Description:

Robert Baden-Powell
Johannesburg, South Africa, May 26, 1902
Father of Boy Scouts Robert Baden-Powell Writes from Military Duty in South Africa
ALS
ROBERT BADEN-POWELL, Autograph Letter Signed, to A. E. Skeen, May 26, 1902, Johannesburg, South Africa. 1 p., 8" x 10.25". On "South African Constabulary" stationery; expected folds; scattered staining; very good.

In this brief letter from South Africa, Scouting founder Robert Baden-Powell thanks his correspondent for "football news."

The 1901-1902 season was the 31st season of competitive football in England. Sunderland won the First Division, which had eighteen teams, and West Bromwich Albion won the Second Division, which also had eighteen teams. On April 26, 1902, Sheffield United won the FA Cup final over Southampton at the Crystal Palace stadium in south London, after the teams tied a week earlier in the first final.

Excerpt
"Thank you very much for the interesting football news you have been so good as to send me."

Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell (1857-1941) was born in London, England, to an Oxford professor of geometry and his third wife. His father died in 1860, and Baden-Powell was educated in public schools, including Charterhouse. From 1876 to 1910, he served in the British Army in India, Malta, and Africa, rising to the rank of major-general. His 1899 book Aids to Scouting, though intended for the military, became very popular with teachers and youth organizations. His successful defense of the garrison in the Siege of Mafeking during the Second Boer War in South Africa made Baden-Powell a national hero. In 1901, he was given the responsibility of organizing the South African Constabulary, a colonial police force, but he was only in command for seven months before returning to Britain on sick leave. In 1907, he held an experimental camp on Brownsea Island to test his ideas for training boys in scouting. The success of the camp led to the rapid growth of the Scout movement. He wrote Scouting for Boys in 1908. In 1910, he retired from the Army and formed the Scout Association. That same year, he and his sister organized the Girl Guides Association. Baden-Powell gave guidance to the Scout Association for boys and the Girl Guides Association until retiring in 1937. In 1921, he was appointed baronet. He lived his final years in Kenya, where he died and was buried.

Alfred Edwin Skeen (1869-1925) was born in Stratford, Essex, England. In 1901, he was a metal worker in Bexley, Kent, and in 1911, he was a florist living there.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 8" x 10.25"
  • Medium: ALS

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