A statue of

Robert 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 wor ...

, founder of Scouting, is installed on the Quay in Poole harbour,

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , ...

on the south coast of England. The statue, erected in 2008, is a life-size bronze of

by sculptor David Annand. It portrays Baden-Powell in his scout uniform, seated on a log as if for a

campfire A campfire is a fire at a campsite that provides light and warmth, and heat for cooking. It can also serve as a beacon, and an insect and predator deterrent. Established campgrounds often provide a stone or steel fire ring for safety. Campfires ...

, with a pair of log seats either side which "allow easy access for photo opportunities".

History

The memorial was unveiled on 13 August 2008, facing

Brownsea Island Brownsea Island is the largest of the islands in Poole Harbour in the county of Dorset, England. The island is owned by the National Trust with the northern half managed by the Dorset Wildlife Trust. Much of the island is open to the public and ...

. The island was the site of Baden-Powell's first camp in 1907 which is seen as the start of the Scout and Guide movement. Robert Baden-Powell has been criticised over alleged events during his army career and his comments of support concerning

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

and his autobiography, '' Mein Kampf''. His biographer,

Tim Jeal John Julian Timothy Jeal, known as Tim Jeal (born 27 January 1945 in London, England), is a British biographer of notable Victorians and is also a novelist. His publications include a memoir and biographies of David Livingstone (1973), Lord Ba ...

, said that any admiration was limited to his and Hitler's shared ideas for boys' education and liking ''Mein Kampf''s references to character training. In June 2020, the memorial appeared on a list of targets by protesters during the

George Floyd protests The George Floyd protests were a series of protests and civil unrest against police brutality and racism that began in Minneapolis on May 26, 2020, and largely took place during 2020. The civil unrest and protests began as part of internat ...

in Britain. Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council planned to move it into storage pending discussion about its future, but council workers failed to remove the statue on 11 June 2020 as planned because the foundations were deeper than they had realised. A group of local people then surrounded the statue to prevent its removal and protect it from both council workers and activists. The council announced that it would arrange 24 hour security for the statue until either the statue had been removed or the threat had passed. On 12 June the statue was boarded up by the council for its protection. In response to the controversy, Bear Grylls, current Chief Scout, and successor to Baden-Powell, said, "As Scouts, we most certainly do not celebrate Baden-Powell for his failings. We see them and we acknowledge them. ... But we also recognise that Baden-Powell is part of our history, and history is nothing if we do not learn from it. ... it's right that we take time to listen, to educate ourselves, and reflect on our movement’s history. We need the humility to recognise there are times when the views and actions from our Scouting’s past do not always match the values we live by today. We must learn, adapt, and improve. ... Baden-Powell may have taken the first step in creating Scouting, but the journey continues today without him. We know where we came from but we are not going back." Grylls also said that he hoped Scouting statues remain in place "to remind us all of one thing - the huge positive influence that Scouting continues to bring to so many young people worldwide."

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Baden-Powell, Robert, statue, Poole 2008 establishments in the United Kingdom 2008 sculptures Bronze sculptures in the United Kingdom Buildings and structures in Poole George Floyd protests in the United Kingdom Monuments and memorials in the United Kingdom Outdoor sculptures in the United Kingdom Scouting and Guiding in the United Kingdom Scouting in art Sculptures of men in the United Kingdom Statues in England Scouting monuments and memorials

History

See also

References

External links