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| GILWELL TRADITIONS |
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The
Founding of the Wood Badge Award In Scouting’s
early days, Baden-Powell encouraged local Scouters to put on training
events. Scoutmaster’s training camps were held in London in 1910,
Yorkshire in 1911 and Birmingham in 1912. A lecture course was given in
London in 1911 - three lectures a week for three weeks - and was attended
by 32 Scoutmasters. But Baden-Powell wanted his training to be as
practical as possible, and that meant in camp. In 1913-1914 Baden-Powell
developed a correspondence course called “Scouting for Scoutmasters.”
The Headquarters Gazette featured
a different theme each month, with questions for the Scoutmasters to
answer, the results being examined at Headquarters. The topics dealt with
in the course were character training; self-improvement for making a
career; physical health and development; service for others as a basis of
religion; boy training, methods and national importance; and citizenship. The correspondence
course ended with the commencement of World War I. But, in 1919 - with the
War over and the Scouts able to focus their attention on internal matters
again - Baden-Powell used his training course notes as the outline for his
book, Aids to Scoutmasters hip. It was time to perfect the Scoutmaster’s
training course in a camp setting. At the same time,
Baden-Powell had met success in his efforts to find a suitable camping
spot near London to serve urban youth as a campsite and Scoutmasters as a
training ground. After securing the financial support of W. de Bois
Maclaren, District Commissioner for Roseneath, Baden-Powell charged PB.
Nevill to find a suitable camp. A young Assistant Scoutmaster in Bethnal
Green, named Gayfer, told Nevill of Gilwell; he had come across the estate
while exploring for bird life. On
Maundy Thursday (while the property was still under contract) a small
group of Nevill’s Rovers from East London became the first Scout campers
at GlIwell. Arriving in the rain, they spent their first night on the
cement floor of the Pigsty, but pitched camp the next morning on the other
side of the Orchard, near the Session Circle. The
purchase cost was £7,000, donated by Maclaren, who gave an additional £3,000
for improvements to the house. Opening ceremonies were held on July 26th,
1919, including a rally of 700 Scouts. Mrs Maclaren cut the ribbons, and
Baden-Powell presented Maclaren with the Silver Wolf. With the camping
ground in place, it was now time to hold the Scoutmasters’ training
course. The first Wood Badge course was held from September 8th to 19th.
Although Baden-Powell had outlined the course syllabus, he did not lead
the course, but left that to the newly appointed Camp Chief, Francis
“Skipper” Gidney. Gidney was a young man who had served as a captain
during the War and had immense energy and, most important from Baden
Powell’s view, tremendous spirit. His Assistant Scoutmaster was Capt.
F.S. Morgan, District
Commissioner for Swansea. Baden-Powell
visited the camp Friday night and Saturday, together with Major A.G. Wade,
Joint Managing Secretary of the Association and the man who was to
organise the first World Jamboree the next year. The Founder gave a talk
to the Scoutmasters, and led a tracking demonstration on Saturday morning,
both filled with personal anecdotes. The 18 participants enjoyed good
weather, except for one heavy thunderstorm which, as Gidney wrote, “had
its instructive value also!” These men had come from different parts of
England and Wales, were of various ages and different professions. The men were
organised into three patrols, each one taking his turn as patrol leader,
“second,” “bottom” and the other turns in the order of patrol
jobs, including cooking. Although in some camp schemes a late lunch was
the big meal of the day, Gidney scheduled the main meal in the evening, to
ensure no one missed any of the Scoutcraft instruction. BadenPowell had
given the camp the Kudu horn he had captured during the Matabele Campaign
in 1896. It was used to awaken the camp. The
programme of the first course included: Troop
Organisation Patrol
and troop formation, drill; camp hygiene; exercise Campcraft -
Campsites and camp expedients. Pioneering -
Axemanship and construction. Woodcraft -
Birds, animals and trees. Signcraft -
Signaling, nature trails, and sand tracking. Games - Scouting
and camp games. Fieldwork - Measurements and mapping. Path
finding -
Hikes in Epping Forest; mapping; sketching Study Circle
Work
– Aids to
Scoutmastership, Headquarters Book
of Rules, Rules for Rover
Scouts and Wolf Cubs, Our Aims, Methods
and Needs Sunday and the
Scout. The first Wood
Badge feast was not prepared by the course participants, but was held in
London at the Scout’s Club, where Percy Everett treated them to lunch.
They then enjoyed a tour of Imperial Headquarters, and a final talk by the
Chief Scout, who encouraged each participant to start a course in his
neighbourhood using Aids to Scoutmastership as a guide. The
course having been completed, it remained to find a suitable award for the
participants. Baden-Powell came upon the necklace of hand-carved beads he
had taken from Zulu Chief Dinizulu during the Ashanti campaign in 1888.
One bead was awarded to each participant, to be worn on a leather thong
pinned to the shirt. Thus began the
tradition of advanced leadership training for Scouters - another mighty
oak grown from the acorn planted at
Gilwell.
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