Origin of Boy Scouts

During the Siege of Mafeking in the Second Boer War, Robert Baden-Powell recruited and trained 12-15 year old boys as scouts. The Mafeking Cadet Corps was a group of youths that supported the troops by carrying messages, which freed the men for military duties. The Cadet Corps performed well, helping in the defense of the town, and were one of the many factors that inspired Baden-Powell to form the Boy Scouts, a youth organisation originally run along military lines.