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In 1907, 20 boys came together for a camp on Brownsea Island, in Poole harbour, Dorset.

It was the brain child of Boer War veteran, Robert Baden-Powell.

Little could he, or they, know that the camp would give birth to the Scouting Movement, which now has over 40 million members worldwide.

Whilst any former Scout (or Guide) will probably know that Robert Baden-Powell was the founder of this incredible movement, many won’t know that the idea of this youth organisation came out of the Boer War in South Africa.

And more directly, from Baden-Powell’s own experiences during the siege of Mafeking.

Without the siege of Mafeking there probably wouldn’t be a Scouting Movement.

Without the young boys in the town forming a cadet force to run errands during that long siege, Baden-Powell might not have had the idea.

And, if Baden-Powell hadn’t become a national hero because he held out against the Boers for 217 days, maybe his camp on Brownsea island would never have received the publicity that helped launch the movement.

This is the story of Robert Baden-Powell, the siege of Mafeking during the Boer War, and the start of the Boy Scouts.

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I do mention two further stories that are related to events in this podcast.
At the moment they are both only availably on YouTube but here are the links:

The Jameson Raid (1895/96)

A Summary of The Boer War (1899-1902)

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