A Boy Scouts joke about the historical origins of Scouting.
For everyone else:
The siege of Mafeking was a 217-day siege of the town of Mafeking (now called Mahikeng) in South Africa during the Second Boer War, from October 1899 to 17 May 1900. The siege was news in Britain, as Lord Edward Cecil, the son of the British prime minister, was in the besieged town, as also was Lady Sarah Wilson, a daughter of the Duke of Marlborough and aunt of Winston Churchill.
The siege turned the British commander, Colonel Robert Baden-Powell, into a national hero. Famously, Baden-Powell made use of local boys in town as messengers to support the garrison. His views on teaching adolescent boys useful skills led to the Scouting movement.
The Relief of Mafeking (the breaking of the siege), while of little military significance, was a huge morale boost for the British forces.
This image is dedicated to
@Triangulus who inspired me to revisit it.