tomorrow (Sat. 14th May): plaque unveiling at former Cavalry Barracks in Colchester

Tomorrow (Saturday 14th May), a commemorative plaque will be unveiled on the Creffield Medical Centre in the former Cavalry Barracks at Colchester. The plaque will commemorate the fact that Lieut.-General Lord Baden-Powell was briefly stationed at the Cavalry Barracks in 1886-7 when he was a captain in the 13th Hussars: he is more famous, of course, as the founder of the worldwide Scouting movement. The plaque will be unveiled in a public ceremony by the UK Commissioner for Scouts in the presence of the Lord Lieutenant of Essex, the Mayor of Colchester, Sir Bob Russell (High Steward of Colchester and president of the Colchester Scouts), and Scouting representatives from Colchester.

Robert Baden-Powell (1857-1941), known as ‘B-P’ or, to his friends and family, as Stephe – pronounced ‘Stevie’ –  was born in London. He joined the 13th Hussars in 1876 and left the regiment in 1888: in 1886-7, of course, he was stationed with the regiment here at the Cavalry Barracks. In December 1906, he returned to Colchester to inspect the 4th Cavalry Brigade, and he stayed with Brigadier-General Allenby whose son already enjoyed Scouting activities at home (see Baden-Powell: founder of the Boy Scouts, by Tim Jeal, 2007). In 1907, ‘B-P’ held a demonstration scout camp which is now considered to be the beginning of Scouting. B-P was a prolific writer and he also wrote Scouting for Boys: a handbook for instruction in good citizenship, based on a training manual which he had written for soldiers, and which was published in 1908. The first Scout Rally was held in London in 1909. B-P retired from the Army in 1910 as a lieutenant-general and founded the Boy Scouts Association in that year: he was first Chief Scout of the Association. Also in 1910, in response to public interest, B-P and his sister Agnes Baden-Powell founded the Girl Guides.

While stationed in Colchester in 1886-7, Baden-Powell led a successful demonstration of the use of hand signals in the cavalry to a General Wood. He also persuaded General Wood to let him initiate a scheme to train ordinary soldiers in map-reading and reconnaissance, again in Colchester. B-P led the famous defence of Mafeking against the Boers during the Boer War in 1899. He visited Colchester several times after 1908, including in October 1914, during WW1, when he addressed about 500 former Scouts who were now in the Army and in training at Colchester Garrison. B-P semi-retired to Kenya in 1938 and died in 1941: his headstone is inscribed ‘Robert Baden-Powell, Chief Scout of the World’. Baden Powell Drive at Shrub End in Colchester has been named after him. 

*** The plaque is to be on the end of the Creffield Medical Centre building *, next to the exterior stairs: the unveiling will take place at 12.15 pm (please assemble from 12 noon). The Medical Centre is in the new Cavalry Road, postcode CO2 7GH. All welcome. 

The 1st Colchester Scouts Group is, apparently, one of the oldest in the world, as it was formed in 1908. There are vacancies in all sections of the 1st Colchester Scouts Group and they invite local boys and girls to join. The group is based in the Bunting Rooms off Headgate in Colchester town centre. Visit their web-site at http://1stcolchesterscoutgroup.co.uk/ .

The images show the Creffield Medical Centre (image posted on the Colchester historic buildings forum web-site) and a sketch of ‘B-P’ (image from http://sundaymagazine.org/2010/04/baden-powells-boy-scout-plan-invades-america/ ).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* The Creffield Medical Centre is in the historic former riding school of the barracks. It is a Grade 2 listed building which would have been used for training by the soldiers and horses of the barracks. The historic Cavalry Barracks were built in 1861-3, overlooking the Abbey Field, and were in use until the garrison was decommissioned by the Army after 2000: the surviving buildings are now being converted to residential use and the land developed with housing. The Trust’s offices and the Roman circus centre are based in the former NAAFI of the old Artillery (Le Cateau) Barracks next door to the old Cavalry Barracks in Colchester’s old garrison. The Artillery Barracks were completed early in 1875. From our office windows we can see some of the surviving buildings of the Artillery Barracks, including the former artillery riding school, infirmary stables, a tack building and gun sheds. The residential area between the Maldon Road and Butt Road was developed after the two barracks were built and two of its north-south streets (Errington Road and Beaconsfield Avenue) are aligned to gateways of the two barracks. You can walk round the former Cavalry Barracks and look at the remarkable surviving barracks buildings and the surviving boundary wall and one gateway to Butt Road, as well as some surviving buildings of the Artillery Barracks.

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