Robert Baden-Powell, 3rd Baron Baden-Powell

Robert Crause Baden-Powell, 3rd Baron Baden-Powell (15 October 1936 – 28 December 2019) was the elder son of Carine Boardman and Peter Baden-Powell, 2nd Baron Baden-Powell,[1] and a grandson of Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, and Olave Baden-Powell.

The Right Honourable The Lord Baden-Powell
Born	15 October 1936 Johannesburg, South Africa
Died	28 December 2019 (aged 83) Surrey, England, United Kingdom

Robert[2] was a great-nephew of Agnes Baden-Powell, Baden Baden-Powell, George Baden-Powell, and Warington Baden-Powell, and a great-grandson of the Rev. Prof. Baden Powell.[3]

Family history

He was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, the home of his mother.[4] Following the death of his grandfather, the 1st Lord Baden-Powell, Robert's father Peter, who had been working in Southern Rhodesia since 1935, became the 2nd Lord Baden-Powell. In 1949, when Robert was 12, the family moved back to Britain.

He was educated at Bryanston School. For his National Service, he served as a leading seaman[5] in the Royal Navy, and during the Suez Crisis, he served on the light fleet carrier HMS Bulwark.[6]

Upon leaving the Royal Navy, he set up a liquor business in Nottingham, which he called "Whisky a Gogo". Upon the death of his father in 1962, he succeeded to the barony and baronetcy. On 1 August 1963, he married Patience Hélène Mary Batty, only daughter of Major Douglas Myers Batty, of Melsetter, Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), by his wife Elsie May Loker. They subsequently discovered that they had been at primary school together in Southern Rhodesia.

Upon marriage, she became Lady Baden-Powell and served with many charities, including the YWCA, Girls Alone in London, the National Playbus Association, NSPCC, Commonwealth Youth Exchange Council, SPCK, Surrey Council for Voluntary Youth Services, Surrey Antiques Fair, Walton Firs Camp Site, as well as various local and national offices of the Girl Guides, for which she became Commonwealth Chief Commissioner and, latterly, a vice-president. She was a Vice-President of the Scout Association. She also conducted a successful business life and was a director of Imperial Life of Canada, Surrey Radio, and Fieldguard. She was appointed a CBE for her services to youth and was a Deputy Lord Lieutenant for Surrey. She died childless, of motor neuron disease, in 2010.[1][7]

Lord Baden-Powell became a liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Mercers, of which his grandfather had been Master. He kept and bred American Quarter Horses.[8]

Scouting

Lord Baden-Powell joined the Scout Movement as a Wolf Cub in 1946 in Southern Rhodesia. As an adult, he started his Scouting career as Assistant Scout Leader with the 100th Nottingham Group between 1959 and 1962. After the death of his father he moved to London and became Group Scout Leader and Venture Scout Leader of the 6th Putney Group from 1965 until 1969, and was also a leader with the Ripley Venture Scout Unit.

Apart from these local roles, he also served the British Scout Association in a number of national and international capacities-

• Chief Scout's Commissioner (1968-1982);
• President of West Yorkshire Scout Council (1972-1988);
• Member of the Committee of Council (1972-1978)
• Member of the General Purposes Sub-Committee (1973-1981); and
• Vice-President (1981-2019).[9]

He led the British contingent to the 1975 14th World Scout Jamboree at Lillehammer, Norway, was a Deputy Camp Chief for two Canadian Scout Jamborees (1977 & 1981) and also for the 15th World Scout Jamboree in Canada in 1983, where he was presented with the highest awards in both World Scouting (Bronze Wolf) and Canadian Scouting (Silver Fox). He led the British delegation to the World Scout Conference in Nairobi in 1973, and attended two others as a delegation member.

Scouting Awards

• UK Silver Acorn
• UK Silver Wolf
• Canadian Silver Fox.[9]

Business

Lord Baden-Powell's career involved time as a motor car salesman, wine merchant, and as a public relations officer with the BBC.

He was -

• Chairman of London and Cheshire Insurance Company (1961-1966)
• a local authority finance broker in the City of London (1964-1984)
• Director of City Share Trust (1964-1970)
• Director of Bolton Building Society (1974-1988)
• Managing Director of Fieldguard Limited from 1984 until his death.
• Director of the London Board of the Cheltenham & Gloucester Building Society.

He was also a director of a number of unit trusts (now part of F&C), and of other companies. He was chairman of the Sheldon Grange Housing Association.[9]

Public service

• President, Surrey Council for Voluntary Youth Services, 2010-2019
• Vice president, the Scout Association, 1985-2019
• Vice president, Camping and Caravanning Club, 2002-2019
• President, Camping and Caravanning Club, 1991-2002
• Various Quarter Horse bodies, 1983-1991 (established Quarter Horse racing in the UK)
• Governor, Glenesk School, 1986-2005
• Surrey Rural Housing Committee, 1985-1990
• Ripley, Surrey, Parish Council, 1977-1986

Other activities

Lord Baden-Powell was a member of the British Quarter Horse Association between 1984–1989, and Chairman in 1990. In addition to this, he was Chairman of Quarter Horse Racing UK (1985-1988) and President of the Camping and Caravanning Club (1992-2002).

He also enjoyed swimming, fishing, model making, gardening, bee keeping, badminton and music. As a boy, he played the viola in the school orchestra.[9]

Death

Lord Baden-Powell died at home in the early hours of Saturday, 28 December 2019, after a long battle with cancer.[9]

Arms

Coat of arms of Robert Baden-Powell, 3rd Baron Baden-Powell

Adopted 1929 Coronet Coronet of a baron. Crest 1st: a Lion passant Or in the paw a broken Tilting Spear in bend proper pendent therefrom by a Riband Gules an Escutcheon resting on a Wreath Sable charged with a Pheon Or (Powell); 2nd: out of a Crown Vallary Or a Demi Lion rampant Gules on the head a like Crown charged on the shoulders with a Cross Patée Argent and supporting with the paws a Sword Erect proper Pommel and Hilt Gold (Baden). Escutcheon Quarterly: 1 and 4th, Per fess Or and Argent a Lion rampant gules between two Tilting Spears erect proper (Powell); 2nd and 3rd, Argent a Lion rampant proper on the head a Crown Vallary Or between four Crosses Patée Gules and as many Fleur-de-lis Azure alternately (Baden). Supporters Dexter: an Officer of 13th/18th Hussars in full dress his Sword drawn over his shoulder proper; sinister: a Boy Scout holding a Staff also proper. Motto Ar Nyd Yw Pwyll Pyd Yw (Where there is steadiness, there will be a Powell).

References

1. "Sir Robert Crause Baden-Powell, 3rd Baron Baden-Powell1". ThePeerage. Retrieved 11 March 2007.
2. 1 3 3 5 2 4 2 6 1 12 1 1 BADEN-POWELL, Robert (Crause) - halfway down the page at "Welcome to The Powell Pedigree". Retrieved 12 February 2019.
3. "The Powell Pedigree". Retrieved 2 July 2019.
4. Harold Daw (June 2008). "Descendants of William Polle or Powle" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 March 2010. Retrieved 2 May 2009.
5. Mosley, Charles, ed. (1999). Burke's Peerage and Baronetage. 1 (106th ed.). Crans, Switzerland: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd. p. 159.
6. "HMS Bulwark (R08)". The Fleet Air Arm Association.
7. "Lady Patience Baden-Powell obituary". girlguiding.org.uk. 11 January 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
8. "Robert, 3rd Lord Baden-Powell | Tribute". www.spanglefish.com. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
9. "News and views". members.scouts.org.uk. Retrieved 24 January 2020.