Olave Baden-Powell
Encyclopedia
Olave St Clair Baden-Powell, Baroness Baden-Powell, GBE
(22 February 1889 – 25 June 1977) was born Olave St Clair Soames in Chesterfield, England. She was later known as Olave, Lady Baden-Powell, or The Dowager Lady Baden-Powell, having outlived her husband, Robert Baden-Powell
, the founder of Scouting
and Girl Guides, by over 35 years.
Olave became Chief Guide for Britain in 1918. Later the same year she was presented with a gold Silver Fish
, one of only two ever made. She was elected World Chief Guide in 1930. As well as making a major contribution to the development of the Guide / Girl Scout movements, she visited 111 countries during her life attending Jamborees and national Guide and Scout associations.
owner and artist Harold Soames (who was himself descended paternally from a landed gentry
family, and maternally from a self-made man, Joseph Gilstrap Gelthorpe, who had been Mayor of Newark, Nottinghamshire).
She was educated by her father, her mother Katharine (née Hill), and a number of governesses at home. She lived in seventeen homes in the first 23 years of her life. Olave became keen on outdoor sports including tennis, swimming, football, skating and canoeing, and also played the violin.
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In January 1912, Olave met Second Boer War
hero and founder of the Scouts, Robert Baden-Powell on an ocean liner (RMSP Arcadian) on the way to New York
to start one of his Scouting World Tours. She was 23, he 55, and they shared the same birthday. They became engaged in September of the same year, causing a media sensation. They married in secret on 30 October 1912 for privacy. "Baden-Powell: Two lives of Hero" by William Hillcourt, Heineman, 1964, p. 335.
The Scouts and Guides of England each donated a penny to buy the Baden-Powells a wedding gift of a car. (Note that this is not the Rolls-Royce
they were presented with in 1929). Olave's father assisted financially with the purchase of Pax Hill
near Bentley, Hampshire
as a family home where she lived with her husband from 29 January 1919 until 25 October 1938. "Baden-Powell: Two lives of Hero" by William Hillcourt, Heineman, 1964, p. 356 & 412.
The Baden-Powells had three children — one son and two daughters (who took the courtesy titles of Honourable in 1929; the son later succeeding his father in 1941):
In addition, when Olave's sister, Auriol Davidson née Soames, died in 1919, Olave took her three nieces, Christian (1912-1975), Clare (1913-1980), and Yvonne, (1918-c. 1995), into her family and brought them up as her own children.
in progress, Olave assisted directly with the war effort in France
. Robert had seen the usefulness of the YMCA
's recreational huts for the soldiers and persuaded the Mercers' Company
(of which he had been Master in 1912) to pay for such a hut at Val-de-Lievres, Calais
. It was to be staffed by adults connected with Scouting. Olave was one of the team of five men and three women that staffed the hut at the start. She persuaded her mother to look after the children for time she would be away.
Olave left for France on 7 October 1915. Her regular work in the Mercers' hut included serving cocoa
and cigarette
s and chatting to those who came in. She also recalled in her autobiography playing her violin
and singing at the Christmas Concert. Olave also adopted a number of stray animals during her time in Val-de-Lievres.
During this time, Robert had organised the Scouts to sponsor another recreational hut. Olave and two others started this hut at Etaples
after Christmas 1915. At the end of January, Olave was ordered home due to sickness, ending her three months in France.
in Sussex
in April 1913. In June of that year, the 1st Ewhurst Scout Troop was inaugurated. Olave was the warranted Scoutmaster of this troop, assisted by the family's housemaid and the gardener. Olave accompanied Robert on many of his Scouting tours and to events. She also typed letters for him. In 1915, the Baden-Powell's bought a small car, and after Robert taught her to drive, Olave often drove him to engagements.
Although most famously connected with the Girl Guides, Olave's first offer to help them in 1914 was turned down. After the reorganisation of the Girl Guides in 1915, she offered again to help, this time successfully and started organising Guiding in Sussex. She became the County Commissioner for Sussex in March 1916. In October 1916, the first conference for County Commissioners was held and it was here that the Commissioners unanimously requested that Olave take the role of Chief Commissioner. During this period she organised a great number of women in other parts of Britain to take up roles in Guiding. In 1918, Olave was acclaimed Chief Guide, a title she much preferred to Chief Commissioner. At the Swanwick conference for Commissioners in October 1918, she was presented with a gold version of the Silver Fish
, sometimes referred to as a Gold Fish.
