Friday, May 20, 2016

1907-8-31 Anglo-Russian Entente


For much of the second-half of the nineteenth century Britain and Russia had been involved in a series of disputes over colonial acquisitions in Persia, Tibet and Afghanistan. By the start of the twentieth century, however, the increasing threat of the relatively-young German Empire saw the two great powers seek to settle what had become known as ‘The Great Game’.

Russia had already ended years of tension with France through the Franco-Russian Alliance of 1894. Meanwhile the Entente Cordiale of 1904 saw Britain and France settle a number of longstanding colonial disputes. Consequently the signing of the Anglo-Russian Entente on 31 August 1907 completed a series of agreements that loosely tied the three nations together.

The Entente itself consisted of three separate agreements which were bundled together for ratification. The first divided Iran into three zones, two of which were part of the British and Russian spheres of influence respectively while the third – which separated the other two – was neutral. In the second agreement the two nations agreed not to interfere in Tibet’s domestic affairs. The third agreed that Afghanistan was ‘outside Russia’s sphere of influence’ – effectively a recognition of British influence there.

The Anglo-French and Anglo-Russian Ententes did not formally make the signatories allies. Nevertheless the Triple Entente, as the network of agreements between the three powers became known, acted as a counterweight to the existing Triple Alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy. These two huge power blocs played a prominent role in the outbreak of the First World War. 

Thursday, May 19, 2016

1908-1-24 "Scouting for Boys"


Robert Baden-Powell had become a national hero as a result of his successful defence of the South African town of Mafeking during the Second Boer War. Baden-Powell’s garrison survived the 217-day siege in part thanks to his recruitment of boys aged 12–15 who were trained to form the Mafeking Cadet Corps.

On his return to England, Baden-Powell found that his military field manual Aids to Scouting had found an audience amongst teachers and youth organisations who had begun to use it to train boys in skills such as tracking and observation. Encouraged by his friends, and inspired by Ernest Thompson Seton’s The Birchbark Roll of the Woodcraft Indians, Baden-Powell subsequently decided to write a non-military version of his book specifically for boys.

Before Scouting for Boys was published, Baden-Powell first tested his approach with a diverse group of 21 boys on Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour, Dorset. The week-long camp in the summer on 1907 saw the first trials of what was to become the Patrol System as Baden-Powell and his assistants taught the boys a broad range of skills such as woodcraft, observation, and lifesaving techniques.

Following the success of the Brownsea camp, Scouting for Boys was published in six fortnightly instalments by Baden-Powell’s friend, the newspaper magnate Sir Arthur Pearson. Beginning on 24 January 1908, it proved to be an immediate sensation and, within a matter months, Scout Troops had begun to form throughout Britain and its empire. The six instalments were then combined into a single book that went on sale in May and, with regular revisions, it has become one of the best-selling books of all time.


1908-1-24 "Scouting for Boys" ..  

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

1919-2-8 Boy Scouts of America


Boyce was born in Pennsylvania, and became a successful newspaper publisher who eventually settled in Illinois. By the early 1900s he had successfully delegated the day-to-day running of his many businesses, and focused his own energies on financing and participating in foreign expeditions.

In 1909, while undertaking a trip to Europe ahead of a safari in British East Africa, Boyce stopped in London. Legend says that he got lost on foggy street, and was assisted by an unknown member of the Scout movement that had grown following the publication of the book Scouting for Boys by British Army officer Robert Baden-Powell. The unknown Scout refused a tip, saying he was only doing his duty, and soon afterwards took Boyce to meet with Baden-Powell himself.

In reality the day wasn’t foggy, the scout only helped him cross the road to his hotel, and Boyce didn’t meet with Baden-Powell. Nevertheless he was still so impressed by the encounter that he obtained a copy of Scouting for Boys to read while in Africa, and cancelled his planned round-the-world voyage so that he could return to London after the expedition to learn more about the organization.

On his return to America, Boyce was inspired to organize the Boy Scouts of America. After discussions with Colin H. Livingstone, a railroad executive who would go on to become the first national president of the new organization, Boyce agreed to incorporate it in Washington D.C. The men hoped that this would send a message of the national scope of the BSA. Although the organization’s numbers have fallen in recent years, it still has an estimated 2.2 million members.

1910-2-8 Boy Scouts of America ..

Saturday, May 14, 2016

1913-6-4 Suffragette Emily Davison Killed


Suffragettes: Emily Davison's death at Epsom DerbyAccounts of Emily Wilding Davison's death are divided. Some call her death a deliberate suicide, which succeeded in drawing global attention to the cause of votes for women. Others say she was trying to disrupt the race, but not to die. Whatever the motivation, on 4 June 1913, as racehorses horses thundered around Tattenham Corner during the Epsom Derby, Emily Davison rushed onto the course and was hit by King George V's colt, Anmer.


Emily Wilding Davison (11 October 1872 – 8 June 1913) was an English suffragette who fought for votes for women in Britain in the early twentieth century. A member of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) and a militant fighter for her cause, she was arrested on nine occasions, went on hunger strike seven times and was force fed on forty-nine occasions. She died after being hit by King George V's horse Anmer at the 1913 Derby when she walked onto the track during the race.

Davison grew up in a middle-class family, and studied at Royal Holloway College, London, and St Hugh's College, Oxford, before taking jobs as a teacher and governess. She joined the WSPU in November 1906 and became an officer of the organisation and a chief steward during marches. She soon became known in the organisation for her daring militant action; her tactics included breaking windows, throwing stones, setting fire to postboxes and, on three occasions, hiding overnight in the Palace of Westminster—including on the night of the 1911 census. Her funeral on 14 June 1913 was organised by the WSPU. A procession of 5,000 suffragettes and their supporters accompanied her coffin and 50,000 people lined the route through London; her coffin was then taken by train to the family plot in Morpeth, Northumberland.

Davison was a staunch feminist and passionate Christian, and considered that socialism was a moral and political force for good. Much of her life has been interpreted through the manner of her death. She gave no prior explanation for what she planned to do at the Derby and the uncertainty of her motives and intentions has affected how she has been judged by history. Several theories have been put forward, including accident, suicide, or an attempt to pin a suffragette banner to the king's horse. 

sī vīs pācem, parā bellum

igitur quī dēsīderat pācem praeparet bellum    therefore, he who desires peace, let him prepare for war sī vīs pācem, parā bellum if you wan...