The Scouts (Shire Library)

The boy scout movement, started by Lieutenant General Baden-Powell (1857 - 1941) in 1907, has had an enduring impact on British society, providing boys from the age of six upwards with 'instruction in good citizenship.' Using scout archive material, original photographs, advertisements, objects and personal recollections, this book traces the history of the scouting movement from its roots in the Edwardian era when Baden-Powell ran an experimental camp held at Brownsea Island, Dorset attended by a handful of boys. Moving through the decades, the story unfolds of a movement which is a multicultural, multinational phenomenon with some 500,000 young people (including 60,000 girls) between the ages of 6 and 25 in the UK and 28 million young people participating in scouting across 216 countries. Within the memory of many today, the author brings the story to life with the personal recollections of cubs and scouts who were active members in the post-war period, adding a truly nostalgic dimension to the book.