February 22 nd is the birthday of Baron Robert Baden-Powell, (1857-1941), the founder of the Scouting Movement. Coincidentally, it is also the birthday of his wife, Olave (1889-1977), the first Chief Guide. As such, the day has special meaning for Scouts, who call it BP Day, and Guides, who call it Thinking Day. It was thus very appropriate that the Historical Society of Ottawa used their February 24, 2024, in-person speaker session to explore the history of Scouting and Guiding. There were many members of both organizations among the 50 who gathered in the auditorium of the Main Branch of the Ottawa Public Library to listen to the presentations of Dave Truemner from Scouts Canada and Emma Kent from the Girl Guides of Canada.
Dave started as a Cub in 1953 and has spent most of the past 70 years in Scouting, in one capacity or another. He is currently a volunteer researcher at the Scouts Canada National Museum, located at the Scouts Canada National Headquarters, 1345 Baseline Road in Ottawa.
Dave explained that Scouting officially began in England in 1908 and spread quickly throughout the country, then through the British Empire and finally throughout the world. One of the first great events for Scouting was the 1911 Coronation of King George V, when it was decided that Scouts from around the Empire should line the parade route, providing both an Honour Gard and crowd control. Between 50 and 60 Canadian Scouts made the trip, including six from Ottawa. The Canadian contingent remained in touch over the years holding reunions every decade until 1981.
In the early years, Scouting in Canada was simply a part of Scouting in England. On June 12, 1914, however, The Canadian General Council of the Boy Scout Association was incorporated by an act of the Canadian Parliament. This gave Scouting in Canada some degree of independence while giving the government of Canada some degree of control.
Dave pointed out that this control soon came into play. Though Scouting was never a military organization, unlike Cadets, its members were pressed into service during both World Wars, though not in actual combat. During the First World War, Scouts were valued due to their First Aid training and for their fundraising. The money raised by the Scouts was used for the purchase of ambulances, it being considered inappropriate to use it to buy weapons. Dave explained that in the Second World War the role of Scouts was expanded to include many civil defense duties, including that of air raid patrol. Dave related a cute story about a former Mayor of Ottawa. J. E. Stanley Lewis (1888 – 1970) who served as our mayor from 1936 to 1948. As he was born on February 29, he celebrated his 12 th birthday in 1940 when he was 52 years old and the local Scouts invested him as a Boy Scout. In 1942 he participated as a Scout in Apple Day, the annual fundraiser when Scouts give away apples and accept donations. Given the state of things in the Second World War at these times, this must have provided a well needed relief from the more serious and tragic news that dominated the papers of the day.
Dave showed us two sculptures of Scouts on the Confederation Building, one accompanied by a rose and the other by a fleur de-lis. The sculptures acknowledge that this was the site of the original Scout Headquarters, expropriated in 1926. The use of two Scouts and their accompanying flowers denote that there are both English and French Scouting organizations in Canada. Les Scouts du Canada run their programs in French, primarily in Quebec, where there are also Scouts Canada groups. The World Organization of the Scouting Movement (WOSM) will only recognise a single Scouting organization per country, so today Les Scouts du Canada operates as a semi-autonomous organization under the Scouts Canada umbrella.
Dave explained that the National Headquarters didn’t move far, just over to the historic Birkett Castle at 306 Metcalfe Street, now the Embassy of Hungary, where it would remain from 1931 through 1960. He then related a couple of stories about the site. A large addition was added onto the house and served for many years as the Scouts warehouse for uniforms, books, and all other Scouting materials. Later one of the local volunteers, E. R. Fisher who ran a successful retail clothing business, convinced Scouts to allow him to sell uniforms through his four local stores. This proved so successful that it led to uniforms being sold through 142 different stores across the country. The Scouts National leadership realized that they could open their own stores instead, and so, in 1975 began to open Scout Shops. As times changed, and finally due to the pandemic, the world switched to online shopping, so uniform sales have, in a sense gone full circle, back to a warehouse. The second story involved a “totem pole” which stood outside Birkett Castle from 1935 to 1960. This was, in fact, a fake. A local volunteer worked for Bell Telephone and got them to donate a telephone pole, which he and other volunteers carved. When Scout Headquarters moved, this pole was cut down and into four sections, three of which are now preserved in the Scout Museum.
