木章溯源之三 木章的幸運皮繩 THE LEATHER THONG

The Origins Of The Wood Badge
檔案編號 Item Code FS145001 Feb/08 Edition no 0845 300 1818
英國童軍總會資訊中心 The Scout Information Centre

木章的幸運皮繩 THE LEATHER THONG

木章除了木珠之外，其他重要的組件就是「幸運皮繩」。貝登堡爵士在木章訓練時，提供一條木章原始皮繩。發生於1899/1900年梅富根圍城之役(the Siege of Mafeking)危急時，遇到一位非洲長老。他關心和詢問貝登堡為何看起來那麼消沈憔悴，然後拿下脖子上的一條皮繩，放在貝登堡的手掌上，說:「戴上這條皮繩吧!」。「這是我母親給我的，為了招來幸運。現在相信它將帶給你幸運」。貝登堡爵士在非洲服役時，蒐集而來的戰利品之中，由梅富根圍城之役獲得的非洲長老的「幸運皮繩」，以及「迪尼祖魯酋長的木珠」兩件紀念品，設計出舉世聞名的「木章」。
The other important part of the Wood Badge, apart from the beads, is the leather thong itself.
Baden-Powell was originally given one during the course of the Siege of Mafeking in 1899/1900 when things were not going too well. An elderly man met him and asked him about his unusually depressed appearance . Then the man took the leather thong that he had been wearing from around his neck and placed it in B-P's hand. 'Wear this,' he said. 'My mother gave it to me for luck. Now it will bring you luck.' So from these two souvenirs of his military career in Africa, the leather thong from an old man at Mafeking and from Dinizulu's necklace, B-P fashioned what is now known all over the world as the Wood Badge.