11 January 2011 - Lady Patience Baden-Powell obituary
It is with
sadness that we learn of the passing of the Lady Baden-Powell on 18
December at the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice in Farnham after a
two-year battle with Motor Neurone Disease.
Patience Hélène Mary Batty was born on 27
October 1936, the daughter of Major Douglas Myers Batty. She was
educated at St. Peter's Diocescan School, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
She married Robert Crause Baden-Powell, 3rd
Baron Baden-Powell, son of Arthur Robert Peter Baden-Powell, 2nd
Baron Baden-Powell and Carine Crause-Boardman in 1963 and as a
result of her marriage was given the title Lady Baden-Powell.
In April 1964 she was enrolled by the Chief
Guide at a Trefoil Guild Conference in Swanwick, Derbyshire, and
acted as a Guide Leader in Nottingham and District and Assistant
County Commissioner in Surrey West.
Lady Baden-Powell served on numerous guiding
committees including the Olave House Committee (1966), the Overseas
Committee (1969 – 1973), the Reception Committee (1971-1975), the
Executive Committee (1971- 1973 for the first time). She
first joined the Guiding Council in 1967. For three years she
was also a representative to the British Youth Council and during
this time was part of a delegation to Israel in 1977.
Taking a keen interest in international
guiding, Lady Baden-Powell worked at one of the guiding world
centres, Our Cabana, for a time in 1980 and led the UK delegations
to the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts’
Conferences in France in 1981 and in the USA in 1984, having
attended several conferences in the past as a delegate.
She was Chief Commissioner of the Guide
Association between 1980 and 1985. In 1986 Lady Baden-Powell
was invested as a Commander, Order of the British Empire (CBE). She
later became a Vice-President of the Guide Association.
Outside of guiding Lady Baden-Powell worked
for the YWCA for three years, was patron of the National Play Bus
Association, President of the Commonwealth Youth Exchange Council,
Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Surrey and Director of Imperial Life
Assurance UK Ltd. In later life Lady Baden Powell's great interests
lay in her work with Waltham Firs and Woodlarks Campsites and in
her role as a local fundraiser for the NSPCC.
'The Lady Baden-Powell will be remembered not
only for her many years of dedicated service to guiding, both in
the UK and internationally, but also for her enthusiasm and the
kindness she showed to every young member that she met. The
thoughts of the whole guiding movement are with the Baden-Powell
family at this sad time.'
Liz Burnley CBE, Chief Guide
'Patience was always committed to encouraging
the Scouts and Guides to work closer together, both locally and
nationally, as well as internationally'
Derek Twine, Chief Executive of the Scout
Association
The funeral was held at Albury Parish Church
at 2pm on Monday 10 January. The family requested no flowers, but
instead donations to either Waltham Firs Activity and Camping
Centre or Woodlarks Campsite (http://www.woodlarks.org.uk/).