Olave St Clair Baden-Powell, Baroness Baden-Powell,
GBEThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions...
(22 February 1889 – 25 June 1977) was born
Olave St Clair Soames in Chesterfield, England. She was later known as
Olave, Lady Baden-Powell, or
The Dowager Lady Baden-Powell, having outlived her husband,
Robert Baden-PowellRobert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell OM, GCMG, GCVO, KCB , also known as B-P or Lord Baden-Powell, was a lieutenant-general in the British Army, writer, and founder of the Scout Movement.After having been educated at Charterhouse School, Baden-Powell served in the British...
, the founder of
ScoutingScouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, so that they may play constructive roles in society....
and Girl Guides, by over 35 years.
Olave became Chief Guide for Britain in 1918. Later the same year she was presented with a gold
Silver FishThe Silver Fish is the highest adult award in Girlguiding UK. It is awarded for outstanding service to Girlguiding UK combined with service to world Guiding...
, one of only two ever made. She was elected World Chief Guide in 1930. As well as making a major contribution to the development of the Guide / Girl Scout movements, she visited 111 countries during her life attending Jamborees and national Guide and Scout associations.
Early life
Olave was the third and youngest daughter of
breweryA brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made in the home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
owner and artist Harold Soames (himself descended paternally from a
landed gentryLanded gentry is a traditional British social class consisting of "gentlemen" in the original sense; that is, those who owned land in the form of country estates to such an extent that they were not required to actively work, except in an administrative capacity on their own lands...
family, and maternally from a self-made man, Joseph Gilstrap Gelthorpe, who had been Mayor of Newark in
NottinghamshireNottinghamshire is an English county in the East Midlands, which borders South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Derbyshire...
). She was educated by her father, her mother Katharine (née Hill), and a number of governesses at home. Home repeatedly changed, as her father searched for the perfect home, leading Olave to live in seventeen homes in the first 23 years of her life. Olave became keen on outdoor sports including tennis, swimming, football, skating and canoeing, and also played the violin.
Marriage and children
In January 1912, Olave met
Second Boer WarThe Second Boer War , commonly referred to as The Boer War and also known as the South African War , the Anglo-Boer War and in Afrikaans as the Anglo-Boereoorlog or Tweede Vryheidsoorlog , or the Engelse oorlog was fought...
hero and founder of the Scouts, Robert Baden-Powell on an ocean liner (RMSP
Arcadian) on the way to
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to start one of his Scouting World Tours. She was 23, he 55, and they shared the same birthday. They became engaged in September of the same year, causing a media sensation. To avoid press intrusion, they married in secret on 30 October 1912.
The Scouts and Guides of England each donated a penny to buy the Baden-Powells a wedding gift of a car. (Note that this is not the
Rolls-RoyceA Rolls-Royce car may refer to vehicles produced by:*Rolls-Royce Limited *Rolls-Royce Motors , which was owned by Vickers between 1980 and 1998, and after that by Volkswagen...
they were presented with in 1929). Olave's father assisted financially with the purchase of
Pax HillPax Hill, near Bentley, Hampshire, England, was the family home of Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Scout movement, and his wife, Olave, for over twenty years during the 20th century. It is located at the end of a half-mile drive, off the main A31 road....
near
Bentley, HampshireBentley is a village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England.The village is located just off the A31 road between Farnham in Surrey and Alton, being about five miles west of Farnham and six miles east of Alton...
as a family home where she lived with her husband from 1918 until 1939.
The Baden-Powells had three children — one son and two daughters (who took the courtesy titles of Honourable in 1929; the son later succeeding his father in 1941):
- Arthur Robert Peter
Arthur Robert Peter Baden-Powell, 2nd Baron Baden-Powell, FRSA was the son of Lieutenant-General Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting, and Olave St. Clair Soames...
, later 2nd Baron Baden-Powell (1913–1962),
- Hon. Heather Baden-Powell (1915–1986), and
- Hon. Betty Baden-Powell
Betty Clay CBE , born Betty St Clair Baden-Powell, was an international leader in Scouting and Guiding. She was the third and last child of Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting, and Olave Baden-Powell, World Chief Guide...
(1917–2004) who married 1936 Gervase Charles Robert Clay (b. 1912), and had 3 sons and 1 daughter. She was also prominent in the Scouting Movement until her death.
War work
During 1915 and 1916, with
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
in progress, Olave assisted directly with the war effort in
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
. Robert had seen the usefulness of the
YMCAThe Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide movement of more than 45 million members from 124 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs....