) by King George V
, in recognition of her volunteer work
Finland awarded her the Order of the White Rose, and Peru the Order of the Sun.
, Kenya
with her husband, where he died on January 8, 1941.
attacks to return to a grace and favour
apartment in Hampton Court Palace
(in which she lived from 1943 to 1976), since her own home, Pax Hill, had been taken over by the Canadian
military. Through World War II
she toured the United Kingdom. Fortunately she was on a visit when a V2
missile damaged her apartment in 1944. As soon as she could after D-Day
, she went to France, toured throughout Europe
as the war ended to help revive Guiding and Scouting.
Having suffered a heart attack
in Australia in 1961, she was finally banned from travelling by her doctor at the age of 80 in 1970 when she was diagnosed with diabetes from which she eventually died.
In 1968 the Boy Scouts of America
(BSA) had given Olave a credit card
to defray her travel costs. When she stopped travelling, the BSA asked her to use the card for 'keeping in touch'. This included paying for the over 2000 Christmas card
s she sent to those personally known to her.
Olave died on 25 June 1977 at Birtley House, Bramley
in Surrey, UK. Her ashes were taken to Kenya to be buried in the same grave as her husband's remains. She was survived by her two daughters, her son having predeceased her.
for Guides was built in north London
in Olave's memory. This has the World Bureau and Pax Lodge
in its grounds. Pax Lodge is one of WAGGGS' four World Centres.
Scouts and Guides mark February 22 as B.-P. Day or Thinking Day, the joint birthdays of Robert and Olave Baden-Powell, to remember and celebrate the work of the Chief Scout and Chief Guide of the World. On that day in 2011, a Blue Plaque is to be unveiled near the site of the house in Chesterfield where she lived, by Derbyshire County Council following an Internet poll in which she received 18,026 votes out of 25,080 (72%), cf. 1,231 (5%) for George Stephenson (runner-up).
The Olave Baden-Powell Bursary Fund was set up in 1979 from voluntary contributions in memory of Olave B-P. Annually awarded bursaries aim to allow girls in Girlguiding UK
to further their interests and hobbies and realise their dreams.
As a child, Olave learned the violin; her first violin she called Diana. It was a copy of a Stradivarius made by Messrs. Hill for the Paris Exhibition and many years later it was presented to the Guide Association. It is still available on loan to Guides who are seriously learning to play the violin prior to them acquiring their own instrument. See "The Derbyshire Childhood..."
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(22 February 1889 – 25 June 1977) was born Olave St Clair Soames in Chesterfield, England. She was later known as Olave, Lady Baden-Powell, or The Dowager Lady Baden-Powell, having outlived her husband, Robert Baden-Powell
Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell
Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, Bt, OM, GCMG, GCVO, KCB , also known as B-P or Lord Baden-Powell, was a lieutenant-general in the British Army, writer, and founder of the Scout Movement....
, the founder of Scouting
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
and Girl Guides, by over 35 years.
Olave became Chief Guide for Britain in 1918. Later the same year she was presented with a gold Silver Fish
Silver Fish
The Silver Fish is the highest adult award in Girlguiding UK. It is awarded for outstanding service to Girlguiding UK combined with service to world Guiding...
, one of only two ever made. She was elected World Chief Guide in 1930. As well as making a major contribution to the development of the Guide / Girl Scout movements, she visited 111 countries during her life attending Jamborees and national Guide and Scout associations.
Early life
Olave Soames was the third and youngest daughter of breweryBrewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
owner and artist Harold Soames (who was himself descended paternally from a landed gentry
Landed gentry
Landed gentry is a traditional British social class, consisting of land owners who could live entirely off rental income. Often they worked only in an administrative capacity looking after the management of their own lands....
family, and maternally from a self-made man, Joseph Gilstrap Gelthorpe, who had been Mayor of Newark, Nottinghamshire).
She was educated by her father, her mother Katharine (née Hill), and a number of governesses at home. She lived in seventeen homes in the first 23 years of her life. Olave became keen on outdoor sports including tennis, swimming, football, skating and canoeing, and also played the violin.
