Ebbe Harald Lieberath (25 June 1871 in

Malmö Malmö is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, sixth-largest city in Nordic countries, the Nordic region. Located on ...

- 1 November 1937 in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

) was a Swedish military officer, writer and pioneer of Swedish Scouting.

Background

Lieberath was a

physical education Physical education is an academic subject taught in schools worldwide, encompassing Primary education, primary, Secondary education, secondary, and sometimes tertiary education. It is often referred to as Phys. Ed. or PE, and in the United Stat ...

teacher in

Gothenburg Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...

when he found a copy of ''

Scouting for Boys ''Scouting for Boys: A handbook for instruction in good citizenship'' is a book on Boy Scout training, published in various editions since 1908. Early editions were written and illustrated by Robert Baden-Powell with later editions being exten ...

'' by

Robert Baden-Powell Lieutenant-General Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, ( ; 22 February 1857 – 8 January 1941) was a British Army officer, writer, founder of The Boy Scouts Association and its first Chief Scout, and founder, with ...

during a boat trip. There are divided opinions about how Lieberath came in contact with the book. One version claims that it lay on a table in the lounge on board. Lieberath sat down and started to read the book and was thus inspired to try Scouting in Sweden. The second version claims that he had been sleeping on the boat and the book fell into his lap. Lieberath translated Scouting for Boys to Swedish in 1909. p. 26, 27, 46 He formed the first organized Scout group in Sweden which was ''Riddarpojkarna'' in Gothenburg. At the same time Lieberath started a magazine of the Swedish Scout Movement. The magazine survived only six months. Thanks to his translation of the book and personal boosting, Scouting ideas spread in Sweden. Lieberath co-founded the Swedish Guide and Scout Association in the Crown Prince Hotel in Stockholm in 1912. The union was not the first Scout association in Sweden. The YMCA's Scout association was first. The union was the first organization of free association. Lieberath was Scouting director of the Swedish Guide and Scout Association for many years. In 1920 he was awarded the first Silver Wolf Award, Swedish Scouting's highest award. Lieberath wrote thirty books for young people, such as ''Klämmiga pojkar'' (Spirited Boys) (1924). Ebbe Lieberathsgatan, neighbourhood in Gothenburg, was named after Lieberath in 1946. Lieberath spent his childhood in the district. His nephew, Allan Evers (13 years old at the time), received the Gold Cross award in January 1915, for having saved people from drowning three times at the risk of his own life. The Gold Cross award is the Scout Movement's finest award.

References

Scouting and Guiding in Sweden 1871 births 1937 deaths People from Malmö {{Sweden-bio-stub