's recreational huts for the soldiers and persuaded the
Mercers' CompanyThe Worshipful Company of Mercers is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. It was incorporated under a Royal Charter in 1394. Its aim was to act as a trade association for general merchants, and especially for exporters of wool and importers of velvet, silk and other luxurious fabrics...
to pay for such a hut at Val-de-Lievres,
CalaisCalais is a town in northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture...
. It was to be staffed by adults connected with Scouting. Olave was one of the team of five men and three women that staffed the hut at the start. She persuaded her mother to look after the children for time she would be away.
Olave left for France on 7 October 1915. Her regular work in the Mercers' hut included serving
cocoaHot chocolate is a heated beverage that typically consists of shaved chocolate or cocoa powder, heated milk or water, and sugar...
and
cigaretteA cigarette is a product consumed through smoking and manufactured out of cured and finely cut tobacco leaves and reconstituted tobacco, often combined with other additives, then rolled or stuffed into a paper-wrapped cylinder...
s and chatting to those who came in. She also recalled in her autobiography playing her
violinThe violin is a bowed string instrument with four strings usually tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest and highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which also includes the viola and cello....
and singing at the Christmas Concert. Olave also adopted a number of stray animals during her time in Val-de-Lievres.
During this time, Robert had organised the Scouts to sponsor another recreational hut. Olave and two others started this hut at
EtaplesÉtaples or Étaples-sur-Mer is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. It is a fishing and leisure port on the Canche river.-History:...
after Christmas 1915. At the end of January, Olave was ordered home due to sickness, ending her three months in France.
Growing involvement in Scouting
Olave and Robert moved into Ewhurst Place, outside
RobertsbridgeRobertsbridge is a village in East Sussex, England within the civil parish of Salehurst and Robertsbridge. It is approximately ten miles north of Hastings and thirteen miles south-east of Tunbridge Wells...
in
SussexSussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is a historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
in April 1913. In June of that year, the 1st Ewhurst Scout Troop was inaugurated. Olave was the warranted Scoutmaster of this troop, assisted by the family's housemaid and the gardener. Olave accompanied Robert on many of his Scouting tours and to events. She also typed letters for him. In 1915, the Baden-Powell's bought a small car, and after Robert taught her to drive, Olave often drove him to engagements.
Although most famously connected with the Girl Guides, Olave's first offer to help them in 1914 was turned down. After the reorganisation of the Girl Guides in 1915, she offered again to help, this time successfully and started organising Guiding in Sussex. She became the County Commissioner for Sussex in March 1916. In October 1916, the first conference for County Commissioners was held and it was here that the Commissioners unanimously requested that Olave take the role of Chief Commissioner. During this period she organised a great number of women in other parts of Britain to take up roles in Guiding. In 1918, Olave was acclaimed Chief Guide, a title she much preferred to Chief Commissioner. At the Swanwick conference for Commissioners in October 1918, she was presented with a gold version of the
Silver FishThe Silver Fish is the highest adult award in Girlguiding UK. It is awarded for outstanding service to Girlguiding UK combined with service to world Guiding...
, sometimes referred to as a Gold Fish.
In 1932, she was awarded the Dame Grand Cross of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (
GBEThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions...
) by
King George VGeorge V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 1910 through World War I until his death in 1936...
.
Standard
Olave Baden-Powell was presented with a personal standard by the UK Girl Guide's County Commissioners. It was designed by Mrs Zigomala. Miss Kay-Shuttleworth supervised the making of the standard.
The Standard of Lady Baden-Powell, Chief Guide of the World, is blue (azure) from the hoistThe design and description of flags typically uses specialised flag terminology with precise and technical meanings, and is hence a form of jargon.-Description of standard flag parts and terms:...
to the flyThe design and description of flags typically uses specialised flag terminology with precise and technical meanings, and is hence a form of jargon.-Description of standard flag parts and terms:...
. Nearest the hoist is the gold (orIn heraldry, Or is the tincture of gold and, together with argent , belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". In engravings and line drawings, it may be represented using a field of evenly spaced dots...
) trefoil; then come two small hemispheres, showing a coloured map of the world, indicating her post as Chief Guide. These are placed high to the left of the main fly, which is divided throughout its length by two silver (argentIn heraldry, argent is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures, called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it...
) waves, amongst which are shown three ships with black hulls and white sails, four dolphins and the Gold Fish of the Chief Guide. Then between two red (gulesIn heraldry, gules is the tincture with the colour red, and belongs to the class of dark tinctures called "colours". In engraving, it is sometimes depicted as a region of vertical lines or else marked with gu. as an abbreviation....
