility) which later proved to be of great advantage to him as an artist , soldier and Scout . At schools he could draw with one hand and shade with the other Lt. General Sir . A.J. Godley , who served under B.P. at the siege of Mafeking (1898-1900) says that a trick of drawing with one hand and writing with the other never failed to draw an unusual audience .
- SPARE TIME : Most of his spare time was spent in the woods behind his school observing birds and animals , using his knife and axe , out of door cooking with less fire and learning to move quickly through the under growths etc. Here was a real Scout in the making . He learned to use the compass and to make and read maps . All these items helped him to secure higher ranks in the Army and he became seniormost of the officers who were already there when he joined the Army . He also learned the back - woods - man cooking and to take care of himself during the nights in all weather conditions.
He was very keen and good in sketching as said before not only with one hand but with both . This gift later on made it possible for him to illustrate his own writings . He was also inclined to music and whenever called upon he would put on a performance that would have the whole school in stitches .
