Lord Baden-Powell (person)

His is a fascinating story.

Not much of a scholar at Charterhouse School, he often escaped to an off-limits wooded area called The Copse, taught himself to track and snare rabbits, cooked over an open fire, and learned other outdoors skills which would prove valuable in his adult life.

He took an examination for a British Army commission upon graduation, finished second out of 700 candidates and, at age 19, left to join his regiment in India.

As a young fun-loving officer, he distinguished himself at polo and "pig-sticking," wild boar hunting on horseback, while professionally, he became proficient at scouting and exploring in the wild northwest of the country. There followed a tour of duty in South Africa where he was assigned to survey the mountain passes in the frontier region of that country, a journey of 600 miles on horseback.

Brought back to England and trained as a spy, he spent two years on secret missions in Germany and Russia. Eventually, he was stationed on the island of Malta, in charge of all British intelligence in the Mediterranean.

He learned to disguise himself as an artist, or sometimes as a butterfly hunter, on missions into Austria, Italy, Turkey, and other countries of southern Europe.

Service in Africa followed during the Boer War. After a 217 day hold-out and eventual victory against the Boer forces in the siege of Mafeking, Baden-Powell returned to England a national hero.

He had written a small book for army use entitled "Aids to Scouting" and learned, to his surprise, it was a hit among youngsters in England. After meeting Sir William Smith, founder of the Boys' Brigade, he rewrote the book especially for boys.

That book, "Scouting for Boys," was published in 1908 and became an instant best seller. Boy Scout patrols began to spring up all over the country. It became evident to Baden-Powell that he had created something important, and he decided to retire as an Army officer to devote his time to the infant Scouting movement.

And, as they say, the rest is history. By 1920, Baden-Powell had captured the world's attention, calling Scouts from every nation to the World Jamboree in London. It was during that Jamboree that Baden-Powell was acclaimed "Chief Scout of the World." The significance of his work was recognized by Queen Victoria in 1929 when he was made a baron and became Lord Baden-Powell of Gilwell.

At the age of 80, he retired to Africa with his wife, Lady Baden-Powell. He died in Nairobi, Kenya, January 8, 1941 at the age of 83.