- Antoine Depage
Dr. Antoine Depage (born Bosvoorde,
November 28 1862 ; diedDen Haag ,10 August 1925 ), was the Belgian royal surgeon, the founder and president of the BelgianRed Cross , and one of the founders ofScouting in Belgium .Depage married Marie Picard in 1893 and they had three children. Marie Depage died on
7 May , 1915 in the sinking of theRMS Lusitania when it was torpedoed by a German submarine.Medicine
Depage studied medicine at the
Universite Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), and graduated magna cum laude in 1887. He became one of the founders and the first secretary of the International Surgical Society (1902 - 1912). In 1903 he founds a surgical institute, the Berkendael Institute, andEdith Cavell becomes its head nurse. On October 10, 1907, Depage founded "L'Ecole d'Infirmiere Dimplonier" and Edith Cavell became the first director of this new nursing school.During
World War I Depage established the military hospital l'Océan atDe Panne . He became the first head of the surgical department of the Brugmann hospital (1923). Antoine Depage was afreemason and a member of theGrand Orient of Belgium .couting
Englishman Harold Parfitt founded the first
Scout troop in 1909 inBrussels for British boys belonging to the British colony in that city. OnEaster 1910, Henri, the youngest of Depage's three sons watched these Scouts at work in the park ofSaint-Gilles , and tried in vain to interest his parents in Scouting. That summer they were on vacation atFolkestone , where Henri found a Scout camp and insisted on taking his mother to see it. She was impressed and bought a copy of "Scouting for Boys ", and converted Dr. Depage to the idea. Returning to Brussels, Depage used his influence to secure the formation of the "Boy Scouts de Belgique" (Boy Scouts of Belgium, or BSB), which was founded on December 23, 1910. The president of the General Council was GeneralComte de t'Serclaes de Wommerson , Depage was Chairman of the Executive Committee, and the Secretary wasPierre Graux , barrister in the Court of Appeal, whose two sons were among the first Scouts. Harold Parfitt was appointedChief Scout , and the first camp was held atChristmas 1910. A large tent had been pitched, but everyone slept in the "orangerie" of the family house ofErnest Solvay à la Hulpe . The BSB used the British badges, rules and uniforms, and was open to all boys. In 1912 the Scouts attracted public support by their active help in controlling a widespreadbrushfire inFagne . Royal approval was signified through the holding of a large National Rally at the Palace in 1913.Dr. Depage, with his eldest son Pierre, also a Scout and surgeon, founded and took charge of the Belgian Ambulance in the
Balkan War . He was instrumental in startingScouting in Turkey , where Harold Parfitt, who accompanied him, became Chief Scout, replaced in Belgium byRobert Lutens . However it was not until 1950 that "Türkiye İzcileri " became a recognized member of theBoy Scouts International Conference .References
* "Scouting Round the World", John S. Wilson, first edition, Blandford Press 1959 p. 34
External links
* [http://www.chu-brugmann.be/nl/histo/depage.asp Antoine Depage]
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