 Soon after founding the Scout movement , Robert Baden @-@ Powell saw the need for leader training . Early Scoutmaster training camps were held in London and Yorkshire . Baden @-@ Powell wanted practical training in the outdoors in campsites . World War I delayed the development of leader training , so the first formal Wood Badge course was not offered until 1919 . Gilwell Park , just outside London , was purchased specifically to provide a venue for the course and the Opening Ceremonies were held on July 26 , 1919 . Francis Gidney , the first Camp Chief at Gilwell Park , conducted the first Wood Badge course there from September 8 – 19 , 1919 . It was produced by Percy Everett , the Commissioner of Training , and Baden @-@ Powell himself gave lectures . The course was attended by 18 participants , and other lecturers . After this first course , Wood Badge training continued at Gilwell Park , and it became the home of leadership training in the Scout movement . 
