![]() In 1884, he published his first book, called Reconnaissance and Scouting, intended to instruct soldiers and other adults in essential military skills. Robert Baden-Powell in South Africa in 1896 (photo by Francis Henry Hart, from National Portrait Gallery)Īs his career progressed, he put his extensive knowledge of wood-craft and scouting to work in a series of books. He returned to England and retired as a Major-General in 1910, a much decorated and renowned war hero. ![]() He became famous for his defense of his garrison and the town of Mafeking in the Second Boer War during a 217-day siege over 1899-1900. His time in South Africa added to his understanding of nature and survival in the wilderness, while actually performing duties as a military scout. ![]() He wrote that “… in my spare time as a schoolboy I did a good lot of scouting in the woods in the way of snaring rabbits and cooking them, observing birds and tracking animals, and so on.”īaden-Powell left school and joined the British army, serving in India and South Africa for 34 years. ![]() ![]() He spent much of his early life playing in the woods around his home, learning about nature and what was then called wood-craft-how to make-do with the materials that nature provided and how to sustain life away from industrialized society. The cover of the first edition of Scouting for Boys, with illustration drawn by the authorīaden-Powell was born in London on February 22, 1857. ![]()
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