During the summertime of 1899,Colonel Robert Baden - Powellof the British Army establish himself in a mess . He ’d been put in explosive charge of making sure the British Empire keep on its settlements in South Africa . Problem was , the nearby Dutch colonists — the Boers — were pitch up to arrogate them , and there were a quite a little more Boers than Englishmen in the sphere . To make matters worse , British government activity officials refused to send Baden - Powell more troop or supplies . They thought it would be best not to provoke the Boers by appear quick for warfare .
Of course , Baden - Powell knew to always be prepared . He planned in secret for the imminent encroachment , raise and gathering his own men and provision . Rather than spread his scout group far and wide , the colonel consolidate his special forces in the inland town of Mafeking . He thought if he could hold onto the town long enough , he would be able to keep Afrikaner troops aside from the coast , where British reinforcing stimulus would finally land .
When the Second Boer War erupted in October , the colonel and his 500 troop found themselves surrounded by 8000 Boer soldiers . With piddling else in his arsenal , Baden - Powell engaged in the prowess of deception . If he could make the Boers trust Mafeking was well defended than it really was , he fancy he could keep them at bay .
And so the theatrics began .
From Life in the Woods to Leading a War
The 42 - twelvemonth - old colonel ordered his troops to roleplay as though they were planting minefields , even though they had no mine . He rank them to make gun turret , even though they had neither the manpower nor the heavy weapon to build up them . And to make the circumference seem well guard , Baden - Powell made his men pretend to stave off barbed wire along the edge of town . He even had them parade around at night with a imitation searchlight made from a lamp and a biscuit tin .
While many of Baden - Powell ’s scheme were base in make - believe , at least one of his tactics was rooted in realism .
He call upon a scout group of 12- to 15 - year - old boys from the township known as theMafeking Cadet Corps . He then used this tiny regular army to relay messages , help out in the hospital , and play as scouts and guards .
beautify out in khaki uniforms and wide - brim hats , the young cadet go around townspeople on donkeys . ( Later , when nutrient became scarce during the siege , the Equus asinus were eaten , and the boys switched to bicycles . ) Their duties keep the boys interfering and give them a signified of purpose . More significantly , the Cadet Corps left the outnumbered British soldier free to oppose , effectively quadrupling their manpower .
What gave Baden - Powell the approximation to use adolescent boys in battle ? Well , he had a funny childhood . The son of a innate history professor , Robert Baden - Powell grew up in a nature - hump family . When his father die in 1860 , Robert was just3 yr previous . His freshly widowed female parent was determined to make men of her five Son , so she crowd them to smartly search the outdoors . In fact , she once challenged her boys to travel on their own from their house in London to a charter cottage in Wales . After the brothers paddled a boat up the Thames by themselves , they hike up the stay length . Several days by and by , they come safely at the cottage , where their mother was wait for them .
During their camping and boat dangerous undertaking , the boy take as small with them as possible . They slept under hedging and rick , and they catch and cooked their own meal . In the remainder , the exercise not only instruct them the science to survive in the wild , but it also fostered a sense of independence and firmness of purpose . Baden - Powell make love that under the right circumstances , boys could be rely upon . And during the Siege of Mafeking , they proved priceless .
The Greatest War Novel Ever Written (to Inspire Young Boys)
The besieging lasted 217 days , and through it all , Baden - Powell managed the town ’s defensive measure , explored enemy territory , made cannon from scrap metal , draw off sketch of his surroundings , taught the cadets woodworking and encampment , and prepare cricket match on Sundays . ( He accomplish so much that many of his troops believed he did n’t sleep . ) Most impressively , he also find metre to edit the pageboy of his leger , Aids to Scouting — a guide to surviving in the wild that would later become the first manual for the Boy Scouts .
As the British press reported day by day on the battle of Marathon siege in Mafeking , Baden - Powell became a household name . When British reinforcements finally arrived and freed the town in May 1900 , Baden - Powell was praised as a hero . He was named the youngest major - general in the army , and 38 of his son cadet were awarded medals fromQueen Victoria . In Britain , the victory celebration were so great that a new word entered the language to depict the party — mafficking . Today , the full term is still used in England to have in mind “ rejoicing . ”
Although Baden - Powell had n’t intendedAids to Scoutingfor untested civilians , his newfound celebrity think it quickly appear on children ’s nightstands across Great Britain . The colonel had long been touch that Modern military military recruit were clueless about basic outdoor endurance technique . He write the wilderness guide for them , but after witnessing the bravery of the Mafeking Cadet Corps , Baden - Powell recognized how much the book could mean to young people , too .
In 1908 , Baden - Powell write a 2d variation ofAids to Scoutingjust for children calledScouting for Boys . He had tested his approximation by leading a group of 22 boys on an hostile expedition to Brownsea Island off the coast of England , where he taught them the attainment of the out-of-doors . ( This is known as the first official Boy Scout meeting . ) Not surprisingly , the Word of God became an clamant best - seller , and Boy Scout scout troop ad lib appeared all over Great Britain , Australia , New Zealand , India , and Canada . In 1910 , the first Girl Scouts join the crusade , and Baden - Powell quit the military to devote himself to scouting full - metre . Under his care , more than 1 million scouts joined organizations in 32 land in less than 12 year . Today , there are50 million membersworldwide , and the movement that began as a necessity of warfare shows no sign of slowing down .
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This article by Jenny Bond and Chris Sheedy originally come out inmental_floss magazine ; it has been updated for 2025 .
