Page 172 - Collection
P. 172
Scouting Around the World Great Britain
- --~-----
BROWN SEA ISLAND . POOLE HARBOUR ANO SANDB AN KS
The Brownsea Island Scout camp was a boys campin g event on Brownsea Island in
Poole Harbo ur, southern England , o rgani sed by Lieutenant-General Baden-Powell to
test hi s ideas for the book Sco utin g for Boys. 2 1 boys from different socia l
backgrounds parti cipated 1-8 August, 1907 in activ ities around cam pin g, observation,
woodcraft, c hiva lry, li fesavi ng and patriotism. Recogni sed as the world's first Scout
camp, the event is regarded as the real origin of the world wide Scout movement.
.B~anlcsea Oaatfe, .J>oofe. 6313 The "Wyndham" Series
The name of the island has changed from Brunei ' s In sul a in 1086 (Bruno ' s Island), via Brunksey,
Brunkesay and Brunsey during the medieval ages, to Branksea, and finally to Brownsea Island.
In 1907, Brownsea Island outside Poo le, Dorset was owned by Charles van Raalte, a wea lthy stock-
broker and politic ian for the Uni on ist Party. Baden-Powell met van Raalte in May 1907 on a fishing
trip to Ire land. When B-P was ready to ho ld hi s experime ntal camp, this proved the perfect place.