Marriage and children
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
hero and founder of the Scouts, Robert Baden-Powell on an ocean liner (RMSP Arcadian) on the way to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to start one of his Scouting World Tours. She was 23, he 55, and they shared the same birthday. They became engaged in September of the same year, causing a media sensation. They married in secret on 30 October 1912 for privacy. "Baden-Powell: Two lives of Hero" by William Hillcourt, Heineman, 1964, p. 335.
The Scouts and Guides of England each donated a penny to buy the Baden-Powells a wedding gift of a car. (Note that this is not the Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce (car)
This a list of Rolls-Royce motor cars and includes vehicles produced by:*Rolls-Royce Limited *Rolls-Royce Motors , which was owned by Vickers between 1980 and 1998, and after that by Volkswagen...
they were presented with in 1929). Olave's father assisted financially with the purchase of Pax Hill
Pax Hill
Pax Hill, near Bentley, Hampshire, England, was the family home of Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Scout movement, and his wife, Olave, for over twenty years during the 20th century. It is located at the end of a half-mile drive, off the main A31 road....
near Bentley, Hampshire
Bentley, Hampshire
Bentley is a village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. The parish has an acreage of . The village is located just off the A31 road between Farnham in Surrey and Alton, being about five miles west of Farnham and six miles east of Alton...
as a family home where she lived with her husband from 29 January 1919 until 25 October 1938. "Baden-Powell: Two lives of Hero" by William Hillcourt, Heineman, 1964, p. 356 & 412.
The Baden-Powells had three children — one son and two daughters (who took the courtesy titles of Honourable in 1929; the son later succeeding his father in 1941):
- Arthur Robert PeterPeter Baden-Powell, 2nd Baron Baden-PowellArthur Robert Peter Baden-Powell, 2nd Baron Baden-Powell, Bt, FRSA was the son of Lieutenant-General Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting, and Olave St. Clair Soames...
, later 2nd Baron Baden-Powell (30 October 1913–9 December 1962), who married Carine Boardman (1913-1993), and they had two sons and a daughter; at Peter's death the elder son Robert succeeded him as 3rd Baron Baden-Powell; - Hon. Heather Grace Baden-Powell (1 June 1915–3 May 1986), who married John Hall King (1913-c. 1990), and they had two sons; and
- Hon. Betty St. Clair Baden-Powell, CBEBetty ClayThe Hon. Betty St. Clair Baden-Powell, Mrs. Clay, CBE was the daughter of Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting and Olave Baden-Powell...
(16 April 1917–24 April 2004) who, like her mother, met her future husband on board ship, an older man (by a decade) who shared her birthday. She married, on 24 September 1936, Gervas Charles Robert Clay (16 April 1907-18 April 2009). They had a daughter and three sons. Betty Clay was also prominent in the Guide Movement until her death (see http://www.spanglefish.com/bettyclay).
In addition, when Olave's sister, Auriol Davidson née Soames, died in 1919, Olave took her three nieces, Christian (1912-1975), Clare (1913-1980), and Yvonne, (1918-c. 1995), into her family and brought them up as her own children.
War work
During 1915 and 1916, with World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in progress, Olave assisted directly with the war effort in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Robert had seen the usefulness of the YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
's recreational huts for the soldiers and persuaded the Mercers' Company
Worshipful Company of Mercers
The Worshipful Company of Mercers is the premier Livery Company of the City of London and ranks first in order of precedence. It is the first of the so-called "Great Twelve City Livery Companies". It was incorporated under a Royal Charter in 1394...
(of which he had been Master in 1912) to pay for such a hut at Val-de-Lievres, Calais
Calais
Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
. It was to be staffed by adults connected with Scouting. Olave was one of the team of five men and three women that staffed the hut at the start. She persuaded her mother to look after the children for time she would be away.
Olave left for France on 7 October 1915. Her regular work in the Mercers' hut included serving cocoa
Hot chocolate
Hot chocolate is a heated beverage typically consisting of shaved chocolate, melted chocolate or cocoa powder, heated milk or water, and sugar...
and cigarette
Cigarette
A cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be used as well...
s and chatting to those who came in. She also recalled in her autobiography playing her violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
and singing at the Christmas Concert. Olave also adopted a number of stray animals during her time in Val-de-Lievres.
