Robert Baden-Powell, 3rd Baron Baden-Powell

Robert was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, the home of his mother.[4] Following the death of Robert's 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, and in 1949, when Robert was 12, the family moved back to England.

Robert 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 in 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; she served with many charities including, 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]

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]

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]

Lord Baden-Powell was a member of 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 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]

Robert died at home in the early hours of Saturday 28 December 2019 after a long battle with cancer.[9]