I consider Baden Powell a fine man

I HAD a pang of nostalgia when I saw the photo of Chris Arthur and Matthew Trott in Friday’s Western Mail with a statue of Robert Baden Powell in Poole.

I too wore a Tenderfoot Badge on the left breast pocket of my Scout shirt for 12 years as a Scout, Senior Scout and Assistant Scout Master. Then in 1967, the Scout Association decided after 60 years of Scouting to bring it into the 20th Century. By the end of the three-year transition period, our shorts, Mountie hats with plumes denoting rank, BP’s 10 scout laws, his badgework and our Bible, Scouting for Boys, were all swept away. I was faced with a choice. Did I accept the changes or did I do as some disgruntled leaders did and leave official Scouting and join the newly formed Baden Powell Scouts.

Being a pragmatist, I decided as we were a movement, it implied we did not stand still but progressed and just carried on trying to put something back into Scouting. Did I do the right thing? Well I would have not been to some of the places I have been or met some of the people I have met. I would not have been awarded a Medal of Merit, a Bar to the Medal of Merit or Silver Acorn for services to Scouting nor would I have had my Fifty Year Long Service Award. Neither would I have the company of many hundreds of young people I have had the honour to try to help for such a long time so I am glad I made the right choice. I am sure the people like Chris and Matthew who joined the unofficial Scout movement think they also did the right thing to retain BP’s original concept so good luck to them.

As for Robert Baden Powell, we must remember he was a man of his time and like many other famous people may have done things which we, with the benefit of hindsight, now think a bit off.

What we do have to remember is he founded the finest and largest youth movement in the world, one which I am proud to have been a member of since November 1954. He died less than two years before I was born so our paths nearly overlapped and despite what the people now jumping on a bandwagon might think, I consider him one of Britain’s finest men and my hero.

Ray Steel Beaver Scout Leader St Clears, Carms