Cold Open

It’s May 17th, 1900, outside the city of Mafeking, Cape Colony, in what is now South Africa.

37-year-old British Army Colonel Bryan Mahon urges his skittering horse on as rifle shots echo around them. Behind him, hundreds of British soldiers follow across a dusty plain. They’ve been entrusted with an urgent mission: to lift the siege of Mafeking.

Seven months ago, war broke out in South Africa. The Boers are descendants of early Dutch colonists and have formed their own independent republics in the region. But they have repeatedly clashed with the British, who are the dominant colonial power here. During the latest conflict between these two groups, the Boers have laid siege to the city of Mafeking, trapping a British garrison inside. Now, after more than 200 days, a relief force under the command of Colonel Mahon has arrived. It’s forced its way through the enemy lines to within sight of the city—but the Boers aren’t giving up without a fight.

A bullet whistles past Colonel Mahon’s head as he turns to see a Boer sniper ducking for cover behind a large rock. The Colonel knows he has just a few seconds before the enemy soldier has finished reloading and will be ready to fire again.

So, he draws his sword and kicks his heels into his horse’s flanks. The animal darts forward toward the rock. The Colonel readies his sword as he approaches, but then the sniper rises from behind the rock, his gun ready and his finger on the trigger.

But Colonel Mahon is too quick. A single swing of his sword cuts the sniper down before he can get his shot off.

Colonel looks up as a ragged cheer echoes across the plain. But it’s not for his small victory over one sniper. The defenders of Mafeking have spotted the approach of the British men and are opening the city gates. Leaving the dead enemy sniper behind, Colonel Mahon spurs his horse on and leads his troops into the city.

The relief of Mafeking will be heralded as a stirring victory in the British press. But the hero of the hour won’t be Colonel Bryan Mahon. Instead, most of the accolades will go to the commander of the besieged city, the man who ensured that there was a garrison left to rescue. As a result of his brave leadership, Robert Baden-Powell will soon be promoted to Major-General, the youngest man of that rank in the British Army. But it’s not just his military career that will make him famous. Years after the war in South Africa comes to an end, a youth organization that will one day span the globe will be born when Robert’s book Scouting for Boys is published in Britain on January 24th, 1908.

Introduction

From Noiser and Airship, I’m Lindsay Graham and this is History Daily.

History is made every day. On this podcast—every day—we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world.

Today is January 24th, 1908: The Birth of the Boy Scouts.

Act One

It’s May 1896, in the hills of Matabeleland, in what’s now Zimbabwe, four years before the rescue of the sieged city of Mafeking.

39-year-old Lieutenant Colonel Robert Baden-Powell scrambles up a dusty hillside, stopping occasionally to listen for any sounds that indicate he’s been spotted. There’s no noise other than the occasional call from a bird, so Robert continues up the slope, and reaching the top, he eases his head over the summit—and clenches his jaw. Spread out on the valley floor below him is an enemy camp packed with hundreds of Matabele warriors.

Over the last century, the British government established several colonies at the southern tip of Africa. British settlers then gradually encroached on territories to the north, where they often clashed with indigenous populations like the Matabele. Two months ago, the Matabele rose up against the British and surrounded a small colonial settlement, cutting it off from the outside world. Now, Baden-Powell has been sent on a scouting mission to find out the latest situation on the ground.

From his perch on the hilltop, Robert can see that the settlers have ringed their houses with a barricade of wagons, sandbags, and barbed wire. But Robert knows those rudimentary defenses won’t hold for long.

Robert takes a notebook and pencil from his pocket. And over the next few minutes, he sketches a map of the surrounding hills, the Matabele camp, and the town’s defenses. He thinks he’s spotted a narrow pass that snakes around the enemy camp, so he marks that too. And only when Robert’s sure he’s included as much detail as he can does he crawl back down the hill, mount his horse, and ride away to join the rest of his unit.

When he reaches the British camp, Robert presents his map to the commanding officer. He points out the path that might allow them to reach the colonists’ settlement without encountering the Matabele. The officer thanks Robert for his good work and, soon afterward, orders his troops to advance, and thanks to Robert’s reconnaissance, they are able to reach the besieged town with a minimum of casualties. Then, at night, two officers use Robert’s map again to guide them through the darkness into the enemy camp where they kill the Matabele leader.

