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Scouting at the Olympics Boy Scouts and Girl Guides As Olympic Volunteers 1912-1998* ------Roland Renson —

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Scouting at the Olympics Boy Scouts and Girl Guides As Olympic Volunteers 1912-1998* ------Roland Renson — Scouting at the Olympics Boy Scouts and Girl Guides as Olympic Volunteers 1912-1998* -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Roland Renson — n 1894, Pierre de Coubertin created the modern I Olympic movement and Robert Baden-Powell founded the Boy Scout movement in 1908. Both were educational innovators and creators of universal movements, which aspired to international peace and brotherhood. Although both men were convinced patriots, they shared common ideas about idealistic internationalism. Several idealis­ tic international movements made their appearance in the fin de siècle period, namely the Red Cross (1863), the Esperanto movement (1887), the Olympic movement (1894) and Scouting (1907). The Olympic movement and the Scouting movement were originally exclusively male organizations, which adopted the ideology of chivalry as Pierre de Coubertin (1863-1937) founded the modern Olympic movement the basis for establishing an idealized transnational iden­ in 1894 and - which is little known - the 'neutral' scout federation Eclaireurs tity (Hoberman 1995). Coubertin was cofounder in 1910 Français in France in 1911 (Painting by Gaétan de Navacelle, courtesy of - with the physicist and winner of the 1908 Nobel-Prize Comité National Olympique et Sportif Français, Paris, in Müller 2000:5). Gabriel Lippmann - of the Ligue d’Education National, the forerunner of the French Boy Scouts and one year later, he founded the neutral’ scouting organization Eclaireurs Français (EF) in 1911 (Kruger 1980). Baden-Powell - like many other Edwardians - was haunted by fears that the British race was deteriorating, both physically and morally, and he therefore promoted outdoor life and the British ideology of sportsmanship, which was also absorbed by Coubertin (Brendon 1979: 239; Rosenthal 1986: 10; 31). John Hoberman (1995) has pointed at the striking similarities between the movements of Lord Baden-Powell and Baron Pierre de Coubertin. Both movements made their universal, apolitical, non- racial and nonmilitary philosophy very clear, even though The French neutral Boy Scouts federation, les Eclaireurs Français, was founded in 1911 by Pierre de Coubertin.They had a helmeted Celtic warrior neither founder was a true pacifist. Baden-Powell, who as emblem and "Sans peur" (Without fear) as motto. did not continue to Oxford or Cambridge after leaving Charterhouse School in 1876, served in the British Army till 1910 and became an acclaimed professional soldier. After having received a classicist education at the College Saint Ignace, run by the Jesuits, Coubertin entered the Military Academy at Saint Cyr in 1880, but left within months. Both movements claimed that they were class­ less’, but both also intended as strategies to deal with domestic peace and class conflict. Both leaders shared the ideas of their time, which may be viewed from a modern perspective as racist-evolutionistic, but Baden-Powell who served for a long time in the British colonies, made some openly racist statements, which Coubertin did not (Krüger 1980; Rosenthal 1986: 40-43; 181; 254-267; Hoberman 1991). “Both put a high priority on appearing politically neu­ tral, and both understood the importance of creating a rhetoric and a public image that ‘transcended’ politics.” (Hoberman 1995: 15) Robert Baden-Powell (1857-1941) founded the Boy Scout movement in Leen Vandevelde (2002), who has analysed the areas 1908 through which he promoted outdoor life and healthy sport practice (Painting by David Jagger, courtesy of Baden-Powell House, London, in of common ground between Olympism and Scouting, Brendon 1979: cover). stressed the importance of sports and games in Baden- 6 JOURNAL OF OLYMPIC HISTORY IVOL 19 N° 1 I MARCH 2011 A view of the Boy Scout camp in Djurgârden during the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm (Bergvall 1913: pi. 296). Powell’s books Scouting for boys (1908) and Lessons from etc. in connection with the Olympic Games’, but made the varsity of Life (1933). In his so called ‘Scout scheme clear that: of training’, he specified that the aimed for quality of “The cooperation of the Boys Scouts was not meant strength’ could be obtained through physical devel­ to be restricted merely to displays, but it was also the opment, games, swimming, hiking, climbing and natural intention to carry out a propaganda for the boy scout activities (Baden-Powell 1933: 281-282). movement by means of allowing the lads to under­ It has been shown that both founders were acclaimed take easier duties (as attendants, etc.), at the Games, as educators’ and as ‘mobilizers of youth’ (Hoberman this work, at the same time, affording a good oppor­ 1995: 15), but what - so far - has been neglected is the tunity for a number of boys to catch a glimpse