Window on My Heart

Window on My Heart
The Autobiography of Olave, Lady Baden-Powell, G.B.E.
as told to Mary Drewery

Reproduced by permission of Hodder and Stoughton Limited.

Olave, Lady Baden-Powell.
"The World Chief Guide Still at Her Desk."

Window on My Heart, Olave, Lady Baden-Powell's autobiography was published in 1973. In my development of materials on B-P for the Pine Tree Web I found very little information online about Lady B-P. With outstanding service to the youth of the world during her years as World Chief Guide and her wonderful partnership with B-P, I was puzzled by this absence. After reading her autobiography, I thought some excerpts might provide both insights and useful information for Scouts and Guides around the world. With the kind permission of the publisher, Hodder and Stoughton Limited, I have selected those chapters that deal with Lady Baden-Powell's life with B-P, from their chance meeting on an Atlantic crossing in 1912, to B-P's passing in 1941.

CONTENTS


VII.	Strange Courtship, 1912
VIII.	A Partnership Begins, 1912
IX.	A New Life, 1912-1914
X.	The War Years, 1914-1917
XI.	The Girl Guides, 1916-1918
XII.	The Coming of Peace, 1917-1918
XIII.	Pax Hill, 1919-1920
XIV.	India, 1921
XV.	Double Harness, 1921-1927
XVI.	Recognition, 1927-1930
XVII.	Mixed Fortunes, 1931-1935
XVIII.	Many Journeys, 1934-1937
XIX.	Death of a Hero, 1938-1941

The ribbon to the left is the ribbon of the Order of the British Empire. Olave, Lady Baden-Powell, was invested with the G.B.E., Dame Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 1932.

		"Olave Baden Powell: Mother Of Millions." Reverend Ed Hird, Rector, St. Simon's Anglican Church in North Vancouver, B.C. wrote this wonderful remembrance of Lady Baden-Powell in the Deep Cove Crier, the church's newsletter in February, 1992.
		Olave Baden-Powell, The World Chief Guide. In 1912, young Olave St Claire Soames married Robert Baden-Powell. Her boundless energy led to her being called "The Mother of Millions". Her unflagging support of BP helped Scouting to grow even faster, and her own vision saw Guiding become the largest organization for girls and women ever seen. The only online website devoted exclusively to the life and career of Lady Olave Baden-Powell, GBE.
		On the SOSSI (Scouts on Stamps Society International) website Keith Larson writes "Lady Olave Baden Powell was the wife of Lord Baden Powell, founder of the Scouting movement. Lord Baden Powell became Chief Scout of the World in 1920. She served as the World Chief Guide and championed the growth of Scouting around the world for all youth." You will find a wonderful collection of philatelic materials on Lady Baden-Powell as well as collection featuring the work of the Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.
		The WAGGGS (World Association of Girl Guides and Girls Scouts) have a short, but informative, history of the Guides including biographical information on Lady Baden-Powell as part of their website.
		Baden-Powell Family History. A series of links starting with the research of Robin Baden Clay, a grandson of Baden-Powell. These links are focused on the genealogy of the Powell family. The author is extremely grateful to Mr. Clay for sharing the results of his labors with the Scouting community. Links are provided to pages for three of B-P's brothers: Baden, Warington and Sir George Baden-Powell, to members of his extended family, and to the genealogy of the Smyth and Warington families.
		Robert Baden-Powell, Founder of the World Scout Movement, Chief Scout of the World. A Home Page for the Founder. Links Relating to Baden-Powell on the Pine Tree Web and elsewhere.

The Pine Tree Web Home Page: A Collection of the Author's Links

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Please write to: Lewis P. Orans