Background
General Baden-Powell had become a national hero during the Boer War as a result of his successful defence during the Siege of Mafeking of 1899–1900. During the siege, the Mafeking Cadets, boys aged 12 to 15 who acted as messengers, had impressed him with their resourcefulness and courage. Baden-Powell had also published a number of popular books on military scouting, including Aids to Scouting for NCOs and men, published in 1899, which became a best-seller and was used by teachers and youth organisations. In the years following the war, he began discussing the idea of a new youth organisation with a number of people, including William Alexander Smith, founder of the Boys' Brigade, with whom he discussed setting up a Boys Brigade Scouting achievement. To test his ideas while writing Scouting for Boys, Baden-Powell conceived of an experimental camp, and organised it to take place on Brownsea Island during the summer of 1907. He invited his lifelong friend, Major Kenneth McLaren, to attend the camp as an assistant.
Read more about this topic: Brownsea Island Scout Camp
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