During this time, Robert had organised the Scouts to sponsor another recreational hut. Olave and two others started this hut at Etaples
Étaples
Étaples or Étaples-sur-Mer is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. It is a fishing and leisure port on the Canche river.There is a separate commune named Staple, Nord.-History:...
after Christmas 1915. At the end of January, Olave was ordered home due to sickness, ending her three months in France.
Growing involvement in Scouting
Olave and Robert moved into Ewhurst Place, outside RobertsbridgeRobertsbridge
Robertsbridge is a village in East Sussex, England within the civil parish of Salehurst and Robertsbridge. It is approximately 10 miles north of Hastings and 13 miles south-east of Tunbridge Wells...
in Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
in April 1913. In June of that year, the 1st Ewhurst Scout Troop was inaugurated. Olave was the warranted Scoutmaster of this troop, assisted by the family's housemaid and the gardener. Olave accompanied Robert on many of his Scouting tours and to events. She also typed letters for him. In 1915, the Baden-Powell's bought a small car, and after Robert taught her to drive, Olave often drove him to engagements.
Although most famously connected with the Girl Guides, Olave's first offer to help them in 1914 was turned down. After the reorganisation of the Girl Guides in 1915, she offered again to help, this time successfully and started organising Guiding in Sussex. She became the County Commissioner for Sussex in March 1916. In October 1916, the first conference for County Commissioners was held and it was here that the Commissioners unanimously requested that Olave take the role of Chief Commissioner. During this period she organised a great number of women in other parts of Britain to take up roles in Guiding. In 1918, Olave was acclaimed Chief Guide, a title she much preferred to Chief Commissioner. At the Swanwick conference for Commissioners in October 1918, she was presented with a gold version of the Silver Fish
Silver Fish
The Silver Fish is the highest adult award in Girlguiding UK. It is awarded for outstanding service to Girlguiding UK combined with service to world Guiding...
, sometimes referred to as a Gold Fish.
Recognition
In 1932, she was awarded the Dame Grand Cross of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (GBEOrder of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
) by King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
, in recognition of her volunteer work
Finland awarded her the Order of the White Rose, and Peru the Order of the Sun.
Standard
Olave Baden-Powell was presented with a personal standard by the UK Girl Guide's County Commissioners. It was designed by Mrs Zigomala. Miss Kay-Shuttleworth supervised the making of the standard.The Standard of Lady Baden-Powell, Chief Guide of the World, is blue (azure) from the hoistFlag terminologyFlag terminology is a jargon used in vexillology, the study of flags, to describe precisely the parts, patterns, and other attributes of flags and their display.-Description of standard flag parts and terms:...
to the flyFlag terminologyFlag terminology is a jargon used in vexillology, the study of flags, to describe precisely the parts, patterns, and other attributes of flags and their display.-Description of standard flag parts and terms:...
. Nearest the hoist is the gold (orOr (heraldry)In heraldry, Or is the tincture of gold and, together with argent , belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". In engravings and line drawings, it may be represented using a field of evenly spaced dots...
) trefoil; then come two small hemispheres, showing a coloured map of the world, indicating her post as Chief Guide. These are placed high to the left of the main fly, which is divided throughout its length by two silver (argentArgentIn heraldry, argent is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures, called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it...
) waves, amongst which are shown three ships with black hulls and white sails, four dolphins and the Gold Fish of the Chief Guide. Then between two red (gulesGulesIn heraldry, gules is the tincture with the colour red, and belongs to the class of dark tinctures called "colours". In engraving, it is sometimes depicted as a region of vertical lines or else marked with gu. as an abbreviation....
) motto bands on which are embroidered the Baden-Powell and Girl Guide mottoes in gold letters, there is a section alluding to the outdoor life, showing white tents on a green (vertVertThe colour green is commonly found in modern flags and coat of arms, and to a lesser extent also in the classical heraldry of the Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern period....
) field. In the extreme fly the Baden-Powell crests are embroidered.
Death of Robert Baden-Powell
In October 1939, Olave moved to NyeriNyeri
Nyeri is a town in situated in the Central Highlands of Kenya Kenya, which was the administrative headquarters of the country's former Central Province...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
with her husband, where he died on January 8, 1941.
