1933 Heather's Coming-out
Family Album, Heather Baden-Powell

Heather, Olave's oldest daughter, was born in 1913. She shares her 'family album' with us until the time she married John King in 1940, six months before the death of her father. The 'Album' is organised on a year-by-year basis and if it consisted of only the collection of family photographs and water-colour illustrations, some of BP's, some of her own, then the book would still be a worthwhile tribute to Baden-Powell, the family man. But it is so much more than this. There is a substantial narrative that covers life in the various Baden-Powell family homes and set-piece events such as the presentation of 'Jam Roll' (a Rolls-Royce motor-car bought by the Scouts of the world) at the 1929 World Jamboree, World Tours on which Heather and her sister Betty often accompanied their parents.

Heather grew up in a loving environment and seemed, like many daughters seem, to have had a special relationship with her father. He always wrote to her as 'My very dear old Heatherum', and signed himself 'Your loving DAD'. Despite living life somewhat in 'a goldfish bowl', often on show, often in guide uniform, life, from what Heather tells us, seems never to have been very 'normal', but certainly very happy. The book is full of poetry, colour and gaiety.