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Vera Barlcay, The first Akela of History

Let us return to the neighborhoods of London 1915, a girl was with the activities of his troops when some children under the age of 10 approached them and said these words: "Miss, if we want the scouts, we are ready".

Who would have thought that this girl named Vera Charlesworth Barclay became the first Akela in the history of scouting in the branch lobatos.

They were difficult times for the newly formed scouting. The World War had made the 1st lead to the battlefront to most managers and scouts with old enough to serve their homeland. in the absence of male heads provided for the acceptance of women in the formation of boys scouts. among the most important this Vera Barclay. Born in 1893 into a family of eight children. His father was the pastor Charles W. Barclay Barclay and her mother Florence's famous writer Louisa Charlesworth (1862-1920).

Vera joined the scouting in 1912, becoming the first Chief Scout and later in 1915 became the first Akela. Since held for fifteen years.

It was, along with Agnes, sister of Baden-Powell and his wife, a woman's most important emerging scout movement. And perhaps more because she, like Scout, paved the way for women to take positions of responsibility in scouting at a difficult time. But it is also a legend for Old Wolves as a founder of the branch Lobatos as we know at present.

In 1915, magazine Headquarters Gazette, published an article by Vera Barclay entitled: "How can a girl educate lobatos" which tells how he founded the first flock in Hertford, northeast of London:

He activities with my Scout Troop muchachitos and a bunch of us came and interrupted: "Miss, if we want the scouts, we are ready." When I saw these children, small, salute with three fingers I thought that something should be done for them.

In his typical style direct, Vera article ended by saying: If every Army Chief is able to find a woman to take charge of one hand, you'll see that in the future scouting will become much easier.

In 1916, Vera works as a nurse at the hospital of the Red Cross Netley, near Portsmouth. At the time already spent afternoons on Mondays, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, weekends and holidays to some of their scouting. It has even hooked his sister Angela to take care of his flock. The June 16 this year, Baden-Powell organized a meeting in Caxton Hill where he explained that any and rebuild their "Book for Lobatos" because it wants to integrate he works in The Jungle Book Your friend Rudyard Kipling. BP convinces Vera to work on the new version. She then joined the National Team to deal with the newly established branch Lobatos.

Vera's mother Vera counted that from that day, every morning when entering his office found little notes BP written in cigarette paper. At that time the cigarette paper was used as an anticoagulant when one was cut with the blade shaving. The Chief reflected well the ideas that emerged at asearse in the morning.

In his foreword to the Manual Lobato Vera Barclay says that people will not be solemn expect a thick manual describing how to train a child of eight to twelve years, that is, as a way to transform it into a small machine stupid, like crush your spirit eager to learn under a nightmare cargo academic precision, these persons will be sorely disappointed.

Vera Barclay, a colossal effort to harmonize the practice of Lobato in the numerous flocks that are created, will visit 500 herds to teach the Great Clamor to lobatos. Converted to Catholicism, worked greatly to iron out the rough edges between clergy and the burgeoning movement scout. Thanks to the support of Cardinal Bourne, then archbishop of Westminster, scouting grew significantly in England.

It was she who gave the Father Sevin, founder of the Scouts de France title Akela Leader title which enable it to train their heads instead of hands. Vera Barclay come, by the way, on several occasions to Chamarande in 1923, 1925 and 1926.

In September 1920 he dismissed the English National Team in an article in the magazine announcing its next national income in the religious of Charity. In the same edition, BP makes it a warm appreciation for his work and announced the granting of Lobo Silver, the highest distinction scout, for his service to the movement. But it seems that was merely a break for three years after Vera returns to the English National Team to publish new training manuals. He writes a lot, especially children's books under the pseudonym Margaret Beech, but also religious tests in English and French.

In 1931 he finally leaves his duties to settle in France. However se cree who spent World War II in Bognor Regis, near Brighton, England. Later return to France from where they continued to participate in some form in the scouting publishing articles in the magazine The Scouter.
In 1983 he returned to England to settle near London, has 90 years and is becoming blind. He died in September 1989 at the age of 95 years. At his funeral was a representation of British scouting.