Percy Bantock Nevill,

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, (Hackney, 1887-1975), known as P. B. Nevill, was an early

Scoutmaster A Scout leader or Scouter generally refers to the trained adult leader of a Scout unit. The terms used vary from country to country, over time, and with the type of unit. Roles There are many different roles a leader can fulfill depending on t ...

in the Boy Scout Movement and

The Boy Scouts Association The Scout Association is the largest Scouting organisation in the United Kingdom and is the World Organization of the Scout Movement's recognised member for the United Kingdom. Following the origin of Scouting in 1907, the association was form ...

of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

commissioner, long-term Headquarters Commissioner and later vice president.

Personal

Nevill was born on 14 June 1887 at Stamford Hill, London, England. His parents were John (also known as Jack) Bantick (Bantock ?) and Alice Maria Neville (Nevill ?). He was trained as a financial accountant. In 1914 after the outbreak of war, he volunteered for the army, but was refused on health grounds. He married Joan Woodruffe in June 1926. He died in England on 30 July 1975.

Scouting

Nevill was impressed by the September 1909

Crystal Palace Rally The Crystal Palace Rally was a gathering of Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts at the Crystal Palace in London on Saturday, 4 September 1909. The rally demonstrated the rapid popularization of Scouting with an estimated 11,000 boys attending with the pr ...

of Scouts in London and he established and was the

of the 5th Enfield Boy Scout troop. He helped establish and was a warden and trustee of Roland House Boy Scout settlement. He was instrumental in the donation of

Gilwell Park Gilwell Park is a camp site and activity centre in East London located in the Sewardstonebury area of Waltham Abbey, within Epping Forest, near the border with Chingford. The site is owned by The Scout Association, is used by Scouting and Gu ...

to The Boy Scouts Association and, in 1958, he funded the Troop Room at Gilwell Park. In 1948 he donated 37 acres of cliff land adjoining the sea in Kingsdown, Kent to create the Kingsdown Boy Scout Camp. He contributed to Scouting publications, translation of scouting publications and wrote two books on Scouting, ''My Scouting Story'' (1960) and ''Scouting in London'' (1966)

The Boy Scouts Association appointments

The Boy Scouts Association appointed him as a district

commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to in ...

, becoming its Commissioner for East London in 1916, then a county commissioner. He was the association's Headquarters Commissioner for Kindred Societies, to liaise with other organisations, from 1914 until 1949, at the same time as he held other commissionerships and roles. He was also as the association's Headquarters Commissioner for Rovers from 1920 to 1930, when he resigned to focus on his other commissionerships. In 1926, the association awarded him its Silver Wolf. In the early 1960s, when he ended his commissionerships, the association appointed him as a vice president. He disagreed with changes implemented following the 1966

The Chief Scouts' Advance Party Report The Boy Scouts Association's ''The Chief Scout's Advance Party Report 1966'' attempted to address the association's falling enrolment numbers and modernise its programs. It resulted in changes from traditional iconic uniforms, changes to awards, ...

, particularly the discontinuation of Rovers and resigned all his active positions with the association but was made honorary commissioner for life. When he died in 1975, he was the last of

Baden-Powell Lieutenant-General Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, ( ; (Commonly pronounced by others as ) 22 February 1857 – 8 January 1941) was a British Army officer, writer, founder and first Chief Scout of the worl ...

's contemporaries in The Scout Association headquarters and Council.

Roland House

In 1916, Nevill moved into Roland House Boy Scout Settlement, at 29 Stepney Green, East London as its warden. The house was the legacy of

Roland Philipps Roland Erasmus Philipps, (27 February 1890 – 7 July 1916) was a writer and a leading Scouting, Scout official. He was the second son of John Philipps, 1st Viscount St Davids and his first wife, Leonora Gerstenberg. He was educated at Twyford ...

who was killed in action in the 1914-18 World War. Roland House and its Scout Shop were maintained by its wardens, Rovers and resident Boy Scout leaders. William de Bois Maclaren was a guest of Nevill's at Roland House, which was decisive in De Boise Maclaren's donation of

to The Boy Scouts Association. In 1920, Nevill took over the full lease for Roland House and all financial responsibility. Upon his marriage in 1926, he moved out of Roland House to Reigate, Surrey. He remained on the Roland House Committee until the 1960s. Roland House was closed by The Scout Association soon after Nevill's death.

Rovers

Rovers held Nevill's attention and support from the 1920s, soon after its beginning and The Boy Scouts Association appointed him as its Headquarters Commissioner for Rovers. He organised the first

jamboree In Scouting, a jamboree is a large gathering of Scouting, Scouts who rally at a national or international level. History The 1st World Scout Jamboree was held in 1920, and was hosted by the United Kingdom. Since then, there have been twenty-thre ...

for Rovers (which Baden-Powell termed a "Moot"). He organised several more Moots. After resigning as The Boy Scouts Association Headquarters Commissioner for Rovers in 1930, he remained involved with Rovers and attended further Moots. In 1966, when The Boy Scouts Association discontinued Rovers following

, Nevill resigned all his active positions with the association.

Bibliography

* ''The Doctor and the Outlaw, Etc. Tableau.', 1922 * Contributions to translations of ''Rovering to Success'' by

, in many languages, including Czech, German and Dutch * ''My Scouting Story'', London: Roland House Scout Settlement, 1960, 228 pages, 17''s'' 6''d''. * ''Scouting in London 1908--1965'', London: The Trustees of the London Scout Council (1913-1965), 1966, 213 pages, 12''s'' 6''d''.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nevill, Percy Bantock Scouting pioneers The Scout Association English accountants 1887 births 1975 deaths 20th-century English businesspeople