The Beginning of Girlguiding
- Dec 28, 2021
- 4 min read
Pre-Guiding
The history of Girlguiding starts prior to the 1909 Crystal Palace Rally. It started in the U.K. with Lord Robert Baden-Powell.
Robert Baden-Powell has a rich history with British Army and had been stationed in many countries around the World. In 1899, Baden-Powell was stationed in Africa, serving in the 2nd Boer War, during his time he wrote his 6th military book called 'Aids to Scouting'. The book was a 'Non-typical' training manual filled with his stories alongside games to help encourage scouting skills within the British Army. Baden-Powell was stationed in Africa until 1903 until he returned to England on sick leave.
Upon his return to the UK, Baden-Powell saw how successful his book 'Aids for Scouting' had become, officially becoming a best seller.
At this time Baden-Powell was also involved in the Boys' Brigade, being the organisations vice-president. With the encouragement for the boys' Brigade Founder, Sir William Alexander Smith, Robert Baden-Powell re-wrote his successful book 'Aids for Scouting'. The new book was to be aimed at the younger generation compared to the adults serving in the military, named 'Scouting for Boys' and officially published in 1908.
Whilst Baden-Powell was writing 'Scouting for Boys' Baden-Powell organised a trip to Brownsea Idea, roughly 20 boys joined Baden-Powell on this trip. The trip was designed to test out Baden-Powells ideas for his new book, to allow boys to learn new skills and try activities such as cooking, camping and woodcraft. Each night the boys would sit around a camp fire and hear Baden-Powell's Stories of his adventures and travels.
The camp was a success and in relation to his upcoming book, Baden-Powell went on a book tour to help promote his new book. This officially began the boys scouting movement and after its official release in 1908, thousands of boys around the U.K. joined the scouts. This book became one of the bestselling books of the 20th Century.
The book didn't just catch the attention of boys, and this is where the Girlguiding movement started. Across the country the boys began to organise themselves in troops, naming themselves the 'Boy Scouts' and girls across the country also began to form patrols, calling themselves the 'Girl Scouts'.
In September 1909 Baden-Powell had set up the first 'Boy Scout Rally', this took place at Crystal Palace in London with rough 11000 boys attending along with a number of girls. The girls who attended the rally didn't just represent that handful that turned up to Crystal Palace, they were representing hundreds of other girls who wanted to be apart of scouting too. The girls in attendance prompted Baden-Powell to include girls and young women into the Scouting Movement.
The Girl Scouts had a mixed reaction, as at the time women were still fighting for equal rights, with 'The Boy Scouts Headquarters Gazette' themselves being quoted to have said "If a girl is not allowed to run, or even hurry, to swim, ride a bike, or raise her arms above her head, how can she become a Scout?", with this being said, the Girl Scouts were still officially registered with the Scouts Organisation and welcomed, especially by Baden-Powell who had stated on multiple occasions that women were capable scouts. The rule book details fixed to include the official girls scout uniform, with over 6000 girls officially registering.
Sadly, only a few weeks later, the Scouting HQ decided that the girls were no longer welcome as part of the Scouting Movement. Critics of the Girl Scouts were calling them 'Mischievous', 'foolish and pernicious' and the movement an 'idiotic sport'. It was decided that a new organisation should be set up and specifically be aimed at the girls. By November a new idea was published for the Girl Scouts, what would be later named 'Girl Guides'.
Officially set up in 1910, Baden-Powell formed the new organisation. Knowing that the 6000 girls from the Girl Scouts were ready to join the new movement he needed to think of a name. Baden-Powell was inspired by his travels too India with the term 'Guides'. Guides in India was a term for men who had operated in the North West Frontier who's main task was to go on dangerous expeditions, who were constantly training themselves in mind, body and spirit. With this in mind Baden-Powell believed that the 'Girl Guides' would be a fitting name for a group of young pioneering women.
With a name in place, Robert Baden-Powell asked his sister Agnes is she would be able to look after and run the new girls movement, to which she agreed, thus beginning the official Girl Guides Association.
References
Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell | Biography & Facts | Britannica
By Container: Encyclopædia Britannica Year: 2021 URL: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-Stephenson-Smyth-Baden-Powell-1st-Baron-Baden-Powell
Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell
By Wikipedia Contributors Container: Wikipedia Publisher: Wikimedia Foundation Year: 2021 URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Baden-Powell,_1st_Baron_Baden-Powell
Scouting for Boys - ScoutWiki
By Container: Scoutwiki.org Year: 2016 URL: https://en.scoutwiki.org/Scouting_for_Boys
Boy Scout Rally at Crystal Palace, 4 th September 1909.
By Taylor Container: ResearchGate Publisher: ResearchGate Year: 2011 URL: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Boy-Scout-Rally-at-Crystal-Palace-4-th-September-1909_fig7_233023937
Girlguiding History
By Container: Girlguiding-edinburgh.org.uk Year: 2021 URL: http://www.girlguiding-edinburgh.org.uk/about-us/100-years.html
Our history
By Container: WAGGGS Year: 2012 URL: https://www.wagggs.org/en/about-us/our-history/
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