童軍始創人 貝登堡勳爵
CHIEF SCOUT OF THE WORLD
BADEN-POWELL
青年時期
貝登堡勳爵在1857年2月22日在英國倫敦出生。他於卻特書院念書，年少的他對野外活動已有濃厚的興趣，常在假期裡和兄弟們一起露營、遠足和泛舟。所以貝登堡對於搭帳篷、運用地圖和指南針及原野烹飪等技能十分熟習。
Youth Period
Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, known as B-P, was born in London on 22nd February 1857. He studied at Charterhouse School where he began to exploit his interest in the arts of Scouting and woodcraft. He and his brothers were always in search of adventure. He spent his holidays camping, hiking and sailing. In all this, B-P was learning tent pitching, map and compass use, and wood-fire cooking.
軍旅時期
貝登堡在學校中成績一般，但於投考軍校的成績卻表現優異，直接被編入第13輕騎兵團為少尉，豁免訓練，並駐防在印度、阿富汗及南非等地。
1899年，他獲擢升為上校駐南非梅富根城，10月11日波爾戰爭爆發，梅富根城被敵人包圍。經過了217天以後，在1900年5月17日解圍，當時貝登堡被英國人視為英雄人物。而他以自己的訓練大綱編寫成的《警探術》一書亦已出版，並廣受稱許。
Army Period
B-P’s academic result at school was not very outstanding. But he had excellent performance in the open examination for the Army and was commissioned straight into the 13th Hussars, bypassing the officer training. He served in India, Afghanistan and South Africa with the 13th Hussars.
In 1899, he helped defend Mafeking during its 217-day siege in Boer War in South Africa. The siege of Mafeking ended on 17th May 1900. He became a national hero for this success in the defending. During the siege, B-P’s book Aids to Scouting was published and became very popular.
童軍時期
1907年，貝登堡召集20名少年、自己的姪兒和營友的一名兄長，在英國南部桃山白浪島露營，教導他們生火、炊事、追蹤、露營等訓練，這次實驗露營非常成功。
於1908年，貝登堡所撰寫的《少年警探》成為很多機構的訓練教材，亦被翻譯成多種語言及方言。很多童軍小隊相繼組織起來，童軍運動逐漸發展為世界性的運動。貝登堡更成立辧事處，以處理大量有關童軍運動的查詢。
其後貝登堡致力於童軍及女童軍運動的發展，並作環球旅行，宣揚童軍運動。1912年，他與奧利花小姐結婚。貝登堡夫人對於貝登堡的助力很大，常常協助他發展童軍運動。
1920第一次世界大露營在英國的奧林匹克競技場舉行。貝登堡被各國代表推選為世界童軍總領袖。自此與夫人周遊各地，巡視各地童軍的訓練，致力童軍運動的發展。
1929年，適逢《少年警探》一書出版21週年，第三次世界童軍大露營在英國阿婁公園舉行，貝登堡更被冊封為基維爾勳爵。基維爾這地方亦被各國童軍公認為童軍領袖的訓練中心。
1938年，年屆81歲的貝登堡退隠在他認為第二故鄉的非洲肯雅。1941年1月8日，這位世界青年導師、童軍運動創辧人貝登堡勳爵在肯雅寓所中逝世，享年83歳。
Scouting Period
In 1907, he led a group of 20 youths plus his nephew and an older brother of the boys on camp to Brownsea Island, Poole, Dorset to have an experimental camp in order to test his ideas in practice. The camp was found very successful.
In 1908, his another book Scouting for Boys was published. It was regarded as training aid for many organizations. Scouting for Boys has been translated into many different languages and dialects. Boys also tried the ideas by forming themselves into Scout Patrols. Scouting gradually became a worldwide Movement. He then established an office to handle the large number of enquiries concerning the Movement.
He was enthusiastic in the development of Scouting and also its sister Movement, Guiding. He traveled all over the world in order to encourage the growth of the Movements. In 1912, he married Olave Soames who was very helpful in all his work.
In 1920, B-P was acclaimed as Chief Scout of the World in the 1st international Scout Jamboree took place at Olympia, London.
In 1929, at the 3rd World Scout Jamboree held in Arrowe Park, to celebrate the 21st Anniversary of the publication of Scouting for Boys, he took the title of Lord Baden-Powell of Gilwell and Gilwell Park became the International Training Centre for Scout Leaders.
In 1938, he returned to Africa for his semi-retired life in Nyeri, Kenya because of illness. He died on 8 January 1941 at the age of 83.
