[English] LORD BADEN-POWELL AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY FULL OF GOOD STORIES

LORD BADEN-POWELL

AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY FULL OF GOOD STORIES

Lord Baden-Powell's autobiography, "Lessons from the Varsity of Life," abounds with good stories, told with the Chief Scout's characteristic breeziness.

It has been said ever since Mafeking that B.-P. incurred the anger of Queen Victoria by designing Mafeking siege stamps with his own head on them, instead of the Queen's. He states that his staff issued the stamps with his head on without his knowledge.

"As," he says, "they were entirely for local and temporary use it was not a matter of any importance, but later I heard that it was considered a piece of gross lese-majeste on my part, if not of treason, to print my own head on the stamps and that the Queen was very annoyed with me.

"Well, if she was, Her Majesty did not show it, but one the contrary, sent me most gracious and appreciative messages both during and after the siege, and personally directed my promotion to Major-General. It is amusing how rumours get about."

On his return from South Africa in 1901, B.-P. received a command to go to Balmoral where he stayed with King Edward and Queen Alexandra for three days. When he was leaving, King Edward presented him with a walking stick.

"Then," says B.P., "taking me on one side he began in a serious voice, which, for a moment, sent my heart into my boots and said: I want to speak to you seriously. I have watched you at meals and I notice that you don't eat enough. When working as you do you must keep up your system. I am sending you some venison to tempt you to eat more. Don't forget - eat more."

Then he laughed, and shook hands.

Executed as a Spy.

But even better than this story is the dramatic account of an "eye-witness" of how B.-P. was shot in the Tower of London during the Great War as a German spy. The story of the execution was fully reported in a newspaper published in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It says:

"Shot to death by English soldiers on his return to England as a German spy. That is what happened to Major-General Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, hero of the defence of Mafeking in the Boer War and organiser of the Boy Scouts, when he went back to London and was caught with papers in his possession showing maps of Great Britain's fortifications that he is said to have been selling to the enemy of England."

Having printed this lie, the Pittsburg paper then explained where it got it from.

"This statement," it said, "is made by a man who says he is a Britisher and that the execution was witnessed by his brother. "My story is true," he declared. "I can tell you nothing else. My brother saw the execution with his own eyes.

"My brother explained that Baden-Powell marched to the place of execution without a quiver, and as the cover was being placed over his eyes, said only these words: May God have mercy.

"If reports be true, and I am sure my brother is to be relied upon, England has put into his last sleep one of the bravest soldiers who ever headed her armies in foreign lands."

The Pittsburgher who told the fairy tale was named Walterbury.

Lord Baden-Powell, however, does tell the story of a spy who was shot. In his home and hanging on the wall of one of the rooms there is a notice board in French, English and Flemish which has a tragic history. Its owner was a supposed cripple who sat on a trolley in Ypres during that war. The notice says:-

"Kind friends, I stood in the ice-cold water and rescued a child from drowning, and have no use of my limbs. Help me...."

Soldiers used to give the supposed cripple an occasional franc note. One day a note blew away. A soldier picked it up and handed it back, but he noticed that it was not a note.

It was a slip of paper with some German writing on it. The soldier reported the incident. It was found that the man was not a cripple. He was a German agent, who sat in Ypres and received reports from spies. At night he sent them to the German lines. He was shot. Lord Baden-Powell kept the notice board "as a memorial," he says, "of a brave man."

How B.-P. Met His Wife.

Like native trackers, B.-P. was in the habit of deducing character from footprints and gait, and had come to the conclusion that "about 46 per cent. of women were very adventurous with one leg and hesitant on the other, i.e. liable to act on impulse."

He writes: So when I came to an exception it caught my attention. One such I noted, where a girl - a total stranger to me, and whose face I had not seen - trod in a way that showed her to be possessed of honesty of purpose and common sense, as well as of the spirit of adventure.

I happened to notice that she had a spaniel with her. This was while I was still in the Army, and I was going into Knightsbridge Barracks at the time. I thought no more of it.

Two years later, on board my ship for the West Indies, I recognised the same gait in a fellow passenger. When introduced I charged her with living in London. Wrong. My sleuthing was at fault she lived in Dorset.

"But have you not a brown and white spaniel?"

"Yes." (Surprise registered).

"Were you never in London? Near Knightsbridge Barracks?"

"Yes, two years ago."

So we married- and lived happily ever after.

Source:

1. Page 6, "Hong Kong Daily Press", Friday, 14th July, 22nd Year of the Republic of China

   • 22nd Day, Leap 5th Lunar Month, Gui-you Year

   • Friday, 14th July, 1933 Common Era