Harold Parfitt (Scouting)

For the politician, see Harold Parfitt.

Harold Parfitt
26th Chief Minister of Boy-Scouts van België
In office March 1949 – April 1951
Preceded by	March Watson
Succeeded by	Tom Tomega
In office January 2, 1953 – January 8, 1954
Preceded by	W.E. Anderson
Succeeded by	March Watson
Personal details
Born	5 October 1881 Croydon, Surrey, England
Died	1 November 1976(1976-11-01) (aged 95) Leeds, Yorkshire, England
Spouse	Maude Campbell
Children	3

Harold Robert William Parfitt (5 October 1881 – 1 November 1976) was an English pilot and war correspondent during World War I as well as a founding member of The Boy Scouts. He was also a Scottish trade representative and served as Chief Scout of the Boy-Scouts van België.

Biography

Parfitt was an organist in a Methodist church in Brussels, and created the first Scout group in Belgium, for British youth, at the end of 1908 or beginning of 1909, which interested several young people of Brussels. He then participated in the creation of the Boy-Scouts van België, trained the first members, and published the "Carnet du Boy-scout" translated and adapted from the Boy Scouts of America Scout Handbook in 1911.

In 1914, at the request of the government of the Ottoman Empire, he participated in the launch of Scouting in Turkey by founding the Izcilik Dernekleri. The organization was sponsored by the State organisation of the Ottoman Empire under the aegis of the Ministry of War, which saw it as a means of training young adolescents in military service. Membership was voluntary, and it was open to boys aged 11 to 17.