Statues - Hither & Thither |
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Waltham Abbey
Essex East of England Bury Road, Sewardstonebury
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The Boy Scoutconsidered to be "The Unknown Scout" |
Robert Tait McKenzie
Modern Art Foundry (New York) 1966 (1937) |
Statue of a boy scout, considered to be the "Unknown Scout":
According to a legend, William Boyce was lost on a foggy street in London in 1909 when an unknown Scout came to his aid, guiding him to his destination. The boy then refused Boyce's tip, explaining that he was a Boy Scout and was merely doing his daily good turn. Soon thereafter, Boyce met with General Baden-Powell, who was Chief Scout at the time. Boyce returned to America, and, four months later, founded the Boy Scouts of America on February 8, 1910. This unknown boy scout was awarded in 1926 the second Silver Buffalo Award by the American boy scouts (see here).
In fact, the statue is a replica of McKenzie's most famous sculpture, The Ideal Scout (1937), also known as The Boy Scout, placed in front of the Cradle of Liberty Council in Philadelphia in 1937 (it stood there until 2013).
Gilwell Park is the Scout Association's national headquarters. It is located in Sewardstonebury, belonging to Waltham Abbey, Essex, although usually the address is given as (North) London.
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THE BOY SCOUT by robert tait-mckenzie presented to GILWELL PARK by the PHILADELPHIA COUNCIL BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA as a symbol of international brotherhood MAY 7th 1966 |