The Scout Association of Malta
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Scout Association of Malta has a strong connection to Scouting. Few countries have a tradition in Scouting as has Malta. The first overseas unit of the Scout Association was established there in 1908. Robert Baden-Powell served as Assistant Military Secretary to the Governor, his uncle General Sir Henry Smyth. During his term on Malta Baden-Powell showed concern for the welfare of the soldiers stationed there. This experience in time led to his writing 'Aids to Scouting' upon which 'Scouting for Boys' was ultimately modeled. With his connections to Malta and his many Maltese friends, it was natural that The Scout Association of Malta would be the first overseas branch of the British Association. It was formed only months after the first Scouts appeared on the Island and within a short time of the camp at Brownsea Island in July-August 1907. The Malta Scout Association formally applied to become a member of the British Movement on November 9, 1908 and was officially recognised a year later. Those first few Scouts started a tradition that has kept Scouting in the very forefront of youth education in Malta. Since its early years Scouting has been the most active and strongest youth organization on the Island.
Baden-Powell visited Malta on several occasions and took the Maltese Scouts under his wing, often writing to them with advice and praising "the progress in efficiency and the spirit of the Boy Scouts of Malta". Shortly before his death Baden-Powell typed what was possibly his last letter. On July 21, 1940 from Paxtu in Kenya he wrote "to congratulate my old friends, the Maltese on the plucky way they have stood up to the infernal bombing... They have the spirit of fearlessness and patience which enables them to face danger with a smile to stick it out to the triumphant finish ...". Indeed his words were prophetic. The Scouts of Malta played a notable role in the aerial siege of the Island between 1940 and 1943. They were collectively decorated with the unique honour of the Bronze Cross "in recognition of their courage and devotion to duty in the face of continuous enemy action in the war for freedom".
The Scout Association of Malta continued as a branch of the British Association until 1966. After Maltese independence in 1964 the Maltese national scouting organisation applied for membership in the World Organization of the Scout Movement and was admitted in October 1966.
External links
- Scout Association of Malta (http://www.maltascout.org.mt/)
Adapted from the Scout Association of Malta history.