This led to another story of another totem pole, this one genuine. The totem pole that stands outside the current Scout Headquarters was carved by Chief Mungo Martin in 1960 and donated by the British Columbia Scouts to celebrate the opening of the new headquarters building. It was erected in 1961, with 60 feet above ground and 10 feet below ground anchored by 78 tons of concrete. When originally erected, Baseline Road was just 2 lanes, a few years later, in 1966, however, it was widened to 4 lanes with a median, and the totem pole had to be dug out again and moved back 15 feet. Today, with work-from-home being common, Scouts Canada no longer needs its headquarters building and is in the process of having the 4.5 acres on which it sits rezoned for sale. Coincidentally, the City of Ottawa is planning a further widening of Baseline Road, which will necessitate the totem pole, now fragile, be moved once more. At this time, the ultimate fate of this landmark is unknown.
Scouts Canada does have other land holdings in the greater Ottawa area. Camp Opemikon on Christie Lake near Perth is the largest and most developed Scout camp in the area. Opened in 1937 with 100 acres, it has since grown to cover 200 acres. Now accessible by road, the Scouts originally took the train to Christie Lake and crossed on a flat-bottomed cargo barge, which was still on the property, though unused, into the 1960s.
Dave told us of a number of other Scout adventures that have taken place in Ottawa. These range from a Scout hockey league that operated in the 1940s to participation in the first tour of Canada by Princess Elizabeth in 1951. Connaught Ranges was the home to three of the first Canadian Jamborees in which Scouts from across the country, and often from other nations, gather for a week or more of activities and fellowship. These took place in 1949, 1953, and 1961. Over the years, Scouts have also provided services to the community, including toy repair and distribution, Lost Children services at the Central Canada Exhibition, Canada Day and during Winterlude, and tree planting.
Scouting in Canada strives to remain relevant. In 1971 it started its move to become co-ed when girls were officially accepted as Rovers (ages 18 – 26). By 1992 all Scouting Sections were made co-ed. It has created specialized programs for some older youth. Dave explained that in Ottawa there are PoliceVents, who work with the police, FireVents, MedVents, who provide First Aid services at many community events and even SARVents, who are learning Search and Rescue. Although the Venturers (ages 15 – 17) are not directly involved in the actual work, they do learn the skills, provide support and prepare themselves for careers in these fields.
Scouting is still a major activity in the world with over 200 countries and territories participating. Dave noted how the movement of the World Headquarters has mirrored the politics and membership within the movement. Originally in London, it was moved to Ottawa in the 1960 so that it would be less British. Later it was moved to Geneva and Dave said that it is now being moved to Kualalumpur in Malaysia which better reflects the dominant numbers of members outside of North America and Europe.
Emma’s mother, a long-time Guider herself, enrolled her as a Spark at age 5 and she has never left, with now more than 25 years in Guides. She is a graduate in history from Carleton University, a frequent HSO Speaker and the current President of the Historical Society of Ottawa. Emma led us on a virtual walking tour of downtown Ottawa using various locations to tell the story of the Gul Guides.
Emma started us off at the South African War Memorial in Confederation Park. It was while serving in South Africa that Baden-Powell first became aware of how useful boys could be if they had received some training. Returning to England he discovered that a book he had written for military training, “Aids to Scouting” had become popular with boys. He rewrote the book as “Scouting for Boys” and the two movements soon followed. The Memorial was paid for by donations from 30,000 local school children, many of whom would become Ottawa’s first members of Scouting and Guiding. Many veterans of the war also became Ottawa’s first leaders in the movements, some like the Woolsey family becoming active in both. Camp Woolsey, Ottawa’s Guide camp which operated from 1937 to 2021 was named in their honour.
She then took us to the Laura Secord statue at 53 Elgin Street. Laura Secord was viewed as an inspiration and role model for girls because of her courage and especially her patriotism and loyalty to the British Empire. An early Guiding Pamphlet written by Agnes Baden-Powell, the sister of Robert, was entitled “How Girls Can Help to Build Up the Empire”. Emma pointed out the importance of recognizing the colonial roots of Guiding, a theme to which she would return. She also noted that the first official Guide Company in Canada, formed in St. Catharines in 1910, focused many of their activities around a statue of Laura Second in Queenston Heights Park in Niagara.
