Southampton: Scouts on the Doomed Ship

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In 1914, Baden-Powell’s scouts were prepared. From the first camp on Brownsea Island in 1907 the movement had spread like wildfire. By the start of the war there were 160,000 boy scouts in the UK alone. One of their first wartime roles was to take over some of the duties of coastguards who were on active service with the Royal Navy. Sea scouts, who could be as young as 14, had some of the powers of special constables. Their recorded activities include detaining a suspected spy and monitoring people on boats. Much of their time was spent keeping a watch for enemy activity at sea. In 1916, seventeen sea scouts were on board the hospital ship Britannic when she apparently hit a mine off the coast of Greece. All of them survived the sinking, although one Southampton scout had a narrow escape when his lifeboat was sucked into the ship’s propellers. Newspapers later praised the scouts for their refusal to leave their posts until the last minute. Location: Southampton SO15 5SY Image: A member of the Sea Scouts identifying passing vessels, courtesy of IWM