ROBERT Baden-Powell, a lieutenant general serving in the Second Boer War, was trapped in Mafeking, South Africa, by an overwhelming Boer force in 1899-1900.

To ensure adult soldiers could remain on duty, he helped organise teams of young boys aged 12 to 15 who could carry messages and act as orderlies ... and scouts.

History says that this was the start of Baden-Powell’s ‘big idea’ for the youth of Britain who, he felt, could use a little woodcraft, leaf recognition and string-knotting skills to increase their self-reliance and confidence.

The scouts were formed in 1907 on Baden-Powell’s return to England and were in three groups, arranged by age: the cub scouts, boy scouts and rover scouts.

Robert’s sister, Agnes, much impressed by the movement’s popularity, felt that something similar should exist for girls.

So in 1910, the brownie guides (originally called the Rosebuds – you can see why that didn’t catch on), girl guides or girl scouts, and ranger guides, were formed, with Agnes as leader.

Chief Guide Agnes was replaced by Robert’s wife, Olave, in 1918.

The whole idea had a quaintness that most people felt would not last. They could not have been more wrong.

Today, there are an estimated 41m scouts and guides in 216 countries and thousands of enthusiasts in Kirklees.

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