We then “walked” on to the National War Memorial. Emma reminded us that wars affect all members of a society. This ranges from a loss of normal opportunities, Camp Woolsey was closed for the final two years of the Second World War, through to involvement on the home front, and in some cases, overseas activities. Among other things, Guides rolled bandages, raised funds for the Red Cross and worked in Red Cross canteens. A National War Service Project called “The Guides Overseas Gift Project” saw the Guides sew and knit some 30,000 pieces of clothing for English children who had endured The Blitz.
We then moved down Wellington Street to the statue of Terry Fox. Each fall the running community in Ottawa hold “The Great Big Cookie Run” which raises funds for local Guiding, especially camperships to allow all girls the opportunity to participate. Emma noted that this was the first 5K she ever ran and that one of the best things about the event is that runners get a cookie as they cross the finish line.
From here, Emma took us to the other side of Wellington Street, to the Confederation Building at the corner of Bank Street. She showed us the two sculptures of Scouts on the building and recounted an early incident in the history of both the Scout and Guide Movements that led to their separation. With the growing popularity of Scouting in England, Baden-Powell decided to hold a gathering at the Crystal Palace in September 1909. There he was confronted by a troop of girls who proclaimed themselves to be “Girl Scouts”. Baden-Powell soon responded. He believed that boys would object to the name Scouts being used by the girls and also felt that the name Guides represented a more traditional and nurturing role, so the would-be Girl Scouts became the Gil Guides. Baden-Powell also stepped away from the Guides, turning the new Movement over to his sister Agnes. These changes of name and leadership were not universally accepted, many preferring the name “Scouts”. In the United States, the movement rejected the change and returned to the use of the name “Girl Scouts”. Internationally, WAGGGS is the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.
Emma then took us back to gather around the Centennial Flame, which she pointed out was originally intended as a temporary monument for 1967 but has remained due to public demand. Parliament Hill has witnessed many gatherings of Guides, dating back to as early as 1917. More recently it hosted large gatherings to celebrate the 95 th and 100 th anniversary of Guiding, which took place in 2010. This celebration featured a campfire sing-along around the Centennial Flame led by two local Guiders which has now become an annual event in the early fall.
In Major’s Hill Park, we stopped at the statue of Lieutenant-Colonel John By. Funds were raised for it by the Historical Society of Ottawa and it was erected in 1971. The current Historical Society of Ottawa came into being as the Women’s Canadian Historical Society of Ottawa in 1898. It and the Girl Guides were only two of a number of organizations that were founded and run by women in the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries that focussed on social improvement, reform, and patriotism. Among the other organizations that appeared at the same time include the May Court Club, the YWCA, and the International Order of the Daughters of the Empire. Like Guiding, these organizations were formed by affluent women, wives of successful husbands who had time to give to the service of others who were less fortunate. Emma noted that today’s volunteers are not so privileged and we need to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions they make today.
Emma then took us to see the Three Watchmen on Sussex Drive, which is a casting of an original work in wood by sculptor and Haida Chief, James Hart. It is carefully positioned so that it can watch the Parliament Buildings, the American Embassy, and Notre Dame Cathedral, representing groups that have done great harm to Indigenous peoples. Emma pointed out, that by extension, they watch all of us who come from a settler background. She explained that the Girl Guide program was used in 34 Residential Schools between 1910 and 1970, as were many other recreation programs. Girl Guides of Ca nada officially apologised for this in 2021 and has since created their National Indigenous Advisory Circle to ensure that Guiding is a welcoming place for Indigenous girls and women.
Emma ended our tour at the National Gallery at Maman, one of six sculptures made by Louise Bourgeois as an ode to her Mother. Maman, a mother herself, symbolizes the role of the Guiding Movement in creating a safe, caring and nurturing space for all girls, women and openly transgender and non-binary people who feel comfortable in a space focused on girls and women.
Emma, an experienced tour guide, made sure to have a snack to share with all her participants at the end of her presentation, Girl Guide cookies, of course.