) motto bands on which are embroidered the Baden-Powell and Girl Guide mottoes in gold letters, there is a section alluding to the outdoor life, showing white tents on a green (vertIn heraldry, vert is the name of a tincture roughly equivalent to the colour "green". It is one of the five dark tinctures . Vert is portrayed in black and white engravings by lines at a 45 degree angle from upper left to lower right, or indicated by the use of vt. as an abbreviation.Though the...
) field. In the extreme fly the Baden-Powell crests are embroidered.
Death of Robert Baden-Powell
In October 1939, Olave moved to
NyeriNyeri is a town in Kenya, and the administrative headquarters of the country's Central Province.The town is situated about 150 km north of Kenya's capital, Nairobi, in the country's densely populated and fertile Central Highlands, lying between the eastern base of the Aberdare Range,...
,
KenyaThe Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. Lying along the Indian Ocean, at the equator, Kenya is bordered by Ethiopia , Somalia , Tanzania , Uganda plus Lake Victoria , and Sudan . The capital city is Nairobi. Kenya spans an area about 85% the size of France or Texas...
with her husband, where he died on January 8, 1941.
World War II
In 1942 she braved
U-boatU-boat is the anglicized version of the German word , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
attacks to return to a
grace and favourA grace and favour home is a residential property owned by a monarch by virtue of their position as head of state and leased rent-free to persons as part of an employment package or in gratitude for past services rendered....
apartment in
Hampton Court PalaceHampton Court Palace is a royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in south west London; it has not been lived in by the British royal family since the 18th century. The palace is located south west of Charing Cross and upstream of Central London on the River Thames...
(in which she lived from 1943 to 1976), since her own home, Pax Hill, had been taken over by the
CanadianCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
military. Through
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
she toured the United Kingdom. Fortunately she was on a visit when a
V2According to head of Nazi rocket program Walter Dornberger, the V-2 rocket was the world's first ballistic missile and first human artifact to achieve sub-orbital spaceflight. It was the progenitor of all modern rockets...
missile damaged her apartment in 1944. As soon as she could after
D-DayD-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
, she went to France, toured throughout
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
as the war ended to help revive Guiding and Scouting.
Post World War II
Having suffered a
heart attackMyocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, is the interruption of blood supply to part of the heart, causing some heart cells to die...
in 1961, she was finally banned from travelling at the age of 80 in 1970 when she was diagnosed with diabetes from which she eventually died.
In 1968 the
Boy Scouts of AmericaThe Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over four million youth members in its age-related divisions...
(BSA) had given Olave a
credit cardA credit card is part of a system of payments named after the small plastic card issued to users of the system. It is a card entitling its holder to buy goods and services based on the holder's promise to pay for these goods and services...
to defray her travel costs. When she stopped travelling, the BSA asked her to use the card for 'keeping in touch'. This included paying for the over 2000
Christmas cardA Christmas card is a greeting card sent as part of the traditional celebration of Christmas in order to convey between people a range of sentiments related to the Christmas season. Christmas cards are usually exchanged during the weeks preceding Christmas Day on December 25 by many people in...
s she sent to those personally known to her.
Olave died on 19 June 1977 at Birtley House,
BramleyBramley is a village and civil parish about three miles south of Guildford in the Borough of Waverley in Surrey, south east England. With a population of c.3,300 most of the parish lies in the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. There is evidence of iron age settlement in the area,...
in Surrey, UK. Her ashes were taken to Kenya to be placed next to her husband's. She was survived by her two daughters, her son having predeceased her.
Legacy
The Olave Centre for Guides was built in north
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
in Olave's memory. This has the World Bureau and
Pax LodgePax Lodge is the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts World Centre in London, England. It was opened in 1990 but was not the first World Centre in England. It was preceded by Olave House , named after Olave Baden-Powell which was preceded by Our Ark .Pax Lodge is located in historic...
in its grounds. Pax Lodge is one of WAGGGS' four World Centres.
Scouts and Guides mark February 22nd as B.-P. Day or Thinking Day, the joint birthdays of Robert and Olave Baden-Powell, to remember and celebrate the work of the Chief Scout and Chief Guide of the World.
The Olave Baden-Powell Bursary Fund was set up in 1979 from voluntary contributions in memory of Olave B-P. Annually awarded bursaries aim to allow girls in
Girlguiding UKGirlguiding UK is the national Guiding organisation of the United Kingdom. Guiding began in the UK in 1910 after Robert Baden-Powell asked his sister Agnes to start a group especially for girls that would be run along similar lines to Scouting for Boys. The Guide Association was a founder member of...
to further their interests and hobbies and realise their dreams.
External links