Today in history, 122 years ago, 17 May 1900, marked the end of the Siege of Mafeking and this is an important day for you and me. It was the defense of this city in South African during the Second Boer War that made then-Colonel Robert Baden-Powell famous. Leading a force of around 1,500 defenders, Colonel Baden-Powell held off a force of about 8,000 ethnic-Dutch Boer attackers for 217 days. To do this, he famously used deception. Constantly watched by Boer scouts and spies, Baden-Powell had his troops put out fake landmines. Moving from place-to-place, he instructed his soldiers to step over fake barbed wire. He had a fake howitzer and cannon made so it looked like he had more armament in his defenses. Using an acetylene light and an old biscuit tin, they built something that passed as a searchlight. Albeit in the stress and uncertainty of war, what fun it must have been coming up with ways to project that his British force was stronger.
Given the deception, the Boers decided the town was too well defended to take in an assault, and after a failed attack on 12 May 1900, they gave up altogether when hearing of the British relief column coming towards the town.
After the end of the successful defense of Mafeking, Baden-Powell was celebrated as a hero. He was promoted to Major General in the British Army – the youngest Major General at the time. Boys in England started buying his book, Aids to Scouting for Non-Commissioned Officers and Men. Based on the book's popularity with youth, Baden-Powell wrote Scouting for Boys in 1908 and from there the worldwide Boy Scout movement started.
Later in his Scouting career, Baden-Powell famously said, "Scouting is a game with a purpose." Just like Baden-Powell's defense of Mafeking, sometimes we practice "games with a purpose" like Kim's Game or various events at the Klondike Derby, so we too can Be Prepared.