Volume 51 Number 6

England. Although meant as a training manual for Sixteen-year old Boy 1st Class Cornwell was a member soldiers, Aids was eagerly received by a much wider of a gun crew aboard the HMS Chester during the Battle audience. When Baden-Powell returned to England in of Jutland. Although mortally wounded himself, and with 1903, he found thatAids was being used as a handbook the remaining crew dead or wounded, the teenager calmly by youth leaders and teachers throughout the country. remained at the gun awaiting orders until the end of the Baden-Powell’s renown and the popularity of Aids soon battle. Cornwell’s courage is memorialized by ’s resulted in invitations to speak at youth rallies and Cornwell Award. The Cornwell Award recognizes high meetings. In 1904, Baden-Powell was invited by the character and devotion to duty coupled with gallantry or founder of the Boy’s Brigade, Sir William A. Smith, to be great endurance. the reviewing officer at the Brigade’s annual inspection. During the review, Smith asked Baden-Powell if he During September 1919, Baden-Powell organized and would prepare a revised version of Aids that would directed the first Scoutmasters’ training encampment, specifically appeal to boys and encourage good citizen- which was held outside of London in Gilwell Park. Upon ship. Baden-Powell agreed, but first he wanted to test his completion of training, Baden-Powell gave each man a scouting ideas for boys. In August 1907, Baden-Powell wood bead from the necklace of the Zulu chief Dinizulu took twenty-two boys from London to an experimental that he had obtained dmfng his 1888 tour in South encampment on Brownsea Island, which turned out to be Africa. Since then, a consisting of two wood a huge success. The same year, Baden-Powell authored beads stnmg on a leather thong signifies completion of six booklets called that were based on advanced training for leaders, and the training itself his earlier Aids, and in January 1908 he began publishing became -known as the Wood Badge Course. a new booklet every two weeks. The first scouting was held at Richmond in Baden-Powell had written the successful booklets with no London in 1920 with 6,000 scouts from various nations intention of starting a new youth organization. However, in attendance. On the final day of the jamboree, Baden- boys began forming their own patrols; and at this stage, Powell was proclaimed Chief Scout of the World. In Baden-Powell, now a Lieutenant General, had to decide 1929, he was conferred a peerage and became Lord between his army career or a new career in scouting. Baden-Powell of Gilwell after the site of the first Scout- Baden-Powell chose scouting, and it is said that his masters’ training encampment. decision was influenced by King Edward VII, who advised Baden-Powell that he would be of greatest use to Following a serious illness in 1934, Baden-Powell began the nation by promoting scouting. By the force of his curbing his activities. In 1938, he retired to Kenya, where personality and by exemplifying in his own life the prin- he died peacefully in his sleep on 8 January 1941 at the ciples of conduct that he established for individual scouts, age of 83. Baden-Powell was buried within sight of Baden-Powell was able to weld diverse youth groups into Mount Kenya. His headstone simply bears the words a unified, worldwide movement. "Robert Baden-Powell, Chief Scout of the World" beneath the Boy Scout and Girl Gtfide badges. In 1909, King Edward knighted Baden-Powell at Bal- moral Castle. Three years later, Baden-Powell married After Baden-Powell’s death, an unpublished message was Olave Soames, who became the mother of his three found among his papers that is now called "Lord Baden- children as well as an important contributor to the Powell’s Last Message." The final paragraph of this scouting movement. When Lady Olave Baden-Powell message is quoted below because it explains the true died in 1977, she was known throughout scouting as the meaning of his famous prescription "Be prepared," which World Chief Guide. still applies today within the scouting movement.

Scouting did not end during World War I, but many "Butthe real way to get happiness is by giving out happiness youths left the movement to join in the fighting. Some to other people. Try to leave this world a little better titan 150,000 ex-scouts served in the British forces, and more you found it and when your turn comes to die, you can die than 10,000 were killed in action. These ex-scouts happy in the feeling that at any rate you have not wasted earned numerous decorations for gallantry, including your time but have done your besL ’Be Prepared’ in this way, to live happy and to die happy - stick to your Scout eleven Victoria Crosses (VC). Perhaps the best known promise always - even after you have ceased to be a boy - ex-scout VC recipient is John (Jack) Travers Cornwell. and God help you do

20 The Journal of the Orders and Medals Society of America

Appendix - The Honors of Lord Baden-Powell

1 I. King’s South Africa Medal (1900) 12. George V Coronation Medal (1911) 13. George V Jubilee Medal (1935) 14. George VI Coronation Medal (1937)

