Sir Francis Fletcher-Vane, 5th Baronet facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir
Francis Fletcher-Vane
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| Born | 16 October 1861 Dublin, Ireland |
| Died | 10 June 1934 (aged 72) London, England |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |
British Army |
| Years of service | 1883-1904, 1914-1916 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | Worcester Militia Scots Guards Submarine Mining, RE |
| Commands held | Captain in 26th Middlesex Cyclists |
| Battles/wars | Second Boer War Defence at Portobello Barracks in Dublin, Easter Rising |
| Relations | Ancestor: Sir Henry Vane the Elder |
| Other work | Writer; politician; Grand Scoutmaster, British Boy Scouts; founded Italian Scout Movement and Order of World Scouts |
Sir Francis Fletcher-Vane (born October 16, 1861 – died June 10, 1934) was an important British military officer. He was born in Dublin, Ireland. Francis also became the 5th Baronet of Hutton. This happened after his cousin, Sir Henry Ralph Fletcher-Vane, passed away.
Sir Francis was an early helper of Robert Baden-Powell, who started the Scout Movement. Francis was the Scout Commissioner for London. However, Baden-Powell later removed him from his organization. After this, Fletcher-Vane started his own group called the Order of World Scouts. This was one of the first international scouting groups. He is also known for helping start scouting in Italy.
As a military officer, he showed great courage. During the 1916 Easter Rising in Ireland, he helped report serious actions by an officer under his command. In 2016, Ireland honored Sir Francis on a postage stamp. This was to remember his strong character during those difficult times.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Francis Vane was born in Dublin in 1861. His father was Lieutenant Frederick Henry Fletcher-Vane. His mother was Rosalind Moore.
He grew up in Sidmouth, England. He went to Charterhouse School. In 1876, Vane joined the Oxford Military College.
Military Service and Courage
After military college, Vane joined the Worcester Militia. He also served with the Scots Guards. For a time, he worked with the Submarine Mining section of the Royal Engineers. This was between 1883 and 1888.
In 1886, he started living at Toynbee Hall in East London. He also began a 'Working Boys Cadet Corps' that same year. In 1888, he became a captain. He served in the Second Boer War from 1899 to 1902. During this war, he was made a magistrate in 1902. He was later removed from this role. He wrote a pamphlet in 1903. It was called "The War and One Year After." In it, he criticized the British way of fighting. After another pamphlet, he left the military.
His Role in Ireland
When World War I began, Vane rejoined the Army. He became a Major and helped recruit soldiers. He was sent to Ireland.
During the Easter Uprising in 1916, Vane showed great bravery. He was in command of the defenses at Cathal Brugha Barracks in Dublin. He learned that an officer, Captain Bowen-Colthurst, had ordered the shooting of unarmed civilians. This included a well-known peace activist, Francis Sheehy-Skeffington. The officer had also killed an unarmed teenager.
Vane ordered these serious incidents to be reported. He told his commanders and the British high command. However, his superiors tried to hide the events. They removed him from his command. Vane then went to London directly. He met with important leaders, including Lord Kitchener. He wanted to make sure the truth came out.
Because of Vane's actions, Captain Bowen-Colthurst was arrested. He was charged with serious offenses. A military court found him guilty but stated he was not mentally well. He was sent to a special hospital.
Even though Vane did the right thing, his superior officer gave a negative report about him. This led to Vane being dismissed from the army before August 1916.
Life Between Military Roles
From 1902 to 1904, Vane worked as a reporter. He wrote for newspapers like the Daily News and the Manchester Guardian. He reported from South Africa.
He also ran for political office. He was a candidate for the Liberal Party in 1906. He did not win the election. From 1907 to 1912, he was involved in groups that worked for peace and women's voting rights. He also wrote two books during this time.
His Work in Scouting
By 1909, Vane was the London Scout Commissioner for the Boy Scouts. He believed that Scouting should be about peace, not military training. He helped bring together the British Boy Scouts (BBS) and Baden-Powell's organization. The BBS had formed because they felt Baden-Powell's group was becoming too military.
Vane wanted the Boy Scouts to be more democratic. But Baden-Powell's staff removed him from his position. Many London Scoutmasters supported Sir Francis. However, Baden-Powell did not give him back his role. On December 3, 1909, Vane became the president of the British Boy Scouts. Many London Scout Troops joined him. Quaker groups also followed him. Vane helped Quaker meeting houses sponsor Scout Troops.
In February 1910, Vane helped the Boy's Life Brigade (BLB) join the British Boy Scouts. They formed a group called The National Peace Scouts. At this time, the BBS had 45,000 Scouts. The BLB had 40,000 members.
Vane had a summer home in Italy. This helped him start the Scouting Movement there. He launched the Ragazzi Esploratori Italiani in 1910. In 1911, he also helped start a French Scouting organization.
As the British Boy Scouts grew worldwide, Vane created an international group. It was first called the Legion of World Scouts in 1911. Then, on November 11, 1911, it became the Order of World Scouts. Vane became the Grand Scout Master of this new organization.
Vane used his own money to support these groups. He provided a headquarters in London. He also paid for the organization and even the making of BBS uniforms. This cost him so much that he had to declare bankruptcy in 1912. Because of this, the British Boy Scouts lost their headquarters and their leader. Vane still stayed involved with the remaining BBS groups.
After World War I, Vane returned to Italy. He found that the Italian Boy Scouts he started had mostly joined another group. This was the National Scouts Corps. Some joined the Catholic Association of Scouts (ASCI) in 1916. He worked with the ASCI group. He tried to get Baden-Powell to accept the ASCI into the World Organization of the Scout Movement. He also tried to reunite the BBS with the Boy Scouts Association. Neither of these efforts worked.
In 1927, he left Italy. The Fascist government there was stopping the Italian Scouting Movement. They favored their own youth group, the Opera Nazionale Balilla (ONB).
Family Life
Sir Francis became a Baronet in 1908. This happened after his cousin, Sir Henry Ralph Fletcher-Vane, passed away.
He married his first wife, Anna Oliphant da Costa Ricci, in 1888. She passed away in 1922. In 1889, Vane became a Knight Commander of the Order of Christ (Portugal). He married his second wife, Kathleen Crosbie, in 1927. Sir Francis passed away in 1934 at the age of 72. He spent his last year in poor health in a London hospital.