After this assassination, the Matabele warriors decide to withdraw from the valley rather than risk battle. But Robert’s unit remains in the settlement for a few weeks to make sure the Matabele don’t return. During that time, Robert makes a new friend. Major Frederick Russell Burnham is an American serving with the British Army. He learned outdoor skills like tracking and scouting while fighting with the US Army in the Apache Wars. Frederick’s taste for adventure then took him to South Africa where he joined up with the British. And when he meets Robert, Frederick quickly recognizes him as a natural outdoorsman. He teaches Robert the scouting methods that he’s perfected during his years on the American frontier.

Scouting and reconnaissance is still a relatively undeveloped field in the British Army, and, with his new training, Robert quickly becomes its foremost expert. He even writes an instruction manual for other soldiers entitled Aids to Scouting for Non-Commissioned Officers and Men. But these skills are of little use when Robert finds himself trapped inside a besieged city of Mafeking, after the outbreak of the Second Boer War in 1899.

At this point, Robert is in command of a garrison of 1500 soldiers in the city, and they are soon surrounded by a large Boer army of 8,000 men.

Since his troops are so outnumbered, Robert asks civilians to help shore up the city’s defenses. And among those who answer his call are Mafeking’s Cadet Corps. These cadets are too young to fight, so Robert puts them to work in non-combat roles. The boys stand guard, carry messages, and assist in the city hospital. And by taking on these tasks, the cadets free up the soldiers of the garrison to man the walls and fight off any Boer attacks.

For more than six months, Robert and his little army successfully defend themselves and their city. Until, finally, in May of 1900, a British relief force breaks through the Boer lines and rescues the city of Mafeking, a rare piece of good new in a war going badly for the British. Robert’s bravery and leadership during the siege will make him a famous man back home, and he will return to Britain a hero. But he won’t seek wealth with his new-found fame. Instead, he will be inspired by his experience with the cadets at Mafeking to launch a new movement that’ll offer young people training and adventure in times of peace as well as war.

Act Two

It’s August 2nd, 1907, on Brownsea Island off the coast of Dorset, England, seven years after the rescue of Mafeking.

The now 50-year-old Robert Baden-Powell takes a deep breath before lifting a horn to his mouth and blowing hard. The sound echoes across the field to a small campsite, and a group of boys quickly emerges from the tents and runs to where Robert is standing.

Upon his return to Britain as a celebrity, Robert's instruction book Aids to Scouting for Non-Commissioned Officers and Men became a surprise bestseller. Even though the book was an instruction manual for soldiers, civilians were engrossed by Robert’s descriptions of survival and wilderness skills. It was especially popular among youth group organizers who used it as the basis for activities, and they bombarded Robert with letters containing questions and queries.

Robert wanted to help, but he didn’t have much time to spare. He was still an officer in the British Army, and, after his exploits in South Africa, he was appointed to several different commands. That changed in 1907, though. Robert turned 50 and was placed on the army’s inactive list. But Robert had no intention of slowing down in retirement. Instead, he decided to adapt his military scouting guide for civilian children.

A few weeks ago, Robert invited 20 children to a summer camp on Brownsea Island. Half were members of the local Boys’ Brigade, a Christian youth group. The others were the sons of Robert’s friends. Robert intended the week-long camp to be a testing ground for activities that he’d based on the principles in his book. And now, the first morning is about to begin.

The children are all shivering, stamp their feet and rub their hands for warmth. Robert expected nothing less—even during the summer, overnight temperatures can be chilly here. But Robert doesn’t offer any help. He simply gestures at a pile of sticks and stones he’s gathered and tells the children to light a fire so they can cook breakfast.

Over the next few minutes, the children pile up the wood and rub a flint and steel together, but none come close to starting a fire. When Robert thinks they’ve tried on their own for long enough, he steps in, showing the children that they need an easy-to-burn substance like dry leaves to use as tinder. Then, he adds kindling to build up the flames before adding even larger pieces of wood as fuel. Soon, a frying pan full of bacon and eggs sizzles over the fire.