Foreign Awards

15. Afghanistan - Star of the Order of Amanulla (1928) 16. Austria - Grand Cross of the Order of Merit (1931) 17. Belgium - Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Cro .wn (1921) 18. Czechoslovakia - Grand Cross of the Order of the White Lion (1929) 19. Chile - Order of Merit (1910) 20. Denmark - Grand Cross of the Order of Danneborg (1921) 21. Estonia - Order of the Red Cross (1933) 22. France-Grand Cordon of the Legion of Honor (1922, upgraded 1936) 23. Greece - Order of the Phoenix 24. Greece - Grand Commander of the Order of the Re- deemer (1920) 25. Hungary - First Class of the Order of Merit (1929) 26. Latvia - Grand Cross of the Order of the Three Stars 27. Lithuania - Grand Cross of the Order of Gedimmas (1932) 28. Luxembourg - Commander of the Order of the Oaken Crown (1933)

During a visit to Canada in 1930, Baden-Powell presented 29. Monaco - Order of Merit to the 1st Manitoba Mounted Rifles an autographed repro- 30. Netherlands - Grand Cross of the Order of Orange- duction of his portrait held in England by the officers of the Nassau (1932) 13th/18th Hussars. Baden-Pmvell was an Honorary Colonel 31. Poland - Order of Polonia Restituta of the 1st Manitoba Mounted Rifle Regiment 32. Portugal - Grand Commander of the Order of Christ (1920) British ODMs 33. Romania - Order of Merit 34. Spain - Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Alfonso 1. Order of Merit (1937) XII (1919) 2. Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael and 35. Sweden - Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword St. George (1928) (1933) 3. Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order 36. Knight of Grace of St. John of Jerusalem (1912) (1909, upgraded 1923) 37. Wateler Peace Prize (1937) 4. Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (1901, upgraded 1909) Scouting Awards 5. Created Baronet (1921) 6. Created Baron Baden-Powell of Gilwell (1929) 38. Silver Wolf (British Scouting Association) 7. Knight of Grace of St. John of Jerusalem (1912) 39. Silver Buffalo ( of America) 8. Ashanti Star (1895) 40. Bronze Wolf (World Scouting Organization) 9. Matebele Campaign Medal (1896-1897) 10. Queen’s South Africa Medal (1899)

21 Volume 51 Number 6

Governor John K. Tener and the Messina Earthquake Medal to Pennsylvania

Gerald J. Gallagher, OMSA No. 4312

he history of Messina, on the northeastern coast of T Sicily, has been aptly described as a series of di- sasters. Originally settled about 1000 BCE, the city has borne the weight of both political and natural turmoil. On 28 December 1908, an earthquake followed by a tidal wave killed 80,000 of the city’s population of 120,000 and caused damage as well in the southern province of Calabria.

Most collectors are familiar with the Messina Earthquake Medal, which was established by Royal Decree No. 79 of 20 February 1910 to recognize those who participated in the international relief effort following the earthquake.~ The silver badge of the medal bears the profile of King Victor Emmanuel ]II (1869-1947) on the obverse and the inscription MEDAGLIA/COMMEMO RATIVAFFERRE- MOTO/CALABRO-SICULO/28 DICEMBRE/1908 on the reverse. The ribbon of the medal is green with a white stripe in the center and at each edge. Less well known is a v~ety of the medal that was awarded to eleven Amer- ican states in recognition of the role played by the citizens of these states in the relief effort. The inscription on the reverse of this medal is TERREMOTO 28 DICEMBRE 1908 IN CALABRIA E IN SICILIA, and the ribbon of the medal omits the white center stripe. Besides the state awards, a medal with a gold badge was presented to President William Howard Taft.

The "Keystone State" of Pennsylvania was one of the states honored by the special award of the Messina Earth- quake Medal by the Kingdom of Italy.~- In 1911, the med- als and a diploma for each medal were forwarded to the states by the U.S. Ambassador in Rome through the Department of State. Accepting for Pennsylvania was John Kinley Tener, then the twenty-sixth Governor of the Commonwealth.

1 The classic study of this award is "The Messina Earthquake, 1908. American and Other Non-British Recipients of the Italian Commem- orative Medal" by Jack Boddington, which appeared in the 1998 OMRS The Miscellany of Honours, This is an update of his earlier study published in The Medal Collector (see the bibliography).

2 General Issue Messina Earthquake Medal The other states receiving the medal were Colorado, Connecticut, Top - Obverse, Bottom - Reverse Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, New York, Rhode Island, Texas, and Wisconsin.

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