World War II
In 1942 she braved U-boatU-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
attacks to return to a grace and favour
Grace and favour
A grace and favour home is a residential property owned by a monarch by virtue of their position as head of state and leased rent-free to persons as part of an employment package or in gratitude for past services rendered....
apartment in Hampton Court Palace
Hampton Court Palace
Hampton Court Palace is a royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, Greater London; it has not been inhabited by the British royal family since the 18th century. The palace is located south west of Charing Cross and upstream of Central London on the River Thames...
(in which she lived from 1943 to 1976), since her own home, Pax Hill, had been taken over by the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
military. Through World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
she toured the United Kingdom. Fortunately she was on a visit when a V2
V-2 rocket
The V-2 rocket , technical name Aggregat-4 , was a ballistic missile that was developed at the beginning of the Second World War in Germany, specifically targeted at London and later Antwerp. The liquid-propellant rocket was the world's first long-range combat-ballistic missile and first known...
missile damaged her apartment in 1944. As soon as she could after D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
, she went to France, toured throughout Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
as the war ended to help revive Guiding and Scouting.
Post World War II
Olave led the Guide Movement world-wide for forty years, travelling all over the globe helping to establish and to encourage the Guide Movements in other countries, and bringing membership to over six and a half million world-wide.Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in Australia in 1961, she was finally banned from travelling by her doctor at the age of 80 in 1970 when she was diagnosed with diabetes from which she eventually died.
In 1968 the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
(BSA) had given Olave a credit card
Credit card
A credit card is a small plastic card issued to users as a system of payment. It allows its holder to buy goods and services based on the holder's promise to pay for these goods and services...
to defray her travel costs. When she stopped travelling, the BSA asked her to use the card for 'keeping in touch'. This included paying for the over 2000 Christmas card
Christmas card
A Christmas card is a greeting card sent as part of the traditional celebration of Christmas in order to convey between people a range of sentiments related to the Christmas and holiday season. Christmas cards are usually exchanged during the weeks preceding Christmas Day by many people in Western...
s she sent to those personally known to her.
Olave died on 25 June 1977 at Birtley House, Bramley
Bramley, Surrey
Bramley is a village and civil parish about three miles south of Guildford in the Borough of Waverley in Surrey, south east England. With a population of c.3,300 most of the parish lies in the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. There is evidence of iron age settlement in the area,...
in Surrey, UK. Her ashes were taken to Kenya to be buried in the same grave as her husband's remains. She was survived by her two daughters, her son having predeceased her.
Legacy
The Olave CentrePax Lodge
Pax Lodge is the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts World Centre in London, England. It was opened in 1990 but was not the first World Centre in England. It was preceded by Olave House , named after Olave Baden-Powell which was preceded by Our Ark .Pax Lodge is located in historic...
for Guides was built in north London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in Olave's memory. This has the World Bureau and Pax Lodge
Pax Lodge
Pax Lodge is the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts World Centre in London, England. It was opened in 1990 but was not the first World Centre in England. It was preceded by Olave House , named after Olave Baden-Powell which was preceded by Our Ark .Pax Lodge is located in historic...
in its grounds. Pax Lodge is one of WAGGGS' four World Centres.
Scouts and Guides mark February 22 as B.-P. Day or Thinking Day, the joint birthdays of Robert and Olave Baden-Powell, to remember and celebrate the work of the Chief Scout and Chief Guide of the World. On that day in 2011, a Blue Plaque is to be unveiled near the site of the house in Chesterfield where she lived, by Derbyshire County Council following an Internet poll in which she received 18,026 votes out of 25,080 (72%), cf. 1,231 (5%) for George Stephenson (runner-up).
The Olave Baden-Powell Bursary Fund was set up in 1979 from voluntary contributions in memory of Olave B-P. Annually awarded bursaries aim to allow girls in Girlguiding UK
Girlguiding UK
Girlguiding UK is the national Guiding organisation of the United Kingdom. Guiding began in the UK in 1910 after Robert Baden-Powell asked his sister Agnes to start a group especially for girls that would be run along similar lines to Scouting for Boys. The Guide Association was a founder member of...
to further their interests and hobbies and realise their dreams.
As a child, Olave learned the violin; her first violin she called Diana. It was a copy of a Stradivarius made by Messrs. Hill for the Paris Exhibition and many years later it was presented to the Guide Association. It is still available on loan to Guides who are seriously learning to play the violin prior to them acquiring their own instrument. See "The Derbyshire Childhood..."