Over the next week, Robert teaches more survival techniques. He shows the children how to navigate in an unknown landscape. He explains how to track animals. He teaches them sailing and rescue at sea. But it’s not just the children who are learning. Robert is too. He observes the children’s reactions. He sees what they enjoy, and what they don’t. And he makes careful note of what they pick up easily and what they seem to struggle with.

By the time camp is over, Robert is delighted by how much the boys have learned, and the growing self-confidence they display after only a week of outdoor activities. Now, he wants to extend the same opportunity to other children.

After leaving Brownsea Island, Robert picks up a pen. And over the next few weeks, he adapts Aids to Scouting for Non-Commissioned Officers and Men for a younger audience. He cuts out sections that deal with military applications for skills and instead, focuses on more general outdoor activities and wilderness survival. But just like in the army, Robert wants his young charges to feel like they’re part of something bigger. So, he includes in his book an oath and rules that readers should follow if they’re going to be what Robert calls a “Boy Scout.”

When Robert is finished, he calls on a favor from a friend. Cyril Pearson is a newspaper publisher, and he arranges for Robert’s book to be printed under the title Scouting for Boys. Neither man is sure how successful the book will be, so Cyril recommends dividing up Scouting for Boys and publishing it in installments. That way, it’ll be easy to adjust the print runs of latter parts, seeing how well the first sell.

Robert will agree to this plan, seeing the sense in it. And at Christmas time in 1907, Robert will send off his manuscript to the printers. All he will be able to do then is wait and hope that the children of Britain will take to scouting with as much enthusiasm as the boys on Brownsea Island.

Act Three

It’s January 24th, 1908, at Robert Baden-Powell's family home in Hampshire, England.

50-year-old Robert opens his front door to find a mailman outside holding a box with Robert’s name on it. He eagerly accepts it, closes the door, and hurries to his office. Inside the box are a dozen slender newly printed books.

Robert picks one up and flicks through it. It’s only 70 pages long, with a paper cover showing a boy hiding behind a rock while he observes a ship on the horizon. At a price of just four pence, Scouting for Boys Part One should be cheap enough that most boys can buy a copy—as long as the subject matter is one that appeals to them.

And after only a few days, it’s clear that the boys of Britain are interested. More than 10,000 copies sell before the second installment of Scouting for Boys is published two weeks later, and the subsequent parts are just as popular as the first. To cater to this high demand, Robert’s publisher rushes out a book version with the six installments combined into one volume, and they convince Robert to go on a national tour to promote it. Boys across the country are so inspired by Robert that they form scout groups and swear allegiance using the oath that Robert included in his book. Soon, there are so many of these groups that Robert decides to form a national organization to guide and supervise them. He calls these groups: the Boy Scouts.

And in 1909, 11,000 attendees flock to the first national Boy Scout rally in London. By the time of The Boy Scouts Association's first census a year later, it has over 100,000 members. That same year, the Boy Scouts of America is founded in Silver Bay, New York, alongside other new Boy Scout organizations in countries around the globe including Chile, Germany, India, and Russia.

From there it only spreads, and today, the Scout Movement is open to both boys and girls, with millions of members worldwide. Much about the organization has changed since its early days. But much remains the same, and were he still alive, Robert Baden-Powell would recognize the same ethos of outdoor adventure and self-reliance that he preached to children more than a century ago, when the first installment of Scouting for Boys was published in Britain on January 24th, 1908.

Outro

Next on History Daily. January 27th, 1944. Soviet forces defeat the Germans at Leningrad, ending the longest and most destructive siege of World War Two.

From Noiser and Airship, this is History Daily, hosted, edited, and executive produced by me, Lindsay Graham.

Audio editing by Muhammad Shahzaib.

Sound design by Matthew Filler.

Music by Thrumm.

This episode is written and researched by Scott Reeves.

Edited by Dorian Merina.

Managing producer, Emily Burke.

Executive Producers are William Simpson for Airship, and Pascal Hughes for Noiser.