Olave Baden-Powell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Lady Baden-Powell
|
|
|---|---|
Lady Baden-Powell, Chief Guide
|
|
| Born | 22 February 1889 |
| Died | 25 June 1977 (aged 88) Bramley, Surrey, England, United Kingdom
|
| Occupation | Guiding and Scouting |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children |
|
| Parent(s) |
|
Olave St Clair Baden-Powell (born Olave Soames; 22 February 1889 – 25 June 1977) was a very important leader in the Girl Guide movement. She was the first Chief Guide for Britain. She was also the wife of Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, who founded Scouting and helped start the Girl Guides.
Olave became the Chief Guide for Britain in 1918. Later, in 1930, she was chosen as the World Chief Guide. She helped the Guide and Girl Scout movements grow all over the world. She visited 111 countries during her life. In 1932, King George V gave her a special award called the Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire.
Contents
Olave's Early Life & Family
Olave Soames was born in Chesterfield, England, on February 22, 1889. She was the youngest daughter of Harold Soames, who owned a brewery and was also an artist. Her mother was Katherine Mary Hill.
Olave was taught at home by her parents and several teachers. She moved many times as a child, living in seventeen different homes by the time she was 23. Olave loved outdoor sports. She enjoyed tennis, swimming, football, skating, and canoeing. She also played the violin.
Her brother, Arthur Granville Soames, had a son named Christopher Soames. Christopher later married Mary Churchill, who was the youngest daughter of Sir Winston Churchill.
Olave's Adult Life
Marriage to Robert Baden-Powell
.jpg)
In January 1912, Olave met Robert Baden-Powell on a ship. Robert was the founder of the Scouts. They were both traveling to New York. Olave was 23 years old, and Robert was 55. They also shared the same birthday, February 22.
They got engaged in September 1912, which was big news. They married quietly on October 30, 1912, in her local church.
Scouts and Guides in England collected money to buy the Baden-Powells a car as a wedding gift. Olave's father also helped them buy a family home called Pax Hill in Bentley, Hampshire. They lived there from 1919 to 1938.
Their Children
Olave and Robert Baden-Powell had three children:
- Peter Baden-Powell (1913–1962): He became the 2nd Baron Baden-Powell after his father died. He had two sons and a daughter.
- Heather Grace Baden-Powell (1915–1986): She married John Hall King and had two sons.
- Betty St. Clair Baden-Powell (1917–2004): She also met her husband, Gervas Charles Robert Clay, on a ship. Betty was very active in the Guide Movement in Northern Rhodesia and later in England. She had a daughter and three sons.
Olave also took in her three nieces, Christian, Clare, and Yvonne, after her sister died in 1919. She raised them as her own children.
Helping During World War I
During 1915 and 1916, when World War I was happening, Olave helped soldiers in France. She worked in special huts that offered recreation for soldiers. Robert Baden-Powell had seen how useful these huts were.
Olave went to France in October 1915, even though her second child was only five months old. In the hut, she served hot cocoa and cigarettes. She also talked with the soldiers and played her violin for them. She even adopted some stray animals while she was there. Olave had to return home in January due to illness.
Growing Role in Guiding
Olave and Robert moved to Ewhurst Place in Sussex in 1913. Soon after, the first Ewhurst Scout Troop was started. Olave became the Scoutmaster for this troop. She often went with Robert on his Scouting trips and helped him with his letters.
At first, Olave's offer to help the Girl Guides in 1914 was not accepted. The Girl Guide movement had been started by Robert and his sister Agnes Baden-Powell. After the Girl Guides were reorganized in 1915, Olave offered to help again, and this time she was successful. She began organizing Guiding in Sussex.
In March 1916, she became the County Commissioner for Sussex. By October 1916, other leaders asked Olave to become the Chief Commissioner. In 1918, she was given the title of Chief Guide, which she preferred.
Global Recognition & Awards
In 1932, King George V gave Olave the Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire for her volunteer work. She also received awards from other countries, like the Order of the White Rose of Finland and the Order of the Sun from Peru.
In 1957, she received the Bronze Wolf award, which is the highest honor in world Scouting. She also received the Golden Pheasant Award from the Scout Association of Japan.
Olave's Personal Flag
The Girl Guides in the UK gave Olave Baden-Powell a special personal flag. It was designed to show her role as Chief Guide of the World. The flag was blue with a gold trefoil (the Guide symbol). It also had two small globes showing maps of the world. There were silver waves with ships and dolphins, and the Gold Fish symbol of the Chief Guide. The flag also included the Baden-Powell and Girl Guide mottos.
Life After Robert's Death
In October 1938, Olave and Robert moved to Kenya. Robert died there on January 8, 1941. After his death, Olave received thousands of letters from people sending their sympathy. She was helped by a friend, Bertha Hines, to reply to all of them.
During World War II
In 1942, Olave bravely returned to the UK during World War II, even though there were dangers from German submarines. Her home, Pax Hill, was being used by the Canadian military. She was given a special apartment at Hampton Court Palace, where she lived from 1943 to 1976.
During the war, she traveled around the United Kingdom. Her apartment at Hampton Court was damaged by a V2 missile in 1944. As soon as she could after D-Day, she went to France and toured Europe. She helped to restart Guiding and Scouting in countries affected by the war.
After World War II
Olave led the Guide Movement around the world for forty years. She traveled everywhere to help set up and encourage Guiding in other countries. Thanks to her efforts, membership grew to over six and a half million worldwide. In 1962, she was in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the American Girl Scouts.
In 1961, she had a heart attack in Australia. In 1970, at age 80, her doctor told her to stop traveling because she had diabetes.
The Boy Scouts of America gave Olave a credit card in 1968 to help with her travel costs. When she stopped traveling, they asked her to use it to "keep in touch." She used it to send over 2,000 Christmas cards to people she knew.
Olave died on June 25, 1977, in Bramley, Surrey. Her ashes were taken to Kenya to be buried in the same grave as her husband.
Olave's Legacy
The Olave Centre for Guides was built in north London to remember Olave. It includes the World Bureau and Pax Lodge, which is one of the five World Centres of the WAGGGS.
Scouts and Guides celebrate February 22 as B.-P. Day or World Thinking Day. This day marks the shared birthdays of Robert and Olave Baden-Powell. It's a time to remember and celebrate their work for Scouting and Guiding around the world. In 2011, a special plaque was put up in Chesterfield, where Olave lived, to honor her.
The Olave Baden-Powell Bursary Fund was started in 1979. It gives money to girls in Girlguiding UK to help them follow their interests and achieve their dreams.
As a child, Olave learned to play the violin. Her first violin, which she called Diana, was later given to the Guide Association. Guides who are learning the violin can still borrow it today.
In Australia, a special "Ice-cream Fund" was started. The idea was, "When you buy an ice-cream, buy one also for the Chief Guide." This fund raises money every year, which is sent to Olave to help different Guiding causes. For example, some money was used to buy doors for new Guide buildings.
See also
In Spanish: Olave Saint Claire Soames para niños