of the study of the relationships which have existed between great international event in the sphere of athletics.” the two movements. Therefore, this contribution will (Bergvall 1913: 812-813) focus on the factual links which have existed between the Scout movement and the Olympic movement. Our Invitations were sent to Boy Scouts from Great Britain, data is based on official Olympic reports and historical Denmark, France, Germany, Norway and of course from overviews of both the Olympic Games and the Scout Sweden, to pitch their tents beside the Olympic Stadium. movement. Having been a Scout and a Scout leader, as Scouts acted as volunteers during the Games, selling pro­ well as an Olympic historian, this topic was for me more grammes inside the stadium. Moreover, they were to or less an academic marriage de raison’, a combination of ‘Be prepared’ to assist officials of the Games at all places two passions which have brightened my life. where competitions were going on (Bergvall E 1913: 812- 817; Moreno 1999; Adams 2007). Altogether some 1200 Scouts gathered in the Olympic camp near the canal in International Scout camp at the the Royal DJurgârden Park. There were some 50 Scouts 1912 Stockholm Olympic Games from Denmark, 50 from Norway and about 40 Jung- As a test of his so called ‘Boy Scouts scheme’, Baden-Powell Deutschland Scouts from Germany. The Danish boys’ had organized a first Scout camp on Brownsea Island association, called the Danske Drenge, was also repre­ (Dorset, England) in 1907. His reports of this ‘Scouts sented by some 20 members. The Swedish Scouts came scheme experiment’ were put together in his world famous from 29 different Scout troops from all over the country. handbook Scouting for boys in 1908, which is regarded as Their camp life followed a strict schedule: reveille at 6 the origin of the Boy Scout movement. A first official Scout o’clock, then washing, dressing, some refreshments, hoist­ camp took place in Humshaugh (Northumberland) from ing of the Swedish flag at 7 o’clock and saluted in proper august 22 to September 4 1908. The movement rapidly Boy Scout manner, followed by gymnastic exercises. spread to the European continent and to the British col­ After breakfast there was a free interval with town visits onies. More than 100.000 Scouts were registered in 1910, etc. Dinner was at 2 o’clock and after a couple of hours the year that the Girl Guides were also founded. Still, it rest after dinner, free gymnastic exercises were taken or is quite spectacular that an international Boy Scout camp the boys could play or amuse themselves “...under the took place prior to the 1912 Stockholm Games. superintendence of their leaders.” They sometimes imi­ The official report of the Stockholm Games listed the tated the athletic events, seen in the stadium, and they cooperation of the Boy Scouts under the topic o f‘Displays, formed for instance tug-of-war teams with as many as JOURNAL OF OLYMPIC HISTORY I VOL 19 N° 1 I MARCH 2011 7 OLYMPIA POR THE BOY SCOUTS INTERNATIONAL JAMBOREE J - i ■h* u A.-*, t . 7:* tik îïi DAILY ARSJM Ilih Ta :+t^ j i ■■■), |J I fi- ‘.rc- . 1*. -.-.«-1 -H+ , i ' CO-Vt-ÇTÇiH.a. a-THTE-r, Top left: Boy Scouts saluting the Swedish flag at their camp in Djurgârden during the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm (Bergvall 1913: pi. 297). Bottom left: American Boy Scouts, coming from the London World Jamboree, camped in theTerkamerenbos Park (Bois de la Cambre) near Brussels during the Antwerp Olympics. They gave demonstrations of scouting skills and games in the park. (Le Patriote illustré, 22 August 1920, 36 (34): 492). Right: Poster of the first Boy Scouts International Jamboree at Olympia Hall in London from July 30 to August 8,1920. About 5000 Boy Scouts camped in the Old Deer park in Richmond, the rest was lodging in makeshift boarding houses or at the Olympia Hall itself (Nagy 1985). 200 boys on each side. Supper was taken at 7 p.m. and the letters “SVEA LEVE” [Long live Sweden]. After the the day concluded with evening prayers and the lowering close of the display all the Scouts lined up in the Stadium of the Swedish flag again with a proper Boy Scout salute and with a marching band at its head “... the army of (Bergvall 1913: 815). boy scouts marched out of the arena and the display was The Stadium needed about 600 Scouts every day. Two ended.” (Bergvall 1913: 817). reliefs of Boy Scouts were on duty, the first body from Coubertin praised the record’ of the Swedish Mrs. early in the morning until 1 p.m. when it was relieved by Wersall, whose six sons were involved in the Stockholm another division. Scouts were posted all along the route of Olympics, the youngest ones enrolled as Boy Scouts to the Marathon race to signal instructions in case of need. help to maintaining order and carrying messages: “How Scouts were also on duty relay in the Swimming Stadium, true to the ancient ideals! The IOC awarded her the at the shooting competitions and during the cycle road Olympic medal.” (Coubertin 1931